Location: Counseling Overview - Confidentiality
Confidentiality
Your therapy contacts with Counseling Services staff are confidential
within the limits of the law. All staff members (professional staff,
support staff, trainees, and paraprofessionals) are expected to treat as
confidential all of their interactions with students who come to this agency
for service. UCSB students employed or in training at Counseling Services have no access
to student files. Neither your name nor the nature of your contact with
psychological services are to be disclosed without your specific written
consent.
Exceptions
Exceptions to confidentiality may be required by law. These exceptions
include
-
where there is reasonable suspicion of abuse of children or elderly persons;
-
where the person presents a serious danger of violence to another;
-
where the person is likely to harm himself or herself unless protective
measures are taken; and
-
where release of records is court mandated
All psychologists must adhere to state laws and professional
behaviors. The California Board of Psychology protects consumers by ensuring
high standards for the practice of psychology.
To find out information on your rights as a client, what types of
behaviors psychologists are not supposed to engage in, and information
on how to file a complaint, see the
Board of Psychology web site.
We credit the University of Chicago Counseling Service for the
following statement, which applies to our agency.
E-mail: Think Before You Send
With respect to e-mail communication with psychologists, students are cautioned
against
this form of communication because e-mail is NOT a confidential means of
communication. Therefore,
counseling staff at Counseling Services will not respond
to any e-mail communications from students with whom they work in a counseling
capacity. E-mail is not the appropriate medium to communicate urgent or
emergency information.
The risks of e-mail are that it could fail to be received and that
confidentiality could be breached. An e-mail could fail to be received if it is
sent to the wrong e-mail address or if it just is not noticed by the recipient.
Confidentiality could be breached in transit by hackers or Internet service
providers and at either end by others who had access to the account or the
computer.
The alternatives to e-mail are, of course, writing a letter or a note, making a
phone call, and meeting in person.