Counseling Services

Confidentiality and Privacy

Confidentiality is an essential part of counseling. A counseling relationship requires an atmosphere of trust and confidence between student and counselor. All counseling sessions are confidential and are not part of a student's record. The LSSU Counseling Services takes your privacy very seriously. We safeguard the privacy of your personal information.

Under ordinary circumstances, we will only discuss your situation with someone else when you have given us written permission to do so. You are protected by confidentiality laws, and we will not break these laws unless your situation meets one of the following legal limitations to confidentiality:

• If we learn about child or elder abuse, we are required by law to report.

• If in our judgment you are in imminent danger of hurting yourself or others. The Counseling Services reserves the right to inform parents, next-of-kin, or appropriate University personnel if a student is judged to be a danger to him or herself and/or to others.

• If we are required to present records and/or to appear in court to comply with a court order. If you file a complaint against the Counseling Center or the college we may need to release relevant information in order to protect ourselves.

For more details regarding our confidentiality policy and legally mandated exceptions to confidentiality, please see our complete Confidentiality Policy.