FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is the background of Silver Oak Health?

Silver Oak Health is one of India’s highest-rated Employee Assistance Program (EAP) service providers. The company was founded in 2015 by highly experienced professionals from Psychology and HR backgrounds. Silver Oak Health provides EAP services for over 250 well-known corporate clients in India and is one of the most innovative in the industry. The employee engagement for Silver Oak Health’s EAP services is among the highest among peers in the industry.

What is EAP?

Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential, company provided benefit to corporate employees that are going through various mental health challenges through psychological counselling and allied services. Employees can directly access counsellors through the EAP provider’s helpline number. Some EAP companies like Silver Oak Health provides Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness programs to help employees become resilient to stress, as well as learn strategies such as mindfulness to cope with the day to day stress challenges. EAP companies also provide emergency services in the event of a suicide threat, as well as grief counselling.

What types of problems are seen through EAP?

Silver Oak Health’s counsellors are available to discuss any issues related to your personal life or work related challenges. Typical challenges will include:

• Work related stress

• Personal issues

• Family/personal relationship issues

• Marriage counselling

• Financial or non-work-related legal concern

• Major life events, including births, accidents and deaths

• Health concerns

• Substance abuse

• Concerns about ageing parents

What are the EAP services provided by Silver Oak Health?

Silver Oak Health provides one of the most comprehensive EAP solutions in the market. Many companies have discontinued traditional services from traditional EAP providers and have selected Silver Oak Health because of its highly innovative programs that engage employees of all age and background. We are successful in engaging office employees as well as manufacturing employees and have PAN India presence. Our services are offered to employees and family members depending on the commercials selected by employers. Please read more to know about Silver Oak Health’s EAP services.

How can an Employee reach out to EAP professionals? What are the modes?

Employees can reach counsellors by:

• Simply dialling the helpline number

• Booking an appointment through our app & portal (web/mobile)

• Chat with our counsellors on the application

• Counsellors are also available via email 

What can I do on the Silver Oak Health app and portal?

On the app and portal, you can:

• Book and manage counselling appointments

• Chat with a counsellor

• Join self-care programs like stress control and mindfulness

• Read mental wellbeing articles, watch videos and much more

Everything is private and easy to use.

Login here: App/ Portal

Will Silver Oak Health provide customized EAP Package?

Yes. Our comprehensive offering includes 24/7 phone counselling through our helpline, access to our app and portal to chat with our counsellors and booking appointments, Tranquil Mindfulness Tracks, Online CBT, Assessments and round the year support for building awareness. We also cover family members of employees. However, companies have the option to select various components of our EAP services as per their needs, including customized workshops and webinars in the package, and have the option to include family members as required.

Is Silver Oak Health EAP services available PAN India?

Yes. Silver Oak Health has large numbers of full-time and affiliate counsellors based in various cities and towns across the country. We have one of the most extensive coverages across the country and service offices and manufacturing sites that are located away from big cities. Employees have the option to visit our counsellors in the towns and cities where they work and live. In some of the larger cities we have a number of counsellors and so employees can choose to visit a counsellor nearest to where they work or live.

How scalable are Silver Oak Health’s services? Do you have digital programs in your EAP offering?

Silver Oak Health’s strength is in having scalable programs to assist employees wherever they are located across the country. The program can be launched for employees in various locations including multiple offices in large cities and smaller towns, as well as in manufacturing locations. Silver Oak Health offers phone and video counselling that can be availed from anywhere in the country, online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) that can be availed from home or office, Tranquil Mindfulness Tracks to practice mindfulness, as well as a contemporary app for accessing counselling via chat, phone, booking appointments etc. Silver Oak Health gives employees the option to log in via computer or mobile devices. We also offer a digital dashboard for HR managers to monitor utilisation.

Can I see my counselling schedule on the portal or app?

Yes. Once you log in, you can see upcoming sessions, get reminders, and check past appointments right in your dashboard. No extra calls needed, it’s all visible online.

Login here: App/ Portal

What if I want support late at night or outside office hours?

You can log in to the app or portal anytime to book sessions, browse resources, or raise a support request. Help is not limited to office hours, so you can reach out when it feels right for you.

Login here: App/ Portal

Can I change my counsellor if I don’t feel comfortable?

Yes. Through the app or portal, you can choose a different counsellor at any time. There’s no explanation required your comfort always comes first.

Login here: App/ Portal

What makes Silver Oak Health different from other EAP Providers?

Traditional EAP providers’ services are limited to counselling services over the phone and face-to-face, along with a few stress management workshops for employees. Only limited numbers of employees are interested in these traditional services, and that is evident from low workshop participation as well as the limited uptake of counselling services. In addition to the 24/7 counselling offered as part of EAP services, Silver Oak Health offers proactive wellbeing programs to engage employees of various age groups, and from different work settings such as office and manufacturing jobs. In the event that some of the employees do not want to avail of counselling services, they may get interested in the Mindfulness programs through our Tranquil App.  As a result, not only do we provide one of the most comprehensive EAP services available, but we also achieve some of the highest employee engagement levels in the industry, delivering exceptional value for investments in EAP mental health providers.

