Confidentiality

All students who are at least 18 years old seeking mental health services at Counseling and Consultation Services have the legal protection of confidentiality afforded by Indiana state law. Under state law, our staff is prohibited in disclosing any information related to your treatment, without your permission, with few exceptions. Allegations of child or elderly abuse that have not been reported, imminent, life-threatening danger to oneself or others, or a court order for records are the most common exceptions that we encounter. Mental health treatment records are considered separate from a student’s educational records and held to stricter standards regarding their disclosure. In all cases, including reports of sexual assault, maintaining confidentiality is a legal and ethical mandate for our entire staff that we take seriously and recognize as essential for students to feel comfortable using our services.

Limitations to Confidentiality

All information gathered in counseling, including the fact that a student has come to CCS, is held in strict confidence. No information is released to anyone unless the student requests it or it is within the exceptions to confidentiality stated in Indiana state law, such as:

• CCS is court ordered to release information
• an immediate danger of serious harm to someone (self or others) requires that information be released to prevent the harm from happening
• risk of harm to children, the elderly, and those unable to care for themselves

If a student is entering the Peace Corps, law enforcement or the military, they should know that applications routinely ask if you have sought counseling in the past.