Employee Assistance Programs
Conditions in Ghana are ready to support Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs). EAPs have been in existence in the US since the 1940s. Through access to EAPs untold numbers of individuals have been able to receive the help needed to address personal or work-related problems related to substance use disorders among other issues.
Recovery Africa in conjunction with our local counterpart Hopeful Way Foundation will assist in establishing an EAP structure in Ghana which is able to provide support services. The objective is to promote long term recovery by involving EAPs with Recovery Communities in Ghana. In January 2019, a five-member contingent representing Recovery Africa, participated in an online EAP course through the University of Maryland. Three of the attendees lived in Ghana and undertook the efforts to lay the groundwork to implement training and a workshop/conference on EAP.
Dr. Deborah Ontiveros, EAP, expert traveled to Ghana in early August to assist with the training regarding the provision of EAP services. Dr. Ontiveros, Adwoa Adu-Sarkodie, Byron Merriweather and Yaw Obeng Nsiah facilitated an EAP workshop over with 50 participants studying about EAPs, sharing their professional experiences and moving towards the establishment of an EAP chapter in Ghana. The participants were enthusiastic about the possibilities of bettering the lives of workers and improving productivity at the workplace. This pilot training is part of a larger effort to establish an EAP structure in Ghana.
