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Confidentiality

The Valparaiso University Student Counseling and Development Center abides by the Ethical Standards of the American Psychological Association, the American Counseling Association, and the National Association of Social Workers. Your presence at the office and the information you share is considered confidential in accordance with these standards.

Counseling sessions, like assessment and referral sessions, are strictly confidential and no record of your attendance is available to other university offices, potential employers, family, or friends without your explicit written permission. The Indiana Bar, some law enforcement agencies, and the federal government may ask about your counseling history if you are preparing for employment in one of those fields. Counseling Center staff will assist you in documenting your suitability for employment following counseling, if needed. The sharing of client information for case conferences is not considered a violation of confidentiality. Indiana state law and ethical standards for Counselors and Psychologists obligate a breach of confidence in the following circumstances: (1) clear and imminent danger to client or others, i.e., suicide, homicide; (2) knowledge of current child abuse or abuse of elderly or disabled persons; and (3) a court order for client records. Client records, by law, are maintained for seven academic years beyond the last contact.