This month Nina Wilson became one of only two people on the island to currently hold the Certified Employee Assistance Professionals certification.

This credential demonstrates knowledge, experience and expertise across the entire employee assistance professional body of knowledge.

Ms Wilson has been a counsellor at the Employee Assistance Programme for six years.

“After being at EAP for two years, my executive director, Latisha Lister-Burgess, encouraged me to obtain this certification,” she said. “I believe in the organisation and the work that we do and plan to be at EAP for the long haul. It is a great place to work.”

To achieve this designation, Ms Wilson had to complete a candidate orientation course and pass five CEAP learning modules.

At the end of each module, she had to pass an assessment with an 80 per cent or higher grade.

The modules were self-paced and covered essential EAP components, policy issues along with relevant legal issues, EAP clinical assessments, marketing, training, supervision and account management for EAPs.

“The process was a difficult one. However, I am thankful that I could go at my own pace,” Ms Wilson said. “It also taught me how to have a healthy life-work balance while going through the different stages.”

When she finally had the certification in hand, she felt a sense of achievement, knowing that she had proven to herself that she could do it.

“With God’s help, I can do anything that I set my mind to do,” she said. “I am thankful and grateful to have had the support from my family, colleagues and friends for encouraging me in this endeavour.”

She said when she was a student at the Berkeley Institute, she gained a reputation for “keeping it real” when people asked for her advice.

She went into social work on the suggestion of a friend at church.

Over the years, she has worked at the Centre Against Abuse, the Bermuda Police Service — doing domestic violence training — and Teen Services/Teen Haven.

She hopes that the CEAP certification will help her to become the best counsellor she can be for her clients. She also wants her achievement to inspire other counsellors at EAP or in other organisations.

Ms Lister-Burgess said: “We are an accredited employee assistance provider, and now have the only two CEAPs in Bermuda. We are proud of Ms Wilson for her dedication and hard work and view this achievement as a continued commitment to best practice and aligning with international standards.”

Employee Assistance Programme of Bermuda