The company, which has offices located around the world, announced on Tuesday that the majority of its insurance plans will now give members access to counselling from behavioural health experts in over 200 countries.
Known as the ‘employee assistance programme’, the service is designed to help expats cope with issues such as improving family communication, managing anxiety and depression, handling stress and surviving the loss of a loved one.
Aetna said members can receive up to five sessions of counselling per issue per year either online, via the telephone or in person, depending on their plan level.
“Emotional health is a large factor in overall health,” said David Healy, general manager for Aetna International in Europe.
“For expats, emotional health can become a pressing concern because of the additional challenges of working outside one’s home country. Without treatment, mental health concerns can affect job performance as well as contribute to workplace accidents, and increase staff turnover and absenteeism.”
