APEAR 2023 Fostering Workplace Resilience and Well-Being Conference Syllabus

WORKPLACE RESILIENCE AND WELL-BEING CONFERENCE

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APEAR

WHO WE ARE & WHY JOIN APEAR MEMBERSHIP

W H O W E A R E

The Asia Pacific Employee Assistance Roundtable (APEAR) is the professional body providing guidance, standards and information for employee assistance professionals, service providers, and purchasers of services across the region.

APEAR was founded in 2003 and operates as a non-profit organization. It attracts a growing number of industry and business leaders, managers and supervisors, health professionals, human resource practitioners, training facilitators and more to our forums.

O U R O B J E C T I V E S

Present the business case for employee assistance and mental health at work programs to Human Resource, Occupational Health and business leaders with a focus on how to maximize employee performance through EAP;

Promote better understanding of the clinical practice and application of employee assistance provision;

Develop regional guidelines for employee assistance;

Develop and maintain a Code of Ethics for employee assistance practitioners and providers;

Continue the professional exchange and dialogue regarding employee assistance across the Asia Pacific and with other employee assistance organizations and associations.

M E M B E R S H I P B E N E F I T S

We have a diverse membership base from Singapore, Philippines, China, Japan, Australia, Malaysia, Thailand, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, New Zealand as well as locations across the globe

APEAR supports and promotes the highest standards of industry practice and is the recognized voice of employee assistance services across the region. This includes support for ongoing research, upholding ethical practice, ensuring transparency of information for the industry through ethical practice, ongoing research and promoting the highest standards of service delivery.

APEAR offers two levels of organizational membership based on the size of your business. Membership of APEAR brings many benefits, including:

Access to education and information forums where best practice initiatives are shared

Access to information and resources on a range on topical issues

Access to reduced attendance fees at the APEAR annual conference

Access to reduced attendance fees at the EAPA annual conference (through our strategic partnership with EAPA)

Access to a community of employee assistance specialists across the region

If you are a forward-thinking employee assistance professional, provider and purchaser, J o i n A P E A R to stay at the forefront on industry excellent and bestin-class approaches to employee assistance issues.

BOARD MEMBERS

WELCOME

The APEAR Board is pleased to welcome delegates from nineteen countries in Asia-Pacific, Europe, and North America Thank you for joining us over the next few days for a time of reflection, learning, and networking. We are very excited to be able to connect with you in person once again.

This year’s theme is “Fostering Workplace Resilience and Well-being.” During the pandemic, APEAR held monthly EAP Talk Asia webinars during which EA professionals from different Asian-Pacific countries spoke about the impact of COVID-19 as well as how they were helping employees cope with stress Now that the pandemic is over, we need to discuss how best to help employees recover from accumulated stress, become more resilient and productive, and thrive both at work and in the home. Employees will have to navigate return-to-office policies–will they have a say in whether they may continue to work remotely, will a hybrid model work, will they have to return full-time? Many employees will additionally face changes at home as they may need to find childcare, daycare for elderly parents, and other supports discontinued during the pandemic.

Over the next two days, you will enjoy many presentations regarding how best to coach resilience and well-being. We will identify resources to help employees navigate the post-pandemic expectations of their employers. We will also discuss how to leverage the digital transformation of the EAP industry to enable employees and organizations to face accelerated change in the world.

Finally, we hope to get to know each of you during the time set aside for networking We are looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how you will incorporate these teachings into your own practices. Please join us for the optional trip to Ayutthaya on April 1 to delve into ancient Thai culture and to continue to mingle with your peers We trust the next two days will be an intellectually stimulating, engaging, and memorable experience for all of you.

Sincerely,

IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN ASEAN COUNTRIES: ASEAN GUIDELINES ON MANAGING PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK AT WORKPLACE

A B S T R A C T

The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an enormous burden on the economy of the nation due to the need to practice lockdowns which had caused an unsurmountable number of workplaces to seize operations. This had placed a tremendous mental strain on the employers who were unable to fulfil contractual commitments whilst employees faced uncertainties of employment and difficulty in earning a living On the other side of the spectrum, many workplaces have had to resort to alternate working processes including allowing employees to work from home which comes with its own set of mental health stressors to both the employer and employees. These immense demands placed on employers and employees has led to a great impact on their physical and mental health and thus strengthened the need to invest in the mental health of organizations.

A study by Irene Teo et al entitled The Psychological Well-Being of Southeast Asian Frontline carried out across six Southeast Asian countries (Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, showed job burnout was the foremost issue among healthcare workers in all those countries. Amidst rebuilding post pandemic, the ASEAN countries have agreed to work together to address the psychosocial risks at the workplace with Malaysia taking the lead to develop a guideline which may be used as a reference by the ASEAN countries to assist employers in assessing the psychosocial risks at the workplace and addressing them accordingly. The guideline is hoped to provide options that may be used by the different countries based on their individual industrial requirements

In developing this guideline, reference will also be made to the ISO standard 45003: Occupational health and safety management Psychological health and safety at work Guidelines for managing psychosocial risks. Giving importance to mental health and managing stress at the workplace should be given the highest priority currently to ensure an effective return to normalcy whist also being prepared for any such future occurrences.

