Proactive and self-referred care and counseling in the workplace

152 Pages·2015·4.86 MB·English

by  Faith Parry

This material has been provided by Asbury Theological Seminary in good faith of
following ethical procedures in its production and end use.

The Copyright law of the united States (title 17, United States code) governs the
making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyright material. Under certain
condition specified in the law, libraries and archives are authorized to finish a
photocopy or other reproduction. One of these specific conditions is that the
photocopy or reproduction is not to be “used for any purpose other than private
study, scholarship, or research.” If a user makes a request for, or later uses, a
photocopy or reproduction for purposes in excess of “fair use,” that user may be
liable for copyright infringement. This institution reserves the right to refuse to
accept a copying order if, in its judgment, fulfillment of the order would involve
violation of copyright law.

By using this material, you are consenting to abide by this copyright policy.
Any duplication, reproduction, or modification of this material without
express written consent from Asbury Theological Seminary and/or the
original publisher is prohibited.

Contact
B.L. Fisher Library
Asbury Theological Seminary
204 N. Lexington Ave.
Wilmore, KY 40390

B.L. Fisher Library’s Digital Content
place.asburyseminary.edu

Asbury Theological Seminary
205 North Lexington Avenue 800.2ASBURY

Wilmore, Kentucky 40390 asburyseminary.edu
ABSTRACT
PROACTIVE AND SELF-REFERRED CARE AND COUNSELING
IN THE WORKPLACE:
A STUDY OF UTILIZATION AND EFFECTIVENESS
by
Mark Robert LaBonde
North America has a very stress-filled society that is causing health problems,
relational issues, and various mental disorders. These issues are destroying families,
interrupting work, and costing employers millions of dollars in treatment and lost
productivity. To remedy this situation, companies began offering employee assistance
programs (EAPs). These programs help employees cope with their personal issues by
providing professional care and counseling. Companies are continually looking for better
ways to provide workplace care and counseling services. In order to ascertain what
methodology or services would improve workplace care and counseling, additional
research is needed.
The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of a
proactive workplace care and counseling (PCC) program and a self-referral workplace
care and counseling (SRCC) program by measuring perceived satisfaction, utilization
rates, and counselor relationship by surveying employees and employers that have access
to these benefits. I surveyed employees using external EAPs provided by insurance
companies and employees of CAREWo rks clients at small to medium-sized companies in
Lexington, Kentucky.
This study showed that a proactive care and counseling method is more effective
than a self-referral EAP in both utilization and satisfaction. Utilization was thirty times
greater in the proactive model than in the self-referral model. Both employees and
companies preferred the proactive model. The level of satisfaction was higher among the
employees of the companies using the proactive care and counseling. The company
representatives surveyed also rated the proactive care and counseling as more effective.
Unfortunately, I could not compare the level of counselor relationships between the two
groups.
DISSERTATION APPROVAL
This is to certify that the dissertation entitled
PROACTIVE AND SELF-REFERRED CARE AND COUNSELING
IN THE WORKPLACE:
A STUDY OF UTILIZATION AND EFFECTIVENESS
presented by
Mark Robert LaBonde
has been accepted towards fulfillment
of the requirements for the
DOCTOR OF MINISTRY degree at
Asbury Theological Seminary
April 17,2013
Date
April 17,2013
Date
April 17,2013
Date
April 17,2013
Dean of the Beeson Center Date
PROACTIVE AND SELF-REFERRED CARE AND COUNSELING
IN THE WORKPLACE:
A STUDY OF UTILIZATION AND EFFECTIVENESS
A Dissertation
Presented to the Faculty of
Asbury Theological Seminary
In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Degree
Doctor of Ministry
by
Mark Robert LaBonde
May 2013
© 2013
Mark Robert LaBonde
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................ vii
LIST OF FIGURES ......................................................................................................... viii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................... , ................................... ix
CHAPTER 1 PROBLEM .................................................................................................... 1
Introduction .............................................................................................................. 1
Proactive and Self-Referred Care ............................................................................ 3
Purpose ..................................................................................................................... 5
Research Questions .................................................................................................. 6
Definition ofTenns .................................................................................................. 6
Ministry Appraisal ................................................................................................... 7
Context ..................................................................................................................... 8
Methodology ............................................................................................................ 9
Participants ................................................................................................. 10
Instrumentation .......................................................................................... 10
Variables .................................................................................................... 11
Data Collection .......................................................................................... 11
Data Analysis ............................................................................................. 11
Generalizability .......................................................................................... 12
Theological Foundation ......................................................................................... 13
Overview ................................................................................................................ 15
111
CHAPTER 2 LITERA TURB ............................................................................................. 16
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 16
Theological Framework ........................................................................................ 17
