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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 1991-05-22, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, MAY 22, 1991. Group discusses addictions at Blyth workshop Workshop speaker Harry Hodgson, an Employee Assistance Program consultant with the Windsor office of the Addiction Research Foundation, was the keynote speaker at a workshop in Blyth on May 15. The workshop was sponsored by the Huron Addiction Assessment and Referral Centre. Representatives from the areas of human resources, health and safety, and management attended a special workshop, "Intervening With the Problem Employee: From Addic tion to Wellness", in Blyth on May 15. The workshop was of special interest to industry, small business and anyone with a keen interest in developing their awareness of addiction in the workplace. Partici pants heard ways of how to main tain confidentiality, how to deal with addiction problems in the workplace, the importance of iden tifying the problem early and the community resources and network ing available for help. The morning began with a keynote presentation, listing the problems facing us in today's soci ety and their impact on the work place. An overview of Employee Assistance Programs (EAP) was provided and discussion on how to maximize workplace wellness took place. There was also a video demonstration of how EAP works. After lunch, participants were divided into two groups. Pat Allen, a Program Consultant with the Kitchener office of the Addiction Research Foundation, was the dis cussion leader dealing with the topic, "You Are Not Alone". The group was told how to help an employee with a problem, how to develop interviewing skills and how to seek help if they need it. Information on establishing an EAP and the roles of management and labour was presented. The keynote speaker for the day was Hany Hodgson, an EAP con sultant with the Windsor office of the ARF for the past 12 years. Mr. Hodgson has consulted with numerous industries, school sys tems and hospitals in establishing EAP and health promotion pack ages. He is also the founder and past-president of the Windsor and District EAP council. Some participants expressed a concern to Mr. Hodgson regarding the lack of information available to the people in Huron, on community and social services. Mr. Hodgson responded by saying that the net working taking place at the work shop that day was a very positive first step. He pointed out that a drawback of the rural aspect of Huron, is that there is only a scat tering of small towns with informa tion coming from sporadic agencies. Another concern raised was con fidentiality. One person remarked that people do not want to seek help here, preferring instead to go the larger urban areas where they are not known. Mr. Hodgson agreed this can be a problem. "The grapevine is so strong that as much as you may want to adhere to the idea of confidentiality it can be close to impossible." Co-workers, he added, are usually aware if there's a problem first, while man agement is likely the last to know. Mr. Hodgson said that he expects in the future there will be more out patient treatment programs. "Peo ple could be coming in five days a week, for three hours a day of extensive treatment," he explained. "In this way they are still able to remain at home, continue working and collecting a paycheque." While the idea is not for everyone, he said, it is a more economical way and industries are supporting it with a more positive flair. Matching the client to the treat ment is another very important aspect of any program. When should an employer or co worker intervene? The question raised several points, but primarily it was suggested that EAP's are a joint commitment between man agement and employee. The dedi cation necessary on the part of management, one participant said, is to intervene "by keeping yourself available 24 hours a day for any individual who needs help." Mr. Hodgson said, that informa tion to employees has to be ongo ing to keep EAP visible, so they know it is there to help them, if not it won't be utilized. "You must actively promote it to develop active awareness through informa tion," he said. Business and_______ Professional Directory Youngblut's LIST ON APIECE®” Plumbing Or PAPER THE A WAYS Wt USE A & Heating OUR FORESTS 1A1 Blyth YOU WONT WIN A PRIZE BUT YOU WILL REMEMBED Darryl 523-9383 TOMORROW'S FORESTS ...TODflTS CHALLENGE INSTANT FAX AS F.A.S.T. AS PHONE Send your paperwork by F AX instantly! eg. statements, con tracts, auction ads, favorite recipes, obituaries, mess ages... The Citizen has a FAX machine in our office that lets you contact any other FAX machine in the world ... instantly. 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