Meet Dr. Priya Ragunath

Head, Occupational and Environmental Health Sector, Ministry of Health, Malaysia & Chairperson of ASEAN Guidelines on Managing Psychosocial Risk at Workplace Committee

Dr Priya Ragunath is a Fellow of Faculty of Occupational Medicine, Royal College of Physicians Ireland (RCPI) and the Head of Occupational and Environmental Health Sector, Ministry of Health Malaysia with 24 years’ service She is also the Chairman of Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (SOEM), President of Malaysian Society of Occupational Physicians (MSOP), Committee member of National Council of Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH), Board of Director of Social Security Organization, Committee member of Industrial Standard Committee of Occupational Safety and Health, Department of Standards Malaysia (JSM), Focal Point for Occupational Health for Malaysia in ASEAN Cluster 1, Committee member of International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Geneva and Occupational Health Trainer for Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam.

Email priya r@moh.gov.my

COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT (REGIONAL & GLOBAL)

RISING AWARENESS OF MENTAL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING IN WORKPLACE IN THAILAND AFTER THE PANDEMIC

The pandemic has highlighted mental health issues in Thailand from experiencing lack of social supports, loss, pressure from economic and work crisis and uncertainty, relationship and family conflicts, etc. Many workplaces have rising awareness about their employees’ mental health wellbeing considering increasing numbers of requests for counselling services and talks/workshops about mental health. This presentation aims to share the change in mental health and well-being awareness among workplaces in Thailand.

Panita Suavansri (DPsychotherapy) is a lecturer, Director of Counseling Psychology Department and Director of Center of Psychological Wellness in the Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University. She is also a counsellor at Psychological Service International (PSI) She was trained in the dialogue between person-centered approach and psychodynamic perspectives at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Apart from her work in educational setting, she also provides counseling service and conducting talks and workshops for Thai and international employees in Thailand

Email p.suavansri@gmail.com

Meet Dr. Panita Suavansri

Lecturer and Director of Counselling Psychology Department in Faculty of Psychology, Chulalongkorn University

THE MENTAL HEALTH STATUS OF EMPLOYED ADULTS IN APAC REGION (13,000 EMPLOYEES SURVEYED)

A B S T R A C T

The Mental Health Index by LifeWorks™ (MHI) is a survey of 27,000 employed adults globally which includes 13,000 in the APAC region. The MHI survey provides a measure of the mental health status of these individuals It also explores the impact of current issues in the community and in the workplace. The mental health of employees is strained, particularly in the areas of anxiety and the impact of mental health on work productivity.

This presentation will compare mental health scores for different regions and will highlight key demographics under greater mental health risk. It will describe the incidence of burnout indicators and mental health stigma. The prevalence of barriers to access mental health care will be discussed as well as the type of desired support Organizations can take immediate action to support their employee wellbeing. Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is an affordable, yet impactful, service employers can provide to support the mental health of their employees The presentation will discuss EAP utilization in APAC and compare it to other geographies. Finally, the analysis will demonstrate the efficacy of EAP services in terms of improvement in presenteeism, workplace engagement, and life satisfaction. Since the pandemic and continuing, working individuals are facing increased challenges with respect to their mental health. The purpose of this presentation is to describe the current mental health status of workers and to offer actionable insights that organizations can use to improve the mental wellbeing support they offer

Edward "Jamie" MacLennan Senior Vice President & Managing Director, LifeWorks (acquired by TELUS Health) Asia-Pacific Region

Edward Jamie MacLennan, is the SVP and MD for LifeWorks, a TELUS Health company, with responsibility for Australia, New Zealand and the APAC Region He has over 30 years of experience working for multinational corporations across a number of industries including Health, Energy and Facility Services. He has significant global experience having worked in Australia, US, UK and Singapore, and extensively across the Asia-Pacific Region In the current role, he has transformed the business from the #3 EAP company in Australia to the #1 EAP and Wellbeing company in Asia-Pacific.

Meet

COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT (REGIONAL & GLOBAL)

Andy Huang has been working for Optum for more than 15 years, with Doctoral Diploma of Applied Psychology and Master Degree of Organizational Behavior He is living in Shanghai with his wife, as his daughter just left home for university life last year. As the Head of Clinical Service in China for Optum, one of the world’s biggest healthcare service providers, Andy has many years’ experiences of enterprise management as well as psychological counseling, designed and implemented EAP programs for many client organizations, delivered CISD service in for many major public incidents including 512 earthquake, MH370 and Covid-19 Andy also is specialized in delivering all kinds of individual counseling, topic training, and group workshop.

WELLNESS SERVICE DELIVERY DURING THE PANDEMICCHALLENGES AND SUCCESS STORIES

The Optum 2022 International Wellness in the Workplace Benchmark Study identifies health management program trends and insights across large employers located in APAC, EMEA, and LATAM. This year, we primarily sought to understand COVID’s ongoing impact on telecommuting and work location policies. One unexpected consequence of the pandemic has been a startling increase in the number of workers quitting their jobs. While the term was coined in the U S , the Great Resignation is a global phenomenon causing employers to rethink how best to attract and retain talent. More companies are viewing H&W offerings as a tool to attract new talent and retain existing employees. Optum team will talk through the complexities of delivering Wellness services such as EAP and other physical wellness programs through the pandemic, how employers changed their H&W strategy to catchup with the need of the hour by addressing various aspects of wellbeing, as well as special cases happened in China during three-year long pandemic.

