Dale Grenolds, Executive Vice President at EAP provider CompPsych, spoke at the DMEC conference about the evolution of employee assistance programs.

EAPs, like other benefits, are now app-accessible, allowing participants to interact with counselors online. However, "many people still like to pick up a phone and talk to a clinician," Grenolds said, and "24/7, we're there, whether you're in crisis or it's something less urgent."

EAPs are also taking a holistic approach, he said, helping employees navigate their employer's medical, wellness, financial-services and leave offerings. EAPs may craft a support plan—"solutions that are not cookie-cutter," Grenolds explained—for employees with mental and behavioral issues, such as substance abuse or post-traumatic stress disorder.

To create a program for employees with depression, one EAP coordinated with the organization's health insurer and pharmacy benefit manager to identify those taking depression-related prescriptions. It then sent letters reminding these employees about EAP services, Grenolds said.