It?s probably fair to say that the issue of stress is never far from the minds of most people in modern-day Bermuda.

The high cost of living, the much more rapid pace at which we live and work and the pressures of our responsibilities ? as employers or employees, spouses and/or parents, breadwinners or caretakers ? can take their toll.

Add to that the random events that life can throw at us unexpectedly, such as the death of a loved one, sudden illness or pending redundancy at work, and the impact can sometimes feel devastating.

Losing a job out of the blue ? something that, sadly, 220 Trimingham?s employees are now facing ? is just one issue the team at the Employee Assistance Programme of Bermuda (EAP) quietly helps clients deal with every day.

?We deal with the plethora of personal problems and the EAP is a safe venue for people to come to discuss issues, process problems and get help to cope,? says Martha Pitman, executive director of the EAP.

?We?re helping people with just about every facet of life?s issues,? agrees Olga Craine-Carmichael, one of the counsellors on the EAP team.

?It could be alcohol or drug abuse problems, grief, family issues, issues related to taking care of elderly parents. Sometimes the stress and strain of dealing with these issues can come up in a how a person is or performs in the workplace.?

And that?s when a member company can refer an employee to the EAP for help, or an individual from a member company can contact the organisation themselves.

The EAP is a private not-for-profit organisation which was formed in 1987 and currently supports 200 member companies with counselling services for their employees. It is funded only by the fees it receives from its member companies and organisations.

?We?re a benefit provided by companies to provide counselling services to their employees and the employees? dependants; our membership covers 17,000 employees, about 45 percent of Bermuda?s workforce,? says Mrs. Pitman. ?Most of our work is individual counselling sessions and we operate with strict confidentiality. In fact we?re a pretty quiet organisation in general and people come to us and feel safe because of our emphasis on client confidentiality.

We provide short-term counselling, typically six to eight sessions for each client, but that?s not set in concrete as we?ll extend that for some clients if we?re the best resource for their issue. We also refer clients out to other resources among the caring agencies on the Island as appropriate.?

Both women agree that the root of many of the problems they help clients deal with is the issue of change, and a fundamental fear of change felt by most people.

?Change is stressful and some clients come in with anxiety due to the anticipation of change, which can sometimes be worse than the change itself,? says Mrs. Craine-Carmichael.

From a business perspective, the climate of uncertainty in some areas of Bermuda?s economy and the high-profile layoffs and corporate restructuring that has directly impacted people?s jobs means that the EAP team is seeing clients who are not just anxious but also angry.

?In fact there?s typically a variety of emotional reactions to losing a job ? including grief because it is a loss ? and it?s important for people to understand those reactions are normal and that there?s a process to them,? Mrs. Pitman says. ?We help them to process the stress and the emotional reaction to such a major change and then eventually to understand how they can look forward and move on.?

Companies have called in the EAP counsellors to work with employees who will be affected by a major change that will impact their work or involve staff cuts.

?We explain the emotional process to them ? the feelings of grief, loss, disbelief, anger and frustration; we help them process those feelings,? says Mrs. Craine-Carmichael.

?We help them understand that they can manage their reaction to the change, if not the change itself. They can become sad or angry or depressed and they should know that?s a normal feeling, because not acknowledging that adds to their stress.

?After all that we then help them to look forward, restructure their feelings and set a plan.

?It?s important for those who are having a hard time coping with this kind of change to get this kind of help,? Mrs. Pitman adds. ?If something like a job loss happens on top of an existing stressful event it can be the last straw as it were and things could worse.?

?Yes, if it?s not dealt with they could turn to alcohol or end up with marital problems or other issues so it?s advisable to get some help,? Mrs. Craine-Carmichael agrees.

The EAP team recommend a variety of action steps when assisting clients dealing with unexpected events, including the following:

If you know change is coming, do something ? slow, eventual changes are the easiest to manage. If your company is making several changes ? realigning departments, closing down offices, switching computer systems ? assess what you need to do to stay on top and take steps to make it happen.

Look for something positive in the change ? while it?s impossible to ignore the downside of some changes, being negative for an extended length of time is not productive. Focus on the positives related to the change, and put the negatives into perspective.

Build on your support system ? a close network of friends and family can help weather life?s toughest storms; gather about you people who are nurturing, who share your life?s beliefs and with whom you enjoy spending time.

Don?t rely on alcohol or other drugs ? turning to alcohol or other drugs will only worsen the situation by weakening your ability to respond to change, and you should do your best to stay in good health since your body has built-in stress fighters that can help you respond positively to change.

Strengthen your self-confidence ? set goals for yourself and reward your achievements; train your inner voice to say positive things about you, your situation and the future.

?We know that ultimately all we can do is help them with their feelings and grief but we can?t help them find a job,? Mrs. Craine-Carmichael says.

?At the end of the day though we try to give our clients some perspective and some hope, and help them explore their options. Sometimes an ending may be the best beginning you?ve ever had.?

Both women feel that the need for the EAP is unlikely to diminish given the on going pressures of life in general for families and individuals today, which can spill over into the workplace, and the absence of support for many individuals.

?Family support is often not as strong as it was years ago when there was an extended family at home that most people could rely on,? says Mrs. Pitman.

?People can be under enormous strain that they carry around and I think that employers bought into the concept of the EAP because they realised that their employees? personal lives can affect their abilities in the workplace.?

She says that the team typically sees upwards of a thousand people each year, ?some may come for six, eight or ten sessions, some may come in for one or two just to vent their feelings?.

They also work in-house with groups of employees and conduct case management, management consultations and in-house workshops on various topics such as stress management and work-life balance.

In addition they provide workplace trauma de-briefing and counselling for employees after traumatic events such as the sudden death of a co-worker.

?It happens more often than one would think because it?s not just the cases that make it into the newspaper that affect people,? says Mrs. Pitman.

?We?ve also worked with some of the agencies or organisations where employees can be traumatised in the course of doing their work, such as the police and fire services.?

Whatever the issue, the goal of the EAP team is to help clients manage the emotional impact of a life change or trauma successfully.

?Some people come here and they feel they?re stuck, even those who feel that they actually have adequate coping skills, and we want to help them get unstuck,? Mrs. Pitman says.

?When I get some kind of feedback that someone feels it?s helped to have come here or we can see that they?re leaving unburdened, then we know we?re making a difference and that?s great.?

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The Employee Assistance Programme of Bermuda operates from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday evenings, and can be reached on 292-9000.