Head of Service Delivery

Amber Alam is a seasoned workplace wellness professional with more than 19 years of experience in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region He has worked with Optum for almost 11 years He brings a diverse experience in running global operations and employee wellness services. Amber and his team work to address the mental health and workplace wellbeing needs of large multinational companies Amber earned a bachelor’s degree in literature and a certification in computing and business applications from Edexcel, UK.

Based out of Australia, Amber lives in Melbourne with his spouse and two kids. He’s passionate about health and enjoys bike riding and running Amber serves as a Board Member of APEAR since 2015.

Meet Andy Huang Head of Operations & Clinical Practices OPTUM

Meet Amber Alam

Global

EAP & PANDEMIC IN KOREA & OCCUPATIONAL STRESS & MENTAL HEALTH IN EMPLOYEES

COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT (REGIONAL & GLOBAL)

During the pandemic, people started to be aware of the importance of mental health The average counseling cases were up by over 400% It is interesting to see that EAP providers have developed advanced virtual counselling settings in the early stages of the pandemic, however, Korean people still preferred to have counselling sessions in-person instead of virtual setting. More than 85% of counseling sessions were for in-person setting.

We evaluated the interpersonal model of depression in employees, where passion and perseverance affect occupational stress and perceived control, which in turn affect risk of depression. The participants were employees of 18 private companies and local government organizations in Korea, from ages 19 to 65 years. A total of 11,422 participants completed the questionnaires including the Korean version of the Grit scale, the occupational stress scale, the perceived control subscale in the perceived stress scale, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Mediation analysis was performed to determine relationships among trait-level passion and perseverance, work-related stress, perceived control, and depression Passion and perseverance preceded depression in employees. Higher occupational stress and lower perceived control mediated the association between passion and depression and between perseverance and depression. Passion and perseverance exert preventive effects on depression by decreasing workplace stress and elevating perceived control

Meet Sung Joon Cho

Psychiatrist, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital & Vice President, Mental Health Workplace Institute

Jimmy Kim is a Licensed Professional Counselor-Associate (LPC-A) who studied in Texas, USA. He came back to Korea after received master’s degree in professional counselling. When he was in USA, he works at a government agency to serve victims of sexual assaults and domestic violence.

He is now back in Korea and working to consult and help different corporations at Dain Co., Ltd. and also practicing counseling with local people in needs.

Email globalpartners@daincnm.co.kr / sungjoonman@gmail.com

Dr. Sung Joon Cho is a psychiatrist who is specialized in variety of areas including mood and anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, stress and social psychiatry He is currently Vice President at Mental Health Workplace Institute of Kangbuk Samsung Hospital. He is operating LYFE (Live Your liFE) clinic in Kangbuk Samsung Hospital to treat many psychiatric diseases and do research. In the clinic he is practicing MBCT (Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy) program for anxiety and rehabilitation program for severe mental illness He also has participated and finished numbers of published psychiatric and psychological research throughout his career. He has been appeared in radio, TV and magazines to promote importance of mental healthcare

Email sungjoon.cho@samsung.com / sjcho0812@hanmail.net

Meet Jimmy Kim

Global Network Team Manager Dain Co., Ltd.

STRATEGY IN FOSTERING WORKPLACE RESILIENCE AND WELL-BEING FOR THE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED (B40) EMPLOYEES

Clinical Psychologist & Managing Director, Thrive Well Sdn Bhd

Ellisha Othman is a Clinical Psychologist with prior experience in corporate finance and strategy. She is the Managing Director of Thrive Well, a social enterprise focusing on leading the organization to expand trauma-informed community mental health services to individuals, communities and organizations. With Ellisha’s experience in community mental health and Employee Assistance Program (EAP), she led the organization to develop a sustainable model of providing Clinical Services including EAP to corporate partners to fund community-based mental health programs that addresses social determinants in the underserved and marginalized communities.

Email ellisha@thethrive.center / info@thethrive.center Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/ellishaothman/

Workplaces with a higher composition of workforce from lower socioeconomic background may face more challenges in supporting the wellbeing of their employees. Evidence has shown that social determinants, such as income, employment status, familial relationships, neighborhood safety, etc. impact mental health outcomes within specific populations - the poor and the disadvantaged populations are at highest risk of being affected by mental disorders, and the impact became more significant in 2020 when the global pandemic started Providing access to EAP services would be an essential move in achieving the final goal of improving employees’ wellbeing through the improvement of social determinants of mental health. However, the first step is to formulate creative methods to effectively reach out and understand employees’ barriers to seeking help

At Thrive Well, as a trauma-informed social enterprise, our model of sustainability is to provide clinical services including EAP to our corporate partners to fund our community based mental health programs to benefit underserved and marginalized communities This presentation will discuss the observations, past challenges, and learning working models in an industry comprising more B40 (Bottom 40%) population workers in which the social determinants of mental health such as social stigma, gender inequality, financial insecurity or caregiving burden becomes barriers to accessing available mental health services

Meet Ellisha Othman

THE GENDER IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC A GLOBAL UNDERSTANDING

COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT (REGIONAL & GLOBAL)

COO and Co-Founder, Global Women 4 Wellbeing & Clinical Services Manager, Washington State EAP

The pandemic has impacted every workplace, every community, everywhere, and according to current research, has had a significant effect on working women. Women’s experiences with their health, work, home, care giving, and their financial wellbeing have all been negatively impacted. And not just for now but for their futures as well. Women have and continue to suffer. Their health and wellbeing are greatly impacted. So much so that many women have left or are seriously considering leaving the workforce and may not return. A report by the Center for American Progress estimates a $64.5 billion impact in terms of lost wages and economic activity for mothers leaving the workforce or reduced hours due to greater caregiving responsibilities

Nancy Board (MSW) is a long time Employee Assistance

Professional (EAP), trainer, leadership consultant, and clinician with expertise ranging across 6 continents. Nancy’s global career began in 2007 and led her throughout the APAC region, visiting and working in 16 countries. In 2012, she was Vice President of EAP and Wellness for JP Morgan APAC, responsible for 38,000 employees in 18 countries Prior to that, Nancy was VP, Global Services for Optum Health and developed relationships with APAC EA and mental health providers from 2008-2012. In 2016, Nancy co-founded Global Women 4 Wellbeing and continues her EAP work as the Clinical Services Manager of Washington State EAP Nancy is a member of APEAR, EAEF and EAPA

Email nancy.board@gw4w.org / nrboard@gmail.com

Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-board54386a3/

Organizations can take steps to have a greater, positive impact for the women they employ. Representing half of the workforce, businesses need women healthy and resilient to be able to thrive. Hear from workplace EAP experts from Argentina, Japan, India, Philippines, and the U S A about the impact of the pandemic as it applies particularly to working women

Findings from a recent 2022 survey of women at work will be shared along with case studies, global research, and identifiable action steps to better support working women

Meet Nancy Board (MSW)

Meet Dr Kaoru Ichikawa

President, APEAR & Director at Large, EAPA

Dr Kaoru Ichikawa is a globally well-known employee assistance consultant, researcher, and educator. She has a Ph.D. in Preventative Medicine and introduced the concept of EAP to global corporations in Japan and other Asia Pacific countries. She has been promoting employee wellbeing, EAP and resiliency as a core human resource and management strategy. She holds licenses in both USA and Japan, including, CEAP-I, LCSW-California, and Licensed Psychologist of Japan. Her recent books are; EAP handbook (2022), Working women’s’ health guide (2022), and Resilience nurtured in Workplace (2019).

Meet Majella Tumangan-Villaroman

Majella Tumangan-Villaroman is the President and CEO of my-CORD Corporation PH that offers employee assistance programs (EAPs). my-CORD EAP stay connected with clients and take online mental health counselling, life coaching, meetings and trainings from anywhere, on any device. my-CORD approach is person focused delivering holistic care, from prevention, crisis intervention and recovery. She serves as Managing Partner at the EAP Training Institute established in the Philippines for the international certification of Employee Assistance Specialists. A World Health Organization Recovery & Rehabilitation Certified Trainer, she received the 2018 Global FWN100 Most Influential Filipina Award in London, UK for her global work in mental health. A sought after international resource speaker on resilience, mental health and well-being for the Philippine Government, NGOs and private sector.

CEO, Resilie Laboratory Inc.

President and CEO, my-CORD Corporation & Board Member, APEAR

Email bee@eap-india.com

COVID-19 PANDEMIC IMPACT (REGIONAL

& GLOBAL)

Meet Bee Mahimkar

Cofounder & Director Operations

EAP-India

Bee Mahimkar is a psychiatric social worker (M.A.) Mumbai University and MSW (Applied) New Zealand) and has extensive experience and training in relating to individuals and groups – as a Mental Health professional, Dual Diagnosis Specialist, consultant, facilitator, supervisor, NLP trainer and manager. Over the past twenty years she has been involved in effective employee assistance programs in a range of workplaces. A strong sense of “wanting to give back” some of what she has learned over the years is a huge driving force in her life today. Her vision is to promote positive work communities in India that will enhance the emotional and psychological well-being of employees. Bee’s self-care regime involves yoga, meditation, dancing and spending time with her family.

Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/bharati-mahimkar

Meet Anjana Gaekwad

Founding Partner & Clinical Director, EAP-India

As a clinical practitioner, Anjana Gaekwad has been actively involved in the field of mental health for over 28 years, in India and New Zealand (Registered Clinical Psychologist in New Zealand). Over the years she has worked across a wide raft of NGOs, private settings, government and community organizations and been involved in teaching and training at the tertiary level. As the clinical director of EAP-India, she is driven to raise awareness and understanding of psychological issues within organizations and shares a passion in extending excellent, evidence-based psychological interventions, informed by high-quality research, to promote positive work communities throughout India and beyond.

Meet Maria Migali

Co-Founder & Director

Grupo Wellness Latina

Email

https://www.linkedin.com/in/anjana-gaek

Email mariam@grupowellnesslatina.com

Social Media

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariamigali/

1. EXCELLENCE IN THE WORKPLACE AND IN LIFE-LESSONS LEARNED THROUGH OLYMPIC SPORTS AND BEYOND

Were you involved in a sport as a child or a young person? Did you dream of coming through in a clutch competition where you scored the winning goal that helped you be victorious? Do you recall that feeling of pressure? How did you handle it? Did you rise to the challenge? Or did the pressure cause you to fail? A former administrator and still current official, Julie Fabsik-Swarts will share with attendees answer to key questions:

What do athletes do to prepare themselves to be at their best?

