Implementation and Evaluation of a Formal Telephone Counseling Protocol in an Employee Assistance Program

Structured guidelines for conducting telephone counseling were developed and implemented in a large employee assistance program. This study evaluates the telephone counseling service in several areas, including utilization, clinical outcomes, client satisfaction, client reported productivity and absenteeism, counselor feedback, and efficiency. Clients who elect the telephone counseling modality and who are determined by the counselor to be appropriate for telephone counseling show results comparable to those for face-to-face counseling on various measures.