Black-centric enhancements to the Employee Assistance Program
On this page
- Milestones and accomplishments
- Voluntary self-identification and feedback
- Training for EAP mental health professionals
- Next steps
- About the initiative
- Engagement with Black public servants
- Impact and program diversity
- Statistics
- Contact us
The enhancements to Health Canada's Employee Assistance Program (EAP) aim to provide culturally competent and trauma-informed mental health support to Black public servants and their immediate family members. The dedicated Black-centric Engagement and Advancement team ensures Health Canada applies a Black-centric and SGBA Plus lens to this initiative.
Milestones and accomplishments
- 100 Black mental health professionals in the network, as of March 31, 2025
- Over 570 Black public servants from 4 interdepartmental Black employee networks consulted as part of this initiative
- Trauma-informed, culturally competent training made available to all mental health professionals
- 93% of requests for Black mental health professionals have been successfully fulfilled on all requested identity factors, as of March 31, 2025,
- Up to 12 hours of mental health support available for Black public servants experiencing workplace microaggressions or discrimination
- 92% of mental health professionals in the EAP network have completed self-identification surveys, as of March 31, 2025
Addressing the stigma surrounding mental health in Black communities requires access to culturally competent and trauma-informed mental health services.
Following the engagement sessions with Black public servants, Health Canada has:
- increased the number of Black mental health professionals in the EAP network
- improved how the EAP matches clients with mental health professionals based on specific identity factors
- introduced training for mental health professionals and EAP staff on trauma-informed and culturally competent counselling approaches
- improved data collection to ensure the program meets the needs of Black public servants
- updated the EAP's promotional materials to better reach Black public servants
- increased the number of hours (up to 12) of mental health support available to Black public servants who are experiencing microaggressions or discrimination in the workplace
Voluntary self-identification and feedback
Clients are asked to self-identify during the intake discussion, and a satisfaction survey is conducted at the end of the sessions. Both are voluntary.
The information provided is used to collect a general picture of EAP clientele and assess clients' experiences with the program. It will inform future updates to the program so that it continues to meet the needs of diverse EAP clients.
All feedback is confidential and will be used only to improve EAP services. Declining to answer self-identification or survey questions will not affect the services provided.
Training for EAP mental health professionals
Health Canada has launched training for EAP mental health professionals. Offered in French and English, the sessions cover topics such as anti-Black racism and trauma-informed, culturally competent approaches to care so that mental health professionals in the EAP network are better equipped to support Black public servants and understand their unique experiences.
The training sessions include case studies, discussions, and practical application exercises to help the professionals understand the principles discussed and apply them to their day-to-day work.
Next steps
Health Canada will further enhance the EAP by continuing to:
- increase awareness of the initiative
- recruit and retain Black mental health professionals
- improve data collection to ensure the program meets the needs of Black public servants
- equip mental health professionals in the EAP network with knowledge and tools to better serve Black clients
About the initiative
In January 2021, then Clerk of the Privy Council Office, Ian Shugart, issued the Call to Action on Anti-Racism, Equity, and Inclusion in the Federal Public Service. He acknowledged the ongoing struggles faced by Black, Indigenous and racialized communities, and called for urgent and collective action to:
- combat systemic racism
- promote diversity, equity, and inclusion within Canada's federal public service
This initiative stems from the 2023 federal budget's action plan to support Black public servants, which includes specific mental health supports. Health Canada is receiving nearly $6 million to introduce Black-centric enhancements to the EAP, which provides support to more than 90 federal departments and agencies.
Engagement with Black public servants
As a first step, Health Canada held engagement sessions with Black public servants from May to August 2024, seeking feedback on the project plans and the EAP.
Phase 1
Health Canada held 4 engagement sessions with the following interdepartmental Black employee networks:
- the Black Executives Network
- the Federal Black Employee Caucus
- the Federal Black Employee Caucus – Women's Caucus
- the Interdepartmental Black Employee Network
The sessions ran from May 30 to July 8, 2024, and Health Canada consulted with a total of 491 Black public servants.
Health Canada used these sessions to:
- gain feedback on the project plans for Black-Centric enhancements to the EAP
- create awareness for the project using a trauma-informed approach
Phase 2
Health Canada held 8 engagement sessions focused on:
- Black employees' experiences with the EAP
- the EAP's promotional material
- project plans to collect disaggregated data
These sessions ran from July 23 to August 21, 2024, and Health Canada consulted with 140 Black employees.
Impact and program diversity
The Black-centric Enhancements to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) initiative stems from the 2023 federal budget's action plan to support Black public servants, which includes specific mental health supports.
While this initiative focuses on Black-centric enhancements to the EAP, the impact will be much wider as they become part of regular operations. The enhancements will advance the diversity of the program in general and have many positive outcomes for all communities. For example, as part of this work, we are integrating an active offer for matching EAP clients with a mental health professional based on identity factors such as race and gender.
The EAP also continues to increase recruitment of mental health professionals from various groups including religious, cultural and ethnic groups, Black and racialized people, Indigenous people, the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and persons with disabilities.
Statistics
According to the 2022 Public Service Employment Survey:
- 11% of Black respondents reported experiencing workplace discrimination compared to 6% of non-racialized, non-Indigenous respondents
- 72% of Black respondents said the discrimination was racial in nature
- 12% of Black respondents reported experiencing higher levels of work-related stress compared to 5% of non-racialized, non-Indigenous respondents
- 29% of Black respondents reported that racism in their department or agency has had an adverse or negative impact on their mental health
Contact us
Black-centric Engagement Advancement Team
Email: EAS-BEAT_EMAN-SAE@hc-sc.gc.ca
Related links
Resources
- Find your organization's Employee Assistance Program provider
- Employee Assistance Program contact
- 2022 Public Service Employee Survey Results
News
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