What habits do they adopt that make them successful?

How can we use those lessons and habits to make the general workplace more productive and successful?

With science and real-life examples, attendees will go through a variety of steps to help workers utilize the skills that top level athletes use to create optimum performance. Additionally, they will hear real-life stories that will amuse and educate audience members and simultaneously emphasize the lessons taught. Finally, attendees will learn about key habits and approaches that will help them work successfully with clients in the workplace.

Julie A Fabsik-Swarts, MS, CFRE, CAP is the CEO of Employee Assistance Professionals Association (EAPA). She is a skilled and dynamic nonprofit, association, and sports leader with decades of experience, having led prestigious organizations like National Postdoctoral Association, National Intercollegiate Soccer Officials Association, and the national governing body of an Olympic sport. Additionally, she has worked for 5 universities, US Olympic and Paralympic Committee, Seattle Organizing Committee of the Goodwill Games, and Purple Heart Foundation. Julie has served on nonprofit Board of Directors and is an accomplished author. Julie earned a BS from San Diego State University and a MS from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

Meet Julie A. Fabsik-Swarts, MS, CFRE, CAP Chief Executive Officer, Employee Assistance Professional Association (EAPA)

Dan Boissonneault is a Certified Employee Assistance Professional, a Substance Abuse Professional and a Labor Assistance Professional – Certified.

Dan works for Pratt & Whitney Aircraft, a division of Raytheon Technologies. He is on assignment per the Collective Bargaining Agreement to perform as the Senior District EAP Coordinator for the represented employees and families in the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers in District 26 in the state of Connecticut, USA. Dan also instructs Employee Assistance classes for the Union at the William W. Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in state of Maryland, USA

How the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW) Union EAP Coordinators at the York, PA (USA) Harley-Davidson plant effectively leverage the timely availability of the company sponsored EAP’s remote and digitally delivered Behavioral Health to its Members and their families

The presentation will cover the history of Employee Assistance services and delivery available previously through the former company provider, the history and roles of the Union EAP Coordinators, as well as their training as Peer Employee Assistance Coordinators

The presentation will chronical the steps taken by all of the stake holders necessary to get to where the program is today. The presentation is designed to build an awareness and appreciation for how dissimilar Employee Assistance delivery models can work together for mutual benefit and effective outcomes.

2. EXAMPLE OF AN INTERNAL LABOR BASED EA PROGRAMS WORKING IN CONCERT WITH A VIRTUAL EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROVIDER

Meet Dan Boissonneault President Employee Assistance Professional Association (EAPA)

Dr Mark Attridge is a research scholar and business strategy consultant as President of Attridge Consulting, located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Since 2007, his firm has supported over 40 clients in the United States and another 30 clients internationally His focus is on advancing the science of workplace behavioral health, conducting outcomes research, and developing conceptual models and tools for making the business case (ROI). He has written over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters and hundreds of other papers and presentations. Earlier, he held nationallevel positions in corporate applied research and consulting at Optum EAP (United Healthcare) and at Watson Wyatt

Worldwide He earned a PhD in psychology (social) and MA and BA degrees in communication.

MEASURING RESILIENCE FOR INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS

Employers and EAPs are intrigued by the concept of resilience and the role it may play in promoting employee well-being and business success. Resilience has most often been measured at the individual level as one's ability to recover from stress and develop protective factors in oneself and in the social environment. Several self-report scales exist to measure personal resilience. Trainings designed to enhance resilience have been successfully conducted in contexts involving children in schools, employees and leaders in workplaces, soldiers in the military, and athletes in high-performance sports Most of the studies on these interventions have produced evidence of small improvements in resilience levels among participants.

However, other research has examined the additional role of social and community level influences that can impair or improve the resilience responses among individuals and entire groups of people. More innovative group- and organizational level trainings are recommended for building workplace resilience. Resilient employees and organizations not only adapt and overcome but they also learn to thrive by making gradual changes in managerial styles, work processes, company policies and programs, and work culture that prevent the conditions that can cause stress and trauma. These work-focused approaches can be added to a full-service employee assistance program as skill-building for individuals to become a resilience coach, trainings designed for work teams, and organizational stress and resiliency assessments and consulting

Meet Dr. Mark Attridge President, Attridge Consulting, Inc.

Operations, Digital Clinical Services & Career, LifeWorks (acquired by TELUS Health)

SUPPORTING INCLUSIVITY, RESILIENCE, AND WELLBEING FOR LGBTQ2S+ EMPLOYEES

While all leaders are accountable for fostering a culture of inclusion, workplace resilience, and wellbeing for LGBTQ2S+ employees. EAPs must be committed to creating a healthy and safe workplace that supports harmonious employee relations, beginning at the organizational level and ultimately providing timely, sensitive, and appropriate support to each individual. Likewise, EAPs need to continuously evolve and modify their service offerings to include programs that support individuals in new ways. This presentation will address the importance of EAP programming that supports the wellbeing of LGBTQ2S+ people, clients, and communities by embracing individual uniqueness and fostering an environment where employees can feel connected and accepted.

