Employee Support Service

The University of Limerick now has an Employee Support Service (ESS) in place.

The ESS is a confidential counselling and advice service to assist all of us in dealing with personal issues that could pose a threat to our health, well-being, relationships or employment.

• The service is free – the University of Limerick bears the cost of this service.
• The service is voluntary – the decision to use the service and avail of counselling rests with the individual.
• The service is confidential and independent – and provided by an external company called EAP Consultants.

How does the Support Service operate?

EAP Consultants, an external provider, engage a range of professional and experienced counsellors and practitioners for this service. All counsellors/ practitioners meet the training and experience requirements of professional bodies such as the Psychological Society of Ireland (PSI) or the Irish Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists (IACP).

To access this, you call the freephone helpline number 1800 201 346, which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Users may prefer to access this number from a private telephone as UL telephone bills are itemised. From here, you will be referred to the appropriate counsellor. You will be able to avail of up to six counselling sessions in a twelve-month period.

Who can use the ESS?

This service is provided for all University of Limerick employees and their family members. A family member is defined as a partner or adult child (18+ years) residing at the same address as the employee.

We all go through stages where life seems tough and you may be finding it hard to cope with day-to-day issues. This service can also be used to help with a variety of difficulties such as bereavement, stress, relationship problems, issues with alcohol, drugs, or gambling, etc.

Will my employer know I am using the ESS?

No.  The University will not be told who is using the service and receive only anonymous figures for evaluation of the service.

When is the ESS available?

Access to the helpline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week @ 1800 201 346. The first counselling session will be provided within 2-5 days. The counselling will usually take place in the counsellor’s office at a mutually suitable time.

University staff can also log in to the University of Limerick's unique and dedicated extranet service by clicking here and using the following username and password:

Username: UniversityLimerick
Password: ulp@ss

Click here for Additional Information

Click here for Guidelines for use of this Service