What is Counselling?

Counselling is an interactive process where people discuss difficult issues, set goals and work towards them with the guidance of a professional counsellor. Every so often, we may encounter situations that are difficult to deal with from our professional life or in many cases challenges arising from our personal lives. Professional counselling is an excellent way to discuss our problems and difficult feelings that we encounter in a safe and confidential environment. Through counselling, people are able to make changes in how we think and behave. People may choose to speak to a counsellor because they do not wish to speak about personal matters to their spouse, friends and family members or because they want an objective view from a trained professional.

How does one know when he or she needs Counselling?

There is a misconception that people go for counselling to address severe mental challenges. The reality is that people can seek counselling for any issue that they are unable to cope with, things that are not working out the way they want or if they simply want some emotional support. Some common subjects that can be addressed with counselling are:

• Relationship difficulties, including roommates, significant others, colleagues, and friends

• Stress management

• Relationship violence and physical abuse

• Marriage issues

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Parenting challenges

• Anger management

• Eating disorders

• Gender identity and sexual orientation

• Grief

• Addiction and abuse of alcohol and other drugs

• Adjustment issues, including adjustment to college life

• Sexual assault

• Thoughts of suicide or preoccupation with death

• Time management and boundary building 

• Trauma and much more 

What is the difference between counselling and psychotherapy?

The terms "counsellor" and "psychotherapist" are often used interchangeably and have many similarities, but there are some important differences as well. In general, counselling is recommended for specific issues and situations, such as anxiety or depression. Psychotherapy, in contrast, tends to explore past issues that might be contributing to present-day problems. It often takes place continually or intermittently over a period of years. In actual practice, however, there is a great deal of overlap between the two types of therapies. In the context of mental health, "counselling" is generally used to denote a relatively brief treatment that is focused primarily on behaviour. It often targets a particular symptom or problematic situation and offers suggestions and advice for dealing with it. In other words, psychotherapy addresses the root cause and core issues of current problems so that lasting change and personal growth may occur. 

Is Silver Oak Health’s EAP counselling Confidential & Secure?

An extremely important part of EAP counselling services is confidentiality, meaning that the information discussed in sessions is accessible only by you and your counsellor, with a few exceptions involving threats to life or property. Silver Oak Health follows best industry practices to ensure complete privacy and confidentiality for clients across all counselling and wellbeing programs. Additionally, we provide a consistent counselling experience, with all sessions undertaken with the same counsellor, ensuring continuity and trust throughout your counselling journey.

Can someone chat with a counsellor before booking an appointment?

Yes. Silver Oak Health’s counsellors are available on chat through the EAP app and through the online portal.

How do video sessions work?

Video call is an excellent way for employees to see the counsellors during the counselling sessions. Video calls are very common and employees are increasingly availing this service. In certain cases where two people have to be together with the counsellor, like marriage-related counselling, Video is an excellent method for discussions.

Can someone choose to connect particularly with female/male counsellors? Is this possible?

Yes. We do have both male and female counsellors. If an employee has a preference, it can be provided based on request.

What are the Qualifications of the Counsellors?

All our counsellors have post-graduate training in Clinical Psychology or Psychotherapy from reputed institutions. The counsellors also have considerable experience in family and workplace counselling. Our counsellors have experience in individual counselling, couples or marriage counselling, family counselling, or group counselling. All our counsellors are experienced in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Mindfulness-based therapy.

What are the languages in which counselling is provided?

In addition to English and Hindi, we offer counselling in over 14 major languages in India. Employees can request counselling in a language of their preference, and we will have one of our counsellors who speaks that language get in touch with the employee.

How can an Employee reach out to EAP professionals? What are the modes?

Employees can reach our counsellors by simply dialling our helpline number. They will be connected to one of our counsellors who will be there to assist. In case they want to book an appointment, they can use our EAP app or the online portal. They can also chat with our counsellors by using the app or the portal. Counsellors are also available via email.

What legal counselling services does the EAP provide?

Silver Oak Health provides legal guidance services where employees can call our legal experts to discuss any legal matters. Our legal experts will provide guidance on what are the options available to pursue related to legal challenges.

What financial counselling services does the EAP provide?

Silver Oak Health provides financial guidance services to employees where they can call to discuss any challenges related to financial matters such as loans, or even guidance on savings and investments.

Does Silver Oak Health’s EAP cover family members as well?

Yes. Silver Oak Health will cover immediate family members and dependents of employees.

What are the proactive well-being solutions offered by Silver Oak Health?