Michel was awarded EASNA’s 2018 Annual Leadership Award of Excellence for his work with transgender clients and has over 20 years’ experience providing support to organizations globally. He is committed to taking action and continues to push for organizations to adopt workplace or support programs which address LGBTQ2S+ issues and to ensuring this support reaches organizations and their employees in all countries, regardless of regional stigma where the client’s lived experience is deemed forbidden. His creative work and problem-solving frame of mind have had a widespread effect on organizational practices and demonstrates the value of having a strong EAP that can partner with organizations to create innovative solutions for their employees.

Michel Arsenault has been a leader in the EAP industry for over 30 years. He has provided LGBTQI2S+ sensitivity training to LifeWorks’ global network of counsellors For over 20 years, Michel has provided support to organization who have employees transitioning to their true gender. In 2018, Michel was awarded, the Leadership Award of Excellence from the Employees Assistance Society of North America (EASNA) in recognition of his work involving Diversity in the workplace. Michel believes that everyone should be able to be their true selves at work. Michel is the Senior Clinical Director, Global Operations based in Toronto, Canada

Email michel.arsenault@lifeworks.com

Kenny Medeiros is the current President of the Employee Assistance European Forum (EAEF), a sister organization to APEAR, which promotes the value and importance of Employee Assistance in Europe Kenny has worked in the EA field since 2005 and is currently a strategy consultant for TELUS Health. Kenny brings several years’ experience developing, implementing, and managing global EAPs with large multinational clients and insurance providers Kenny is adept and experienced at consulting with his key contacts concerning sensitive employee issues, facilitating manager and employee awareness and training sessions and providing relevant insights on effective program management.

Meet Kenny Medeiros President, Employee Assistance European Forum & Strategy Consultant, TELUS Health

Meet Michel J. Arsenault

Senior Clinical Director, Global

NOW EMPLOYEES CAN HAVE THEIR WELL-BE AT THEIR FINGERTIPS: HOW MOBILE APPLICATIONS SUCH AS RE-BOOST (REBOOST.PULSO-GROUP.COM) CAN ADD VALUE TO EAP?

A B S T R A C T

Manage your own psychosocial well-being, whenever and wherever you like Organizations are increasingly support their employees in mental health issues like stress and bu out. And although top-down initiatives like awareness campaigns and counselling options are definitely an important part of that, many companies are underestimating – and therefore underusing – their employees’ personal empowerment potential The key to maximizing that potential is a continuous listening approach, which can be implemented with the help of a tool like Pulso’s Re-Boost® app.

Country Manager, PULSO

Dirk Antonissen, graduated with Master Degree in (Mathematical and Clinical) Psychology and Financial Management.

He is the Managing Partner of Pulso Group, a European reference company in psychosocial wellbeing and EAPs He is also the Former President and Board Member for many years in the EAEF and Former Board Member of EAPA .

Dirk has received the Global EAPA Champion Award in 2019, given to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding initiative and best practices in growing Employee Assistance anywhere in the world

Email dirk.antonissen@pulso-group.com

Dr Manuel Sommer has MA and PhD in Social Pedagogy and Sociology from Fribourg University, Switzerland, and master degree in Clinical Psychology from Autónoma University in Lisbon. He is the founder and director of PULSO Europe Portugal, based in Lisbon, Portugal, where he has actively been developing this field/profession for the last 25 years. He has also been a co-founder of the EAEF - Employee Assistance European Forum in 2001 Email

Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/dirk-antonissen-8b1257a

Meet Dirk Antonissen Managing Partner PULSO Group

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

FORWARD?

Globally, all of us have to deal with challenging situations throughout the Covid-19 pandemic for the last 3 year. Have we wondered and be amazed at how some individuals, families, workplaces and communities of different countries and regions, have managed to bounce back from those challenges – very resilient? Yes, resilience has become the buzz word in many fields/settings including workplaces with increasing needs for us to build and sustain our resilience to face the future risks of other viruses/pandemic, climate change, natural disasters and many other challenges.

This panel discussion will start off with a brief experiential mindfulness practice, guided by the moderator/mindfulness therapist because large and rapid expanding body of research are pointing to mindfulness as one of the most powerful resources to help us meet inevitable crises and transform our experience - building self-resilience especially for EAP professionals themselves

Core of this panel discussion will be sharing from workplace EAP experts from the Asia Pacific region and nonAsia Pacific region, on the delivery of different and unique services to meet the rapid changes of needs at workplaces - the lesson learned from Covid-19 pandemic and what kind of preparation for future risks impacting individual employees, management/leadership levels and the organization as a whole entityHow resilient are we in moving forward?

Miyen Low is a clinical psychologist and one of Malaysia’s foremost proponents of the application of psychology, mindfulness and self-compassion, for individual, couple, family, workplace and community, for more than 28 years Pioneered Employee Assistance Program (EAP) in Malaysia since 1999, written 2 articles on EAP Development in Malaysia for an international publication and providing EAP, corporate training, coaching, crisis intervention, psychotherapy, psychological assessment, ad hoc lecturing and supervision, mindfulness and self-compassion interventions in managing stress, burnout and enhancing resilience and wellness. Her work has been featured many times by various local newspapers, magazines, radio and TV (regular guest for 4 years on Bella NTV7, a women’s talk show) over the years.

