Board of Pensions releases video on its Employee Assistance Program

Working from home can add to one’s stress level, President Frank Clark Spencer notes

by Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service

The Rev. Frank Clark Spencer

LOUISVILLE — A new video featuring Board of Pensions President the Rev. Frank Spencer highlights the 24/7 availability of the Employee Assistance Program during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a letter from Spencer released with the video, the EAP includes 10 free confidential sessions with a licensed counselor for Medical Plan members and anyone in their household.

Medical Plan members who can benefit from the EAP include ministers who are serving as telephone lifelines to older seniors stuck at home and alone, working parents who are shepherding small children while meeting employer expectations, caregivers, and others.

“You can get help with stress — and with financial worries, mental health concerns, substance abuse, even legal issues — any curveballs life is throwing your way right now,” Spencer says in the letter.

Board of Pensions programs, including the EAP, are further explained on the Board’s resources page.

Cigna Behavioral Health administers the Board of Pensions’ EAP. Phone 866-640-2772 any day of the week, any time of day, and a Cigna advocate will be there to guide you. Or visit Cigna’s website. If this is your first time logging in, you’ll need to register. Use “pcusa” for the Employee’s Employer ID.

The EAP also provides church and affiliated employers with free management consultations. This benefit could prove especially valuable now, with the world turned upside down. Employers can call 866-640-2772 and press 1 to connect with a consultant.

Meanwhile, Spencer suggests, “give yourself a little grace. Do your best. Be kind to yourself — and all those other folks under your roof.”