The UFT’s Member Assistance Program (MAP) offers in-service UFT members free, confidential and voluntary individual consultations, as well as group counseling, workshops, professional development and resources provided by licensed mental health professionals.
MAP was created in 2009 to help members cope with life’s challenges, and over the years it has supported thousands dealing with work stress, anxiety, PTSD, bereavement, substance use disorder or other addictive behaviors, and other issues.
In response to the pandemic, MAP began offering all of its services virtually, helping members stay emotionally connected while remaining physically distant. Virtual support groups on a wide range of issues were created, as were workshops on trauma recovery, well-being and stress management. See the support groups you can join.
MAP’s Well-Being Series (formerly “Let’s Talk about It”) aims to help members strengthen coping and healing skills to support them in their personal or professional lives. Each session provides tools, ideas and a new outlook on issues that affect one’s sense of well-being.
For those affected by substance use or other addictive behaviors, MAP offers various types of assistance, including referrals for members and their families. To learn more or arrange for a confidential conversation, call 212-701-9620, email MAPrecovery [at] uft [dot] org (MAPrecovery[at]uft[dot]org) or visit the Together We Recover section of the UFT website.
Self-care resources are available on MAP’s section of the UFT website at self care resources. These resources include free mindfulness and meditation apps, hotlines and trauma counseling, services for children and more.
Listen to MAP’s Classroom Café podcast, in which outside experts discuss a wide range of wellness topics. The monthly podcast is available on your favorite podcast platform or at Classroom Café here on the website.
MΑP is also a state provider of continuing education credits for school social workers and licensed mental health counselors. Through MAP, counselors and social workers have access to an array of clinical courses (some discounted and some free) to help enhance their work.
MAP also refers in-service UFT members to outside mental health providers and agencies that accept members’ health insurance in all five boroughs and some suburban locations.
You can contact MAP by calling 212-701-9620 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday during the school year, and from 9 a.m. to 5:15 p.m. Monday to Thursday during the summer, or by emailing mapinfo [at] uft [dot] org (mapinfo[at]uft[dot]org). You will get a reply within two business days. Don’t forget to follow MAP on Instagram at @uftmap.
Anyone experiencing a mental health emergency at night or on a weekend should call 911 or go to their nearest hospital emergency room. If you would like to speak to a counselor outside MAP’s business hours, NYC WELL — a confidential, free mental health information and support hotline — is available 24/7 to all New Yorkers at 888-692-9355.