Confidentiality

Services provided in counseling sessions are confidential. The ethical guidelines of the American Psychological Association and the laws of the State of Ohio guide the services offered by our counseling staff. This means that when you voluntarily seek the services of the MVNU counseling staff, all information is private and will not be shared with anyone without your permission.

Exceptions are:

1) When there is risk or harm to the student or another person, counselors have a legal and ethical duty to do whatever is necessary to protect life.

2) In very rare cases, when a court of law orders a counselor to release information, the counselor is bound by law to comply with such an order. Your counselor will inform you of his/her need to take such actions before they are initiated.

3) If you are under 18 years of age, the counselor is obligated by law to report suspicion of physical or sexual abuse or risk of such abuse.

4) If you are under legal age (18), the counseling staff will not contact your parents, but by law, your parents can request information from your file. [Note: Exception #1 above still applies.]

If you have further questions about confidentiality, please call the Counseling and Career Center at ext. 4610.