Do you only serve University of Iowa students?

Nope! We serve anyone impacted by sexual violence in eight eastern Iowa counties: Cedar, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Johnson, Lee, Washington, and Van Buren. The University of Iowa is one community we serve including students, faculty and staff. We also serve all other higher education and K-12 academic communities in our service area. 

Do you serve men?

Yes! We serve people of all genders.

Where are you located?

Our office building is in Iowa City. We serve and travel to eight counties in eastern Iowa: Cedar, Des Moines, Henry, Iowa, Johnson, Lee, Washington, and Van Buren. 

How much do your services cost?

Our services are free. We do not ask for insurance or any form of payment.

Is what I say confidential? 

Confidentiality is very important to us. Everything we discuss is confidential within the agency with the exception of high-risk suicidal intent or high-risk intent of committing violence against another.

Most advocates are not mandatory reporters. However, some of our staff have specific licensure that requires them to be a mandatory reporter. RVAP staff who are mandatory reporters will inform you before giving you counseling. If you prefer to speak with a staff member that is not a mandatory reporter, that option is available to you. In the event that you do choose to disclose certain types of information to a staff member that is a mandatory reporter, confidentiality will be broken if their licensure requires mandatory reporting. If that is the case, you would be made aware immediately.

Otherwise, we cannot speak to anyone including your friends, family, employer, community, law enforcement or other system without your explicit consent. 

I wasn't raped, can you still help me? 

Yes. We serve anyone directly or indirectly impacted by sexual violence including a survivor's loved ones. Rape is one form of sexual violence. Sexual violence is any sexual act committed against someone without that person’s freely given consent. This includes but is not limited to rape, sexual assault, stalking, harassment, sexual exploitation, etc.

Consent should be affirmatively communicated through verbal or non-verbal language. Consent cannot be obtained through coercion, manipulation, force or while under the influence of any drug(s) including alcohol. For a visual explanation of what consent is watch this video about tea and consent.

How can you help me?

We can help in many ways depending upon your needs. We offer counseling, therapy, support groups and 24-hour crisis lines. We answer questions, provide information, referrals and options. We provide advocacy services which means we can help you navigate various systems, work with third parties and accompany you throughout these interactions. Check out the Get Help section on our website to learn more.

Additionally, we offer prevention education programs that focus on healthy relationships, consent, bystander intervention, etc. Learn more here.

How can I get involved?