Confidentiality With Counseling Services at the Center
Individual, couples, family, and group therapy services at the Center with clinicians are considered confidential. Ingrid Wheeler, MSW, LCSW, the Assistant Director overseeing Behavioral Health Services at the Center, is considered a Confidential Resource on campus while engaged in therapy services with clients. In most cases, information cannot be released to another party without your written permission. However, in certain circumstances, information can be shared legally without your permission. These circumstances include:
- Child Abuse/Neglect: Illinois Law requires your mental health provider to report to the appropriate authorities (i.e. Child Protective Services, Child Abuse Hotline) any suspicion or evidence of child abuse or neglect. This law also applies to past incidents of abuse or neglect.
- Elder abuse/Neglect: Illinois Law requires your mental health provider to report to the appropriate authorities any suspicion or evidence of elder abuse/neglect.
- Serious Threat to Health or Safety: If your mental health provider believes you present an imminent, serious risk of physical or mental injury or death to yourself, they may make disclosures necessary to protect you from harm. If you communicate to your mental health provider a specific threat of imminent harm against another individual or if your mental health provider believes that there is clear, imminent risk of physical or mental injury being inflicted against another, they may make disclosures necessary to protect that individual from harm in accordance with the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Act.
- Court of law: In the event a court order/subpoena is made, your mental health provider may be required to release records should your mental health condition be part of the legal concerns. Information may also be shared as permitted by law.
- Graduate Students and CVC staff may see personal information, however they are required to follow confidentiality rules as a condition of employment and/or training experience.
- If you are being seen by a student who is currently under supervision, they will discuss the case with their supervision during supervision, however they are still required to follow the rules of confidentiality.