Homewood Health Student Assistance Program (SAP)

The Homewood Health Student Assistance Program (SAP) is replacing the LifeWorks EAP by Morneau Shepell Ltd for all learners as of September 1^st 2022. Through Homewood Health, NOSM University learners have access to a robust array of counselling, coaching, and support services.

About Homewood Health

Homewood Health™ provides the SAP to students and their eligible family members. Homewood Health is a private Canadian company specializing in assistance programs for over 40 years. They offer a one-of-a-kind approach to SAP—the highest quality of clinical support and intervention available—and an unmatched continuum of services that spans health promotion, mental health and addictions treatment, and prevention-focused work-life counselling services.

Your SAP, through Homewood Health, provides completely confidential, professional counselling for a broad range of personal and family issues. While the program can be used for crisis intervention, the ideal time to use the program is before concerns get out of hand. The SAP is a pro-active option for helping you manage your personal health and well-being.

What is a Student Assistance Program?

A Student Assistance Program is a professional and confidential service offered by organizations to promote and support the well-being of their students and eligible family members.

Everyone faces difficult or stressful events in their lives. Most of the time, we handle these personal issues fairly well. Other times, life events can become challenging enough to interfere with our effectiveness and happiness both at home and at work.

Your SAP provides you with confidential, professional counselling and wellness services that are there to provide support for those times when a little extra help is needed. The program provides access to masters’ level counsellors, plus a full suite of lifestyle, specialty, and online services.

How to Access the SAP

Please sign up for Homewood Health on Homeweb.ca and select NOSM University. Register as a member of the plan.

To access the Homewood Health Pathfinder, you will need to input a code sent to your email. If you missed or lost this email, please contact Learner Support Services Coordinator, Itunu Osifeso.

Once registered, you can access services online at Homeweb or call Homewood Health anytime.

Phone information:

1-800-663-1142 (English) | 1-866-398-9505 (Numéro sans frais – en français)
1-888-384-1152 (TTY) | 604-689-1717 International (Call Collect)

Frequently Asked Questions

What Services Does The SAP Offer?

The SAP offers counselling, coaching, information, and support for all types of issues relating to mental health, health management, and achieving greater personal and workplace well-being.

You and your dependents can receive counselling from a professional counsellor either in person, over the phone or online at www.homeweb.ca. You are also able to access a full suite of Homewood Health Life Smart Coaching Services as well as online services.

All of the SAP services are outlined in more detail immediately below:

What kinds of counselling services are offered?

Counselling services are confidential and professional. Assessments, guidance (and referrals when required) are offered and may help with many personal challenges including, but not limited to:

Relationship concerns in areas such as communication, separation, divorce
Family issues such as parenting difficulties, family conflict or aging parents
Workplace concerns linked to conflict, stress, change, balance or career
Financial and legal difficulties
Alcohol and drug misuse or dependency
Gambling and other addictions
Depression and anxiety
Bereavement and grief
Anger management
Sexual harassment and abuse
Life transitions such as retirement, menopause or divorce

How does the counselling program work?

When you need to speak with someone, simply call the Homewood Health toll-free number listed below. Homewood Health staff will ask you for some basic information (to establish your eligibility for this benefit) and will help set up an initial counselling appointment at a time convenient for you via your preferred method (in-person, video, telephonic, or e-counselling). In all cases, an experienced counsellor will help assess your concerns and aid you in developing practical solutions.

All Homewood Health counsellors have a minimum of a master’s level degree, and extensive experience in helping individuals with their personal challenges. If longer term counselling, hospital treatment or specialized services (such as medical, legal or financial help) are required, your counsellor will discuss referral options with you to get you connected with the most appropriate support.

What are Life Smart Coaching Services?

Whether one needs to find a nursing home for an aging parent on the other side of the country, obtain help getting finances under control, receive advice on how to nurture a child with special needs or gifts, plan for the transition back to work following parental leave, or receive legal advice on custody or visitation questions, Homewood Health can help.

Clients utilizing Life Smart Coaching Services are provided with an overview of the service at time of first call by the intake counsellor initiating support with the specialist. Clients have access to the specialist within 24-48 hours and specialists can often provide an assessment of the client’s needs upon first contact. Assessment outcomes, including additional support and resources, are customized for each client.

Life Smart Coaching services are delivered over the telephone and often include a personalized package of information and useful tools, such as tips sheets, articles and software programs that have been selected with the client’s specific interests in mind.

Life Smart Coaching Services include:

Life Balance Solutions

New Parent Support
Childcare and Parenting
Elder and Family Care
Relationship Solutions
Legal Advisory
Financial Consultation
Grief & Loss
Stress Solutions

Health Smart Coaching Services

Nutritional Counselling
Smoking Cessation Program
Jumpstart Your Wellness

Career Smart Counselling Services

Career Counselling
Pre-Retirement Planning
Shift Worker Support

What services are available online?

In addition to core SAP services, you have access to a variety of online resources that provide self-help information, references, articles, and guidelines.

Online CBT— Homewood’s online, self-paced treatment program for depression and anxiety, as well as for improving communications, relationships and overall coping.
Online Health Library— an extensive collection of educational resources organized into a Health Library with rich content, relevant topics, and easy navigation.
The Health and Wellness Companion— a comprehensive self-guided,
self-development program that is designed to provide a personal plan of action. This also includes a Health Risk Assessment.
E-Learning Courses— instant access to online learning developed by psychologists specialized in e-learning and health promotion. These self-paced, interactive, confidential learning courses target personal and workplace issues.
Busy Family Child and Eldercare Resource Locators— conduct your own customized searches by keying in specific requirements. You can search for daycares, homecare, respite care, schools, camps, long-term facilities, assistive care facilities, and facilities geared towards the elderly with health needs or cultural preferences. Responses are instantaneous and can be easily sorted for comparison purposes.

Is The SAP Confidential?

Confidentiality is the cornerstone of the SAP. The program allows all clients to discuss any life-issue in complete confidence, whether speaking with a masters’ level counsellor or another professional for one of the Life Smart Coaching services (e.g., Lawyer or Registered Dietician).

Homewood Health standards of confidentiality are the same as those used by medical doctors in Canada. You and your family may rest assured that all conversations and dealings with the SAP will remain strictly confidential within the limits of the law*.

Homewood Health is fully accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA), an objective and recognized body for EFAP provider accreditation, which also ensures organizations meet the standards of confidentiality.

*Homewood Health is required by law to disclose what would otherwise be confidential information when there is a risk of serious injury to oneself or others, there is suspicion of child abuse as defined by provincial legislation, or when served with a properly executed court order (i.e. subpoena).

How Will This Change Impact Me?

Effective September 1^st 2022, the Student Assistance Program will be provided by Homewood Health™.

If you are currently engaged in counselling, or other SAP services, through LifeWorks by Morneau Shepell Ltd you will be able to continue with your current counsellor. Upon case closure, any future supports will be provided to you by Homewood Health™.

How do I Contact the SAP?

Whether a concern is just beginning or at a time of crisis, you and your family members are encouraged to take the first step, and access support through your Student Assistance Program.

To speak to someone in confidence, for immediate support or to book an appointment, you may call one of the Homewood Health numbers below 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Help is always available.