Kenyon Counseling Services utilize the ethical principles and guidelines of the International Association of Counseling Services and federal and Ohio state laws regarding confidentiality. These guidelines require that the information you share with your counseling clinician will not be given to individuals who are not Cox Health and Counseling Center clinicians without your knowledge and written consent, and no record of your use of this service will be placed on your college records, placement files or your official transcript.
You should also know, however, that we are required by law to report situations involving imminent danger to you or someone else, or circumstances involving the neglect or abuse of a child (under 18), an elderly person, a person with a disability or an animal. By law, we must also respond to court ordered subpoenas of client records. Your clinician will inform you of the request for records before any action is initiated.
Diverse in their professional backgrounds, and committed to providing high quality service to students, the staff of the Health and Counseling Center frequently draw upon each other's knowledge in planning their treatment approaches for students. Consequently, your clinician may consult with a colleague if it will be beneficial to you. In fact, such consultations are required by law if your clinician is a graduate student trainee, or is not yet licensed/certified in their professional specialty and must be supervised by a licensed clinician. Your clinician may also consult with health services providers regarding any medically related aspects of your counseling, including medications you may be taking, stress-related health concerns, or other health related areas that may affect your progress in counseling.
If you think it would be helpful to you for your clinician to consult with your parents, academic advisor, physician or others about your situation, please let our administrative assistant know and they will add a “Consent for Release of Information" form to your student health portal for you to complete prior to seeing your clinician. This will allow us to act immediately on your request.
To protect your privacy, we suggest that you communicate by sending a secure message through the student health portal to make or reschedule an appointment or to briefly describe a personal circumstance that you would be comfortable sharing publicly.
Finally, as you know Gambier is a small community, making it likely that you may cross paths with your clinician while walking down Middle Path, eating at a local restaurant, in a class, meeting, or other social event. Some students are uncomfortable when they encounter their clinician in such settings, and do not wish to be acknowledged; others are not distressed by these occurrences and don't mind sharing in a mutual "hello" or a brief discussion. We respect your right to choose how you will be treated on such occasions, so please discuss your preferences with your clinician during your first counseling session.