Email miyenlow@gmail.com

Social Media 1 https://www.linkedin.com/in/miyenlow/ Social Media 2 https://www .facebook.com/miyen.low

Meet

Miyen Low Clinical Psychologist

Mindfulness-based Therapist & Board Member, APEAR

COVID-19 PANDEMIC: DIFFERENT REGIONS/COUNTRIES, WORKPLACES HAVE DIFFERENT ARISING NEEDS AND TYPES OF SERVICE DELIVERIESHOW RESILIENT ARE WE IN MOVING

Meet Ayumi Nishikawa Chief Operating Officer WorkWay Inc.

Ayumi Nishikawa is one of the outstanding female businesspersons in Japan. She led 2 major EAP companies and achieved healthy financial results. She is literally the first person to import EAP to Japan and her inscrutably tenacious dedication to EAP industry in Japan received recognition by the government agencies and academic communities While she is the Chief Operating Officer at WorkWay Inc., she also serves as instructor and board of director for nonprofit organization Mental Rescue Association and EAPA Japan. She is a CEAP, Crisis Care Expert, psychological counseling practitioner, and has 20 years of experience in management consultation, workplace mediation, crisis intervention for workplace suicide, workplace incident and grief care for bereaved family.

Meet Grace Ding

Senior Employee Assistance Professional & Board Member, APEAR

Grace Ding is a senior Employee Assistance

Professional based in China with over fifteen years of sales and account management leadership experience in employee wellbeing service She has provided services to multinational corporations, state owned enterprises and organization in private sectors. Grace holds a master degree in business management from International University of Japan. Grace is a Certified Employee Assistance

Professional by EAPA and certified Crisis Response

NOVA professional. Grace has trained hundreds of certified EA candidates in China. Grace also acted as chief editor of Workplace Counseling published by East China Normal University Publishing House. She has presented at professional forums and conferences in China, US, India and Malaysia

Email workwill1@sina.com

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

Meet Tiara Puspita Director of Jakarta Service Center Workplace Options

Tiara Puspita is a clinical psychologist based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She currently works as the Global Bespoke Learning Specialist and the Director for Workplace Options Indonesia She also practices at International Wellbeing Centre Jakarta, supporting local, national and international clients for individuals, couples, and groups. She has over ten years of experience in doing educational, organisational, and corporate training, six years of talk shows and public appearances for national TV and radio channels and providing psychological education and case studies

Email tiara.puspita@workplaceoptions.com

Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/tiarapuspita/

PACIFIC REGION

Meet Nancy Board MSW COO & Co-Founder

Global Women 4 Wellbeing & Clinical Services Manager Washington State EAP

Nancy Board (MSW) is a long time EA professional, trainer, leadership consultant, and clinician with expertise ranging across 6 continents Nancy’s global career began in 2007 and led her throughout the APAC region, visiting and working in 16 countries. In 2012, she was Vice President of EAP and Wellness for JP Morgan APAC, responsible for 38,000 employees in 18 countries. Prior to that, Nancy was VP, Global Services for Optum Health and developed relationships with APAC EA and mental health providers from 2008-2012 In 2016, Nancy cofounded Global Women 4 Wellbeing and continues her EAP work as the Clinical Services Manager of Washington State EAP. Nancy is a member of APEAR, EAEF and EAPA.

Email nancy.board@gw4w.org / nrboard@gmail.com

Social Media https://www.linkedin.com/in/nancy-board-54386a3/

EAP TALK ASIA

IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC Year 2021-2022

APEAR and in collaboration with EAPA offers a monthly webinar "EAP Talk Asia: Featuring the Impact of the Pandemic" for the professional exchange and discussion among Employee Assistance Professionals (EAPs), HR, Occupational Health and mental health professionals.

Starting October Y2021, APEAR's "EAP Talk Asia" webinars covered Australia and Hong Kong. In Y2022, APEAR covered Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, South Korea, China, India, Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, and ending in New Zealand. Each session ended with participants joining APEAR in a global movement that builds advocacy for resilience through a "Resilience Wave". "Resilience is to thrive, much more than just survive!"

The "EAP Talk Asia: Featuring the Pandemic" culminates in APEAR's 17th Annual EAP Conference on " FOSTERING WORKPLACE RESILIENCE AND WELL-BEING" on MARCH 30-31, 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand.

EAP TALK ASIA IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC

EAP TALK ASIA IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC

Ade Kosala

Iradat Konsultan

Indonesia

Email ade@iradatkonsultan com

Anita Tompa CGP Europe

Hungary

Email anita.tompa@cgpeu.com

Annisa Krisanti Iradat Konsultan

Indonesia

Email annisa@iradatkonsultan com

Alexandru Manescu

CCS International

Romania

Email amanescu@ccsint com

Anjana Gaekwad

EAP-India

New Zealand

Email anjana@eap-india.com

Anum Sofea Muhamad Fadzil Thrive Well

Malaysia

Email anum@thethrive center

Andy Huang Optum

China

Email andy huang1@optum com

Ankit Rehan Optum

India

Email ankit.rehan@optum.com

Ava Lam

Robust Wellbeing Co.

