Stillwater or an EAP?
Usually the honest answer is both.
An Employee Assistance Programme is a safety net — it catches people once something has gone wrong. Stillwater is the layer before that: the ordinary, everyday practice of noticing how you are. Here's a straight comparison so you can decide what your team is actually missing.
Side by side
When it's used
An EAP: After something has gone wrong — someone picks up the phone because they're already struggling.
Stillwater: Every ordinary day, including the good ones. Two minutes at a time.
What it's for
An EAP: Resolving an episode: counselling, legal and practical advice, manager guidance.
Stillwater: Practising inner skills — self-awareness, regulation, reflection, presence, connection.
Take-up
An EAP: Commonly reported in the low single digits of headcount per year.
Stillwater: Designed for repeat, low-effort use — the bar to a check-in is far lower than a phone call.
What it leaves behind
An EAP: A resolved situation, and a number to call again.
Stillwater: Skills and self-knowledge the person keeps, whether or not they ever need a helpline.
Shape of the cost
An EAP: Per employee per year, usually with a session cap.
Stillwater: Per seat, no session cap — the practice doesn't run out after six weeks.
What the employer sees
An EAP: Anonymised usage reporting from the provider.
Stillwater: Anonymised, aggregate engagement only. No individual entries, ever.
Clinical care
An EAP: Yes — qualified counsellors and referral pathways.
Stillwater: No. Stillwater is a practice space, not treatment, and signposts to crisis support throughout.
Choose an EAP if…
- You have no confidential route for someone in acute distress.
- You need qualified counselling and clinical referral available 24/7.
- Your people need legal, debt or family advice as much as emotional support.
- You need a manager support line for difficult conversations.
If that's the gap, an EAP is the right buy — and we'll say so. What an EAP covers →
Add stillwater if…
- Your EAP take-up is low and you're not sure the benefit is landing.
- You want something people use before they're struggling, not after.
- You want to build lasting skills rather than fund one-off workshops.
- You want to understand engagement patterns without seeing anyone's personal words.
Nobody should have to wait until they're struggling to develop the skills that keep them well.
What your team gets with stillwater
A daily practice, not a programme
A check-in that takes under a minute, a private journal, breathing and grounding exercises, and a guide to talk things through with.
Five inner skills
Self-awareness, regulation, reflection, presence and connection — practised, not tested. No scores, streaks or levels.
Safety built in, not bolted on
Crisis routes are visible on every screen and concerning disclosures go through a safeguarding process.
Privacy-first insight for you
Aggregate engagement patterns so you can see whether support is reaching people — with nothing personal attached.
Stillwater is not therapy or a clinical service. If someone needs urgent help, our crisis page is one tap away from every screen.
Questions buyers usually ask
Do we have to drop our EAP to use stillwater?
No, and we'd usually advise against it. An EAP handles acute need and clinical referral. Stillwater is the everyday layer that sits before that point. They do different jobs and most teams keep both.
What does the employer actually see?
Only anonymised, aggregate patterns — things like how many people are using the space and broad engagement trends. Never an individual's check-ins, journal entries, guide conversations or community posts.
How is stillwater priced for teams?
Per seat, with the price depending on team size and what you need. There's no set-up fee and no minimum term we'd hold you to. Get in touch and we'll give you a straight number for your headcount.
How long does it take to roll out?
There's nothing to install. Seats are invited by email and people can start with a single check-in. Most of the work is communication, not setup.
What happens if someone is in crisis?
Crisis signposting is visible throughout stillwater, not buried in a settings page, and concerning disclosures are surfaced to our safeguarding process. Stillwater is not a clinical service and never replaces emergency help or your EAP's counselling pathway.
Not sure which layer you're missing?
Tell us what you already have in place and roughly how many people you're supporting. We'll tell you honestly whether stillwater helps.