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SAP stands for Student Assistance Program. Students and anyone in their household may be eligible to receive free confidential sessions with our counselors based on assessed need.
We partner with a variety of school districts to provide this support to students. The Student Assistance Program is designed for assessment, brief counseling and referral.
Our counselors help explore issues and assist clients to work through them, offering coping skills as well as recommendations and referrals for services outside of the SAP sessions.
Some reasons students utilize SAP include:
There are a few ways to utilize your SAP! You can chat with our counselors through our EFR app, call us at 515-244-6090, or schedule a session with one of our counselors in-office or virtually. Check with your school counselor to see if your school has one of our on-site counselors to receive sessions at school.
You can connect with your SAP benefits from your mobile device with the EFR App. Click here to learn more!
Make the Call
To make an appointment, call our call center at
515-244-6090 or 800-327-4692.
They will help you with any urgent needs or issues, explain the program to you, and help you make an appointment.
Make an Appointment
The intake specialist will ask to collect your information, such as name, phone number, and date of birth.
The intake specialist will call you with a reminder the day before your scheduled appointment. Make sure you know which location you will be going to for your appointment!
Go to Your Appointment
Walk up to the front desk and say you have an appointment. You will then be asked to look over and sign a few forms. Your counselor will review the forms with you at your first appointment too.
Mandi + Owen
Student Assistance Program
Our son Owen developed anxiety and began displaying concerning behaviors early in elementary school. Undiagnosed and untreated, he was struggling to keep up with grade-level expectations, he was having trouble making and keeping friends, and his behavior even led to out-of-school suspensions on several occasions.
A diagnosis of ADHD and anxiety (and resulting prescriptions and therapy) helped improve his situation quite drastically. However, as his relationship with his original therapist deteriorated, he started to refuse to speak to her and would run from therapy. With no therapy in place, some of his struggles began to re-surface. At the suggestion of his school counselor, we contacted EFR, and he began seeing an SAP counselor there. He connected extremely well with his new counselor, and he got back on track.
As he began a new school year, he had turned a corner and has had the best school year yet! He is getting good grades, he has made new friends, and he often tells us how he loves going to school, something we never thought we’d hear him say.
Without the help he has received, he would inevitably continue to struggle and fall behind. Instead, he now has an incredibly positive outlook. We could not be more thankful for the resources of EFR.
Please call us at 515-244-6090 to see if your school partners with us for SAP, and if so, how many sessions you may be eligible to use.
If you would like to pursue counseling beyond your SAP sessions, you can use insurance (including Medicaid) or private pay. Our counselors work to ensure referral recommendations are appropriate, beneficial, and affordable.
505 Fifth Avenue, Suite 600 Des Moines, IA 50309
6th floor of the Insurance Exchange Building in downtown Des Moines
800-327-4692
Counseling Services
1001 Office Park Rd, Suite 205
West Des Moines, IA 50265
2nd floor of the building
515-471-2357
The Healing Space
1001 Office Park Rd, Suite 209
West Des Moines, IA 50265
2nd floor of the building
515-471-2357
Monday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Tuesday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Wednesday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Thursday 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM Friday 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
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Student Assistance Program (SAP) & Outpatient Counseling
Maddox*, an elementary-aged student, struggled with anger outbursts, physical aggression, and difficulties with problem-solving. After spending years off-and-on in therapy seeking treatment with various providers only to remark that “none seemed to want to listen,” Maddox’s parents sought SAP services through their district.
Today, Maddox is completing his SAP sessions and moving towards outpatient counseling. He has reduced his anger outbursts and has learned skills to help him successfully navigate challenging days.