Spiritual Authority ..................................................................................... 19
Ministry to AIL ........................................................................................... 22
Time of the LORD's Favor .......................................................................... 23
Bringing Good News to the Poor ............................................................... 24
Proclaiming Release of Captives ............................................................... 25
Blind Seeing ............................................................................................... 26
Setting Oppressed Free .............................................................................. 27
Summary .................................................................................................... 28
The Need for Care and Counseling ....................................................................... .30
Effects of Stress on Individuals ................................................................. 30
Effects of Stress on Corporations .............................................................. 34
History of Care and Counseling ............................................................................. 37
Care and Counseling by Chaplains ............................................................ 37
History of Care at Work (EAP) ................................................................. 39
Therapeutic Relationships ..................................................................................... .41
Current Methods of Care and Counseling at Work .............................................. .44
Social Support ............................................................................................ 44
Internal EAPs ............................................................................................. 45
Corporate Chaplains .................................................................................. 46
External EAPs ........................................................................................... 49
tv
Overall Effectiveness of Workplace Care and Counseling .................................... 52
Utilization .............................................................................................................. 58
Research Design ..................................................................................................... 61
Summary ................................................................................................................ 63
CHAPTER 3 METHODOLOGy ...................................................................................... 65
Problem and Purpose ............................................................................................. 65
Research Questions ................................................................................................ 65
Population and Participants .................................................................................... 67
Design of the Study ................................................................................................ 68
Instrumentation .......................................................................................... 69
Pilot Test and Expert Review .................................................................... 71
Variables .................................................................................................... 71
Reliability and Validity .............................................................................. 72
Data Collection ...................................................................................................... 74
Data Analysis ......................................................................................................... 76
Ethical Procedures ................................................................................................. 77
CHAPTER 4 FINDINGS ................................................................................................... 79
Problem and Purpose ............................................................................................. 79
Participants ............................................................................................................. 79
Research Question #1 ............................................................................................ 84
Research Question #2 ............................................................................................ 88
Research Question #3 ............................................................................................ 90
Research Question #4 ............................................................................................ 92
v
Summary of Major Findings .................................................................................. 93
CHAPTER 5 DISCUSSION .............................................................................................. 95
Major Findings ....................................................................................................... 95
PCC Participants More Aware of the Benefits .......................................... 95
Much Higher Utilization Rate for PCC ..................................................... 96
Multiple Usage of Benefit by PCC Participants ........................................ 98
Higher Satisfaction Rate for PCC Participants, Both Men and Women .... 99
PCC Employers Overall More Favorable about the Program ................. 100
Implications of the Findings ................................................................................ 101
Limitations of the Study ....................................................................................... 10 3
Unexpected Observations ...................................................................... " ............ 10 4
Recommendations ................................................................................................ 10 7
Postscript .............................................................................................................. 10 8
APPENDIXES
A. Expert Review Group ...................................................................................... 11 0
B. Pilot Study Group ............................................................................................ 111
C. Survey Questions ............................................................................................. 112
D. Disability Statement ........................................................................................ 126
WORKS CITED .............................................................................................................. 127
VI