Hong Kong

Email avalkm@gmail com

Ayumi Nishikawa

WorkWay

Japan

Email anishikawa@eapatokyo.org

Brien Lee

Splendens Era PLT

Malaysia

Email brienlee@outlook.com

Bee Mahimkar

EAP-India

India

Email bee@eap-India.com

Chris Lawrence Perspection Ltd

Hong Kong

Email chris@perspection hk

Ben Teusse

Habit Health

New Zealand

Email ben.teusse@habit.health

Dan Boissonneault

EAPA

USA

Email eap700@comcast net

David Levine

Global Care Experts

USA

Email david levine@globalcareexperts co

Debbie Anne Salvamante PowerVision EAP

Philippines

Email debbie.salvamante@powervisioneap.co

Dirk Antonisson Pulso

Belgium

Email dirk.antonissen@pulso-group.com

Doris Fong

SMG Health

Hong Kong

Email doris fong@smghealth com hk

Enzo Mone

ICAS

United Kingdom

Email enzo.mone@icasworld.com

Ee Jing Lee

Thrive Well

Malaysia

Email eejing@thethrive center

Grace Ding

Workplace Options

China

Email workwill1@sina.com

Ellisha Othman

Thrive Well

Malaysia

Email ellisha@thethrive center

Hieu Sooh Peng

Turning Point

Malaysia

Email sophiahieu@turningpoint.org.my

Hoi Yan Lee

Estee Lauder

Singapore

Email ivlee@sg estee com

Jean Lim

PowerVision EAP

Philippines

Email jean@powervisioneap.com

Julie Cressey

Telus Health

New Zealand

Email jcressey@benestar.com

Kaoru Ichikawa

Resilie Laboratory Inc.

Japan

Email kaoru ichikawa@resilie co jp

Hwi-Kwon Cho

Dain

South Korea

Email hkcho@daincnm co kr

Jennifer Lira del Rosario

PowerVision EAP

Philippines

Email lira@powervisioneap.com

Julie Swarts EAPA

USA

Email j swarts@eapassn org

Keith Harry Rantai

Effective Living

Malaysia

Email keith harry@livingeffectively.com.my

Jamie MacLennan

Telus Health

Australia

Email jamie maclennan@lifeworks com

Jimmy Kim

Dain

South Korea

Email globalpartners@daincnm.co.kr

Jung-Wook Cho

Dain

S. Korea

Email woogi815@daincnm co kr

Kenny Madeiros

Telus Health

Netherlands

Email kenny.medeiros@eaef.org

Kfir Eyal BetterHelp

USA

Email kfir@betterhelp com

Kshitij "KJ" Maheshwari BetterHelp USA

Email kshitij.maheshwari@betterhelp.com

Majella Villaroman myCORD Corp PH

Philippines

Email majella@my-cord com

Mee Yuen Thang Thrive Well

Malaysia

Email meeyuen@thethrive.center

Min-Kyung Song

Dain

South Korea

Email mksong@daincnm.co.kr

Panita Suavansri

Chulalongkorn University

Thailand

Email p suavansri@gmail com

Konstantin Von Vietinghoff CCS Int'l Luxembourg

Email kvonvietinghoff@ccsint com

Kueh Cheng Chia Hummingbird Psychological

Malaysia

Email kcchia25@gmail.com

Manuel Somer Pulso

Portugal

Email manuel sommer@pulso-group com

Michelle Grow APM

Australia

Email michele.grow@apm.net.au

Miyen Low Mindful-Spa

Malaysia

Email miyenlow@gmail com

Phillip Saab J&J

Australia

Email psaab@its.jnj.com

Kristy Hunter ICAS

South Africa

Email kirsty hunter@icasworld com

Luci Ribeiro Pulso

Portugal

Email lucilia.ribeiro@pulso-group.com

Mary Ann Reyes PowerVision EAP

Philippines

Email ann reyes@powervisioneap com

Michelle Lim Thrive Well

Malaysia

Email michelle@thethrive.center

Nancy Board

Global Women 4 Wellbeing USA

Email nrboard@gmail com

Priya Ragunath

Ministry of Health-Malaysia

Malaysia

Email priya r@moh.gov.my

Rachel Bethune Telus Health

Australia

Email rachel bethune@lifeworks com

Sung Joon Cho

KangBuk Samsung Hospital

South Korea

Email sungjoon.cho@samsung.com

ATTENDEES

Raja Farhana Raja Hadayadanin Effective Living

Malaysia

Email farhana@livingeffectively com my

Tiara Puspita Ningrum

Workplace Options

Indonesia

Email tiara.puspita@workplaceoptions.com

Rozana Nordin Thrive Well

Malaysia

Email rozana@thethrive center

Certificates & Souvenir Design by Majella Villaroman APEAR Board Member, Philippines

2023 Conference Organizers APEAR Board Members

2023 Program Director & Speaker Coordinator Miyen Low APEAR Board Member, Malaysia

2023 Logistics & Hotel Management David Levine APEAR Board Member, USA

2023 Platinum Sponsors

2023 Silver Sponsors

2023 Co-Sponsor