The benefits of in-house counseling

Employees bring various problems to work, including marital and family problems, mid-life stress, alcoholism and other forms of drug addiction, depression, and debt. Just as it is difficult to separate the problems of one's home life from work, so do the physical and emotional causes of stress at work, in turn, affect family and life patterns away from work. Experts estimate that between 10 and 20 percent of the labor force will make use of mental and other health-service counseling in any single year. About 70 percent of the problems concern behavior and social adjustment, with the remaining 30 percent in legal matters, housing, credit assistance, and related areas.