Upper Island Counselling Turns 30, Gets Make Over

January 10, 2018

CAMPBELL RIVER -To celebrate 30 years of community service, Upper Island Counselling has launched a new website that features local photography, design, and branding.

The website is designed to both showcase the region and further reach out to upper island communities.

Upper Island Counselling began in the mid-1980’s when business and labour leaders in upper island communities decided to develop local counselling resources for individual employees and their families. Through their collaborative efforts, the Campbell River Assessment and Referral Services was founded as of October 1, 1987.

Now known as Upper Island Counselling, the service continues to make upper Vancouver Island a healthier, safer, and more productive place for their member company’s employees and their families.

Upper Island Counselling offers a not-for-profit membership based Employee and Family Assistance Program (EFAP) that provides professional counselling support to member employees and their families during challenging times.

There is no cost to the employees or their families. The service also provide resource materials, referrals, workshops and presentations, private counselling, and critical incident response.

Common areas of support that their professionally trained counsellors address include: relationship issues, stress management, anxiety and depression, parenting, addiction issues, workplace concerns, grief, and broader healthy lifestyle goals.

Studies have shown when employees have access to an effective EFAP, absenteeism declines and workplaces become safer and more productive. Engaged, productive employees working safely benefits communities as a whole.

Upper Island Counselling is a unique EFAP because it is a not for profit society governed by a volunteer Board of Directors. They do not set limits on the amount of services a client can access, and work with each client to achieve the changes the client is seeking.

Over the last thirty years, what began as service primarily for forestry employers has grown and diversified to incorporate more than 75 companies and 4200 employees ranging from the Comox Valley to Port Hardy.

Upper Island Counselling invites any company, big or small, to contact their office through the website to learn more about how their EFAP can help improve the health and wellness of employees and their families, reduce absenteeism, and increase safety and productivity.

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