Counseling Services

Each individual is entitled to privacy in their work with a counselor. All contacts with a counselor are confidential to the Counseling and Health Services professional staff. Written permission is required for Counseling Services to release information to others. A court order may require an exception to the lawful protection of individual legal rights to privileged communication with a counselor or psychiatrist.

If it becomes clear in the counseling session that there is a real danger to oneself or to others, we are required to take action to help maintain safety. Also, reports of suspected abuse of children or others unable to care for themselves will also require some action to be taken. Counselors are legally and ethically required to address these kinds of imminent safety risks, even if it involves breaking confidentiality.

A record is kept of an individual's work with us. It contains information individuals have provided to us in writing as well as counseling notes of individual sessions. As of fall 2010, records are kept in secure electronic form for a period seven years after the student's last visit. Prior to fall 2010, paper records were destroyed after a period of seven years after an individual's last visit. Counseling Services files never become a part of the permanent SIUE educational record.

Additional records of sessions are sometimes taken such as the counselor's personal notes and audio tapes. These are destroyed in a timely manner and do not become part of an individual's counseling record. SIUE Counseling Services is a training site for master's and doctoral level therapists in training. These trainees are required to video record their sessions for quality control and training purposes ONLY. These recordings are destroyed in a timely manner and never become a part of the individuals counseling record.

If you have questions about confidentiality and your privacy, please talk with a counselor.

Prior to a counselor releasing confidential information to a third party, the client must complete and sign the Release of Information form.  The counselor or a Health Services staff member must witness the client signature to make the release official.

• Counseling information cannot be released to the following without the client's consent:
  • parents or guardians, spouse, siblings or significant other
  • another doctor, lawyer or health organization
  • insurance company, disability payment source or state agency

Procedure:

• A client may review their counseling record in the confines of the Counseling Services office with a counselor and only by appointment.
• A client wishing to grant release of information to another party must complete the Release of Information form.
• Records may be faxed or mailed. A cover sheet or letter must be affixed to accompany all documents.
• The legal counsel of SIUE may wish to review cases involving probable legal action before the information is released. In a legal case, the whole chart is copied at the written request of the legal counsel. Counseling Services will not release any medical information obtained from another clinic, hospital or private physician if marked "not for secondary disclosure".
• Counseling Services will not release records pertaining to alcohol/drug use, mental health, HIV/AIDS, abortion, and sexual assault unless the written consent is signed.
• In cases of immediate transfer of a client by ambulance or police to any emergency facility or hospital, appropriate information can be sent with the client, including photocopies of clinical notes and identification information. This material should be provided for continuity of care. Also in these cases, all attempts will be made to contact the emergency contact person(s) supplied by the client on their Client Intake Questionnaire form or at the client's verbal request to contact such persons as so designated.

Inconsistent attendance at scheduled appointments interferes with the effectiveness of counseling, and also limits Counseling Services’ ability to help the greatest number of students. We have developed the following policies in an effort to ensure success in therapy:

• Late Arrivals and No-Shows: Failure to attend an appointment without first canceling or rescheduling constitutes a no-show. For 50 minute appointments, the student will be seen if they are less than 15 minutes late to check in at the front desk. For 30 minute appointments, the student will be seen if they are less than five minutes late to check in at the front desk. The student will be required to reschedule their appointment if they are late to check in at the front desk.
• Cancellations: We expect that clients will notify the office by 8:00am the day of their scheduled appointment if they are unable to keep an appointment. Clients who fail to do so will have their sessions marked as a “no show." The No Show/Same Day Cancellation Policy applies each semester for clients. This means that the 3 No Shows/Same Day Cancellations would need to happen in one semester to follow the protocol below. 
  
  • 1st No Show/Same Day Cancellation 
    • Client will be prompted to call within 1 week of the No Show/Same Day Cancellation to reschedule. 
    • Client's file will be closed if no response 1 week after the No Show/Same Day Cancellation mark. Client will be informed to schedule an initial assessment if interested in resuming services. 
  • 2nd No Show/Same Day Cancellation 
    • Client will be prompted to call within 2 business days of the No show/Same Day Cancellation to reschedule. 
    • Client's file will be closed if no response 2 business days after the No Show/Same Day Cancellation mark. Client will be informed to walk in for a Behavioral Health Consult.
  • 3rd No Show/Same Day Cancellation 
    • Client's file will be closed, and client will be prompted to schedule a referral consultation appointment if they are interested in continuing services off-campus. 

In accordance with APA Ethical Guidelines (10.04 Providing Therapy to Those Served by Others), students may see only one individual therapy provider at a time; therefore, if a student is already receiving mental health services outside of SIUE, they are encouraged to continue working with that provider. Students who wish to discontinue seeing their outside provider and start seeing a counselor at Counseling Services may discuss this with their intake counselor or the Care Coordinator.

If you are submitting a Cancellation of Single Student Housing Contract request and indicating Counseling Considerations as your reason, please note the following guidelines. These guidelines will be used when reviewing the cancellation request.

• The process of verifying and reviewing a Counseling Considerations Cancellation Request can take two weeks or more before a decision is made and the student is informed of the decision.
• The student is strongly encouraged to sign a Release form with his/her Medical/Mental Health Professional. This will allow University Housing to verify the submitted information.
• If the student is currently seeing a Medical/Mental Health Professional (private or University), the student will need to provide documentation from the Medical/Mental Health Professional, on the professional's stationary (prescription pad notes will not be accepted).
• If the student is not currently seeing a Medical/Mental Health Professional, the student will need to do the following:
  • Make an appointment with a Medical/Mental Health Professional. You may choose SIUE Counseling Services (618-650-2842).
  • Be seen or under treatment for a minimum of FOUR visits (more visits may be necessary if clinically required) with the Medical/Mental Health Professional.
  • Provide documentation from Medical/Mental Health Professional, on professional's stationery (prescription pad notes will not be accepted).
• Documentation from the Medical/Mental Health Professional must include:
  
  • Length of time the student has been seen/under treatment by Medical/Mental Health Professional.
  • Treating Medical/Mental Health Professional's contact information.
  • Psychological disorder and therapeutic rationale for release from University Housing contract.

• At SIUE Counseling Services, the student's issue must be clinically significant and be directly related to the Housing situation. Merely having a psychological disorder does not indicate that the Medical/Mental Health Professional will recommend that a Housing contract be canceled. Therefore, a recommendation will not be made merely to assist a student in canceling their Housing contract. Each request will be reviewed by the entire clinical team before a recommendation can be made. Ultimately, the final decision will be made by University Housing.
• Once a decision has been made, all disputes of the cancellation decision will be handled by University Housing at 618-650-3931 and not SIUE Counseling Services.