PROFESSIONAL DISCLOSURE STATEMENT

David H. Castner, D.Min.

Licensed Professional Counselor

LIBRARY 119A*

650 W. EASTERDAY AVENUE

Lake Superior State University

SAULT STE. MARIE , MI 49783

 (906) 635-2752

Effective October 1, 1990 , the Michigan Public Health Code, Act 368 of 1978, Article 15, Part 181, and Section 18105 (2) indicates that "a person shall not engage in the practice of counseling unless licensed or otherwise authorized under this article." Section 18113 of this same Code, as amended, requires that a licensed counselor furnish a Professional Disclosure Statement to all prospective clients before engaging in counseling services . This disclosure statement can either be given in the form of an individual hard copy (upon request) or provided via the internet or a public posting located in a readily identifiable and accessible location. Licensed Professional Counselors are regulated in Michigan through the Michigan Department of Community Health, Health Regulatory Division, and P.O. Box 30670 , Lansing , MI 48909 . Phone: (517) 373-9196. Many of the content areas included in this disclosure are further governed by the guidelines stipulated within the ACA's Code of Ethics, 2005.

The services of this practice are available regardless of race, color, nationality, religion or gender.

Disclosure statements have the clients' best interests in mind. They are intended to inform a prospective client about the unique background, qualifications, services, practice approach, scope and limitations of the professional counselor. This is done in order to assist the client in making an intelligent decision regarding the use of that particular counselor's services.

Consequently, please take some time to carefully read all the information provided. If you should have any questions about the information in this statement, please do not hesitate to ask.

* Library 119A is centrally located on campus. The Counseling Center secretary is located here which is in the lower level of the Library across from the Learning Center .

DESCRIPTION OF PRACTICE

I realize that starting counseling is a major decision and you may have many questions. This part of the disclosure is intended to inform you of the policies of this practice, State and Federal Laws and your rights. It includes information concerning what to do if you have an emergency, the limitations of my practice, important considerations affecting your rights to privacy or confidentiality, office hours, fees, eligibility for services, appropriate termination and access to records.

University students are provided with many new opportunities and choices, both academic and social. This freedom can often lead to burdens of unexpected confusion and perhaps even great dismay. Everyone from time to time feels overwhelmed by problems that can be difficult to cope with alone. I do not want students to feel alone when in need of support. I believe in unconditional acceptance and will work to help students identify, clarify and rally their own resources in successfully coping. It has been my experience that in spite of all the pain, anguish and suffering associated with therapeutic concerns there is always a greater good that can be found turning hardship into opportunities for personal growth.

You will find me short on "advice" and long on empathic listening and sensitivity. I will not solve your problems for you, nor will I enable you to feel reliant upon me. I will, however, provide you with approachability, honesty, and information where appropriate and timely. I will facilitate the development of your own insight, and assist you in weighing the consequences of options as you make your own decisions. The whole experience is aimed at helping you grow in your capacity to be self-sufficient. Most students enter my office feeling their well-being is controlled by their circumstances. My goal is to help them leave in the long run having learned how to take authority over their peace of mind with a different image, that of conqueror rather than victim.

My primary function is to provide personal therapeutic counseling or intervention for any emotional or psychological hurdle that seriously threatens a student's well being or peace of mind. Such hurdles as anxiety, depression, grief and loss, self-worthlessness, struggling relationships, etc., can immobilize and undercut coping ability in a way that threatens academic success in attaining personal life and educational goals.

Short-term and limited extended-term personal counseling support is available. I utilize a variety of counseling approaches including client-centered, rational-emotive and cognitive behavioral therapy.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES? (A 12.g.9. of ACA Code of Ethics-2005) :

According to our local mental health agency, “You may be experiencing a mental health emergency if you feel like harming yourself or someone else. An emergency may also be any emotionally stressful event or traumatic change in your life resulting in unstable conditions for yourself or your family. You may feel completely overwhelmed and you may feel: anxious-fearful-confused-tense-threatened-or-out of control.”

If an emergency situation exists for which the client or guardian feels immediate attention is necessary, the client or their referring party should understand that they are to contact the emergency services available through the community mental health agency, Hiawatha Behavioral Health (HBH) using their 24 hour (24 hours per day-7days a week) crisis hotline, 632-2805 or 1-800-839-9443. TTY numbers call collect (906) 632-5539.

You may also contact emergency services in the community ( 911 ) for emergencies deemed as needing immediate attention.

Additionally, you may go to the emergency room of War Memorial Hospital , 500 Osborn Blvd. , Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, 635-4402.

LIMITATIONS OF SERVICES

For purposes of this disclosure, “clinical” therapeutic needs entail reason to believe there may be clear present, immanent or foreseeable danger to either the client, the counselor or to others.

Due to the limits of scope for personal therapeutic services available as defined by LSSU policy, my practice is restricted from providing short or long-term clinical therapeutic support. For emergencies associated with clinical needs, I am able to assist in the referral of the student client to an appropriate clinical therapist or psychologist.

A professional counselor is qualified to incorporate the use of psychotherapy and may render service involving the application of clinical counseling principles (Public Health Code 333, Section 18101, d). However, the practice of professional counseling does not include the practice of medicine which may include the prescribing of drugs. Additionally, a professional counselor is not licensed to hold themselves out as a psychologist (as defined in Section 18201 of Act 368), or as a marriage and family counselor providing marriage counseling (as defined in Section 18201 of Act 368).

The ACA Code of Ethical Standards of Practice -2005 (A.11.b) further stipulates that:

“If counselors determine an inability to be of professional assistance to clients, they avoid entering or continuing counseling relationships. Counselors are knowledgeable about culturally and clinically appropriate referral resources and suggest these alternatives. If clients decline the suggested referrals, counselors should discontinue the relationship.”

It should be emphasized that the above ethical standard refers to the possibility that the client declines the professional counselor's suggested referral. Counselors cannot enforce a suggested or necessary referral and the ethical code states that the counselor should discontinue the relationship under such circumstances. Therefore, as counselor, I can and do not hold an obligation for the consequences which are associated with such forms of client non-compliance.

As a licensed professional counselor, I can be expected to be skilled in:

“...determining the need for referral to one or more statutorily regulated mental health professionals whose expertise, skills, and competence are appropriate to the problems of the individual, informing the individual of the referral, and communicating as appropriate with the professional to whom the individual has been referred” (Part 181, Counseling, Public Health Code 333, Sec. 18101, x).

Personal clinical counseling and counseling in the form of crisis intervention will by in large involve consultation by qualified clinical community resources. Based again upon LSSU policy, I will restrict my crisis intervention involvement to assisting where necessