A Little History: Northeast Georgia Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a private non-profit Employee Assistance Program offered by Family Counseling Service of Athens, Inc. It was created in 1979 by Athens Area Industrial Management group in partnership with the Industrial Relations committee of Family Counseling Services of Athens and the University of Georgia School of Social Work. It’s core mission has been to promote the development of EAP’s with area employers, providing program consultation, supervisory training, and assessment/counseling for the employees from each participating company. Currently there are approximately 30 area employers participating in the EAP consortium including Athens Regional Medical Center and St. Mary’s Health Care Systems, Athens Clarke County Government, Oconee County Government, the city of Winder and Monroe, and the USDA Forest Research Service.

In addition, NEGEAP serves as local contractor for most national EAP firms and corporations wishing “affiliate sub-contractors” in the this area. The sole business concern of NEGEAP is the provision of EAP services. However, organizationally it shares staff with Family Counseling Services of Athens (fcsathens.com), permitting access to many more clinicians/counselors than would otherwise be possible. The organizational structure of NEGEAP has changed some over the years, however key staff have remained stable. NEGEAP began as a “program” or a department of Family Counseling Services of Athens.

In the mid 1980’s NEGEAP became a separately incorporated non-profit organization with the governing body becoming a “Board of Directors” with a staff of 1-3 people. In 1997 NEGEAP once again merged staff with Family Counseling Services of Athens. This was done to increase both the number of staff available to participating employers and to expand clinical expertise available to employees utilizing the EAP. Another factor was the demands for servicing employees enrolled in an increasingly complex health care system due to “managed care”. For example, Family Counseling Service of Athens, Inc. has developed a managed behavioral health group under the name of ”Allied Health Service” and has been recognized as a “group practice”. This means that referral to the group (not an individual) is possible. In 2004 the Northeast Georgia Employee Assistance merged fully with Family Counseling Services.