Our mission is to create resilient and mindful organizations. We believe that to reach most employees through our corporate wellbeing services, it is essential to offer proactive wellbeing programs alongside reactive counselling services available by phone, video, and face-to-face. We encourage employees to enrol in our online CBT program to build resilience against stress and to use our Tranquil Mindfulness App to integrate mindfulness into their daily lives.

These proactive workplace wellness programs, along with our counselling options, make us one of the most comprehensive EAP providers in the country.

What is Silver Oak Health App?

Silver Oak Health EAP app is an AI-powered, highly personalised app that will help corporate employees book counselling appointments, enrol into an online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) program called Stress Control Online, listen to the Tranquil Guided Mindfulness practices, avail of various Wellness and Beyond services like Diet and Nutrition counselling, Work-Life support services, Legal and Financial counselling. The app also offers a large number of self-help resources like blogs, videos, podcasts, assessments, crosswords, comic strips as well as an Ask a Therapist section. In addition, a highly trained Mental Health focused Chatbot is available to help guide corporate employees and family members to our various mental health resources. Silver Oak Health’s EAP app is designed to understand and anticipate your needs, creating a seamless and intuitive journey that feels as natural as it is innovative. We have reimagined our user interface to combine beauty with functionality, offering a modern and engaging experience. The app’s functionality is rooted in data, ensuring that every aspect of your experience is optimized for your well-being and growth.

What is Resilience?

Resilience is the ability to bounce back when faced with stress challenges. Many situations in the modern workplace are inevitably stressful. Individuals with high resilience can experience high-stress situations positively. So rather than working to reduce the inevitable stress of the competitive business world, there is a growing emphasis on promoting resilience in the organisation. Resilient individuals report experiencing positive emotions in stressful situations. Positive emotions are much more associated with the ability to problem solve than negative emotions. This gives continuity to the organisation, gives the company a critical competitive strategic advantage and, most importantly, helps to protect individual employees. Resilience is not a function of intelligence. It is much more related to personality factors and the presence of coping skills.

What is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and how does Silver Oak Health’s Online Resilience Program work?

Cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) is a type of psychotherapeutic treatment that helps people learn how to identify and change destructive or disturbing thought patterns that have a negative influence on behaviour and emotions. 

Cognitive-behavioural therapy focuses on changing the automatic negative thoughts that can contribute to and worsen emotional difficulties, depression, and anxiety. These spontaneous negative thoughts have a detrimental influence on mood.

Through CBT, these thoughts are identified, challenged, and replaced with more objective, realistic thoughts. There are different types of therapy such as CBT, REBT, DBT, multimodal therapy.

Silver Oak Health offers an opportunity for employees to undergo CBT at the convenience of their own home. The company has developed a CBT for Indian employees that will take around 8 weeks to complete. This program is supported by counsellors on the phone. Employees that enrol into this program will need to spend around 30-40 minutes per week on a video-based program from home each week. They will also get a call from our counsellors once a week until they complete the program. The program will help employees become more resilient to deal with day to day stress challenges in life.

What is Stress Control Online?

Our resilience program Stress Control Online is an 8-week, counsellor-guided online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Program that was developed in Bangalore by Silver Oak Health for the Indian population. The program based on Dr Jim White’s Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). Dr White is a Glasgow based clinical psychologist and a leading authority in CBT. Stress Control Online is a scientific, highly structured, and personalized solution.

How does the 8-week CBT program work?

Each employee is assigned a dedicated coach (psychologist) who guides and assists them via weekly phone calls (30 minutes per week). The program also consists of interactive video-based learning strategies to cope with stress (30 minutes of self-learning per week). Stress Control Online contains in-built pre-and post-assessments to measure mood, anxiety, and depression levels of each participant. At the end of 8 weeks, most people show improvements. The program is currently being used by companies in India to assist employees that are undergoing stress, anxiety and depression challenges as well as for cessation of tobacco and substance abuse. The program has been offered for corporate employees in India since 2016.

Does Silver Oak Health have assessments?

Silver Oak Health offers a number of assessments to help employees determine how well they are coping with stress. We offer a highly validated assessment called the Health-related Quality of Life assessment to determine the overall scores, physical functioning, emotional wellbeing and social functioning scores. We provide percentile scores so that employees can determine where they stand against others who have taken the assessment across the country. Silver Oak Health can administer assessments exclusively for each company to obtain average scores broken down by gender, age, occupation and geographic location. This will help HR managers objectively determine what percentage of employees are undergoing difficulties in coping with stress so that various interventions can be offered through our EAP services.

Can the webinars be customized as per organization needs?

Yes. We are offering flexibility to customize webinars based on the needs of the organization. In some cases, webinars are offered for all employees and other cases they may be aimed towards specific groups such as managers and leaders, women employees, etc. Our engagement managers will work closely with HR managers of the client organization, and develop custom content that will be delivered by experienced professionals from Silver Oak Health.