Emory Global Assistance Program

International SOS emotional support services assist students, academic researchers, faculty members or employees in dealing with any psychological issues while they are away on a study trip and for which short-term counseling is appropriate.

International SOS has selected WorkPlace Options – the world leading employee wellbeing company - to provide emotional support services as part of a global wellbeing program.

Accessing emotional support services is easy:

• Simply contact International SOS, and they will transfer you to a professional counselor from WorkPlace Options. Contact the Int'l SOS main office at +1 215 942 8226 if there is not an applicable international number. Provide Emory's membership number (#11BYSG000003) as needed. 
• All calls begin with an assessment delivered by one of WorkPlace Options’ professional Mental Health counselor, which determines the appropriate level of intervention.
• The assessment covers the presenting issue, support systems, coping strategies, background information, and a risk assessment.
• The outcome is a plan with up to 5 sessions of structured counseling that covers the short-term focus including goals agreed upon with the participant.

The therapy concentrates on helping individuals identify the skills, strengths, and resources that are already present and moves them toward a solution. Counseling methods are tailored to a mobile workforce: phone, video-call or face to face sessions are available.

Emory travelers can call or email International SOS for a medical briefing, security briefing, or both. Additionally, it is acceptable for employees not traveling (e.g., support staff) to request these briefings. 

Emailed briefings can be used to share with travelers or for program approval.

To request a briefing by email, send the following details to philadelphia@internationalsos.com, subject line "Emory University travel, request for [medical & security] briefing: [Country/countries]"

• Dates of travel
• Purpose of travel
• Number of travelers
• Traveler Profile (What are the nationality of the travelers? Have the traveled to this location before? What is their travel experience - new, moderate, road warrior? Do the travelers speak the local language?)
• City/cities
• Country/countries
• Local support (Will the travelers be visiting a local office/university? Will they be hosted by a local partner? Will a local partner provide support for transportation and accommodations?)
• Places to visit (provide the name and address of the key places the travelers will visit, such as the hotel, partner office/university, other meeting locations)
• Leisure travel (Provide information about leisure travel, if any, and the corresponding travel/transportation/accommodation arrangements)
• Safe lodging (indicate what your accommodations will be, or ask for safe lodging recommendations)
• Ground transportation (What arrangements have been made for transportation, including airport pick-up/drop-off plans. What transport will you use for daily transport? Do you want a provider referral?)
• Medical risk information assessment and list of local hospitals in the city or cities you are visiting.
• Add other questions as needed

To request a briefing by phone, please call International SOS at +1 215-942-8226 (you can find international numbers here). Indicate that you are calling from Emory University (you can provide the membership number as needed - 11BYSG000003) and state that you would like to request a medical briefing, security briefing, or both, for the travel destination(s). Request the case number associated with your call. This way, if you call back for a follow-up, your discussion can begin where it ended previously. You can also request the security/medical analyst send you an email summary of the discussion.