NC State Counseling Center carefully adheres to professional standards of ethics and confidentiality. Before information concerning a student can be released, he/she must sign a specific written authorization.

Privacy and Confidentiality

In order to provide effective and up-to-date services, we sometimes consult with fellow colleagues at NC State Counseling Center about our work with students. Otherwise, information revealed in counseling, even the information that you have made an appointment, is not disclosed to others unless you provide written authorization for that information to be released. The exceptions to this practice are:

• When a counselor believes you present an imminent danger to yourself or others.
• When the life or safety of a readily identifiable third person is endangered.
• When a counselor believes that a child or vulnerable adult is being subjected to abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
• When disclosure is made necessary by legal proceedings.
  In all other cases, what you discuss in counseling will remain confidential. Your counselor can answer any questions about confidentiality you may have.

For more information on Privacy and Confidentiality, please review the Notice of Privacy Practices:

E-Mail

NC State Counseling Center has established a policy of no e-mail regarding clinical issues with students due to lack of confidentiality of e-mail. We are concerned about protecting our clients' privacy, and it has become very clear that e-mail is not a safe and confidential means of communication. Counseling Center staff do not maintain 24 hour access to email accounts and may check email infrequently.

When a student schedules their first appointment, they are asked to provide an email address. This is purely voluntary, but if the student supplies us with an address, our scheduling system will send the student an email prior to the scheduled appointment as a courtesy reminding the student of the appointment time. These emails are completely anonymous – nowhere in the email is the Counseling Center identified nor is any information (especially the name) of the student identified. This is an automated process and as such is not equipped for the student to respond to this email.

Requesting a Release of Information from the Counseling Center

No information relating to a student’s contact with the Counseling Center (aside from the above mentioned legally mandated exceptions) may be released unless the student signs a Release of Information form that specifies the name and address of the professional's office to which the information is to be released, description of the specific information authorized released, and the reason(s) for the release of information.

Any information from our records must be released directly to a mental health professional, an attorney, or an insurance agency representative. The Counseling Center does not routinely release client information directly to the client, and the client is welcome to schedule an appointment with the Director to come in and review their chart. Also, the Counseling Center rarely releases the entire contents of a client file, therefore the specific information requested from the chart must be indicated on the release of information form.
It is the policy of the Counseling Center to release only specified information that is appropriate and in the best service of our clients. Any request for information from the Counseling Center must be specifically and clearly stated. Please ask your counselor to describe the specific information needed so that you may list it accurately on the Release of Information form.

Currently our office does not charge a fee for releasing information. We prioritize these requests so that information requests are granted in a timely manner.