• Informed Consent and Confidentiality Notice


    Everything said in my office is confidential...
     
    EXCEPT: 


    Thoughts of harming yourself


    Thoughts of harming others


    Abuse or neglect that has not been reported 


    Situations where you are putting your life at risk

     

    Confidentiality is an ethical term denoting counseling practice relevant to privacy.  A student who has a counseling relationship with a school counselor has the right to privacy and the promise of confidentiality.  Exceptions to confidentiality exist, and studentds should be informed that situations arise in which school counselors must inform others of information obtained in counseling relationships in order to protect student themselves or others.   

    The most frequent type of breaches include a student verbalizing the following:

    1)      Verbal, Physical or Sexual Abuse

    2)      Neglect

    3)      A desire to harm him/herself

    4)      A desire to harm someone else

    5)      An unreported sexual assault

     

    Reference:

    American School Counselor Association. Ethical Standards for School Counselors. American School Counselor Association, n.d. Web. 19 March 2013. <http://www.counselors.k12.sd.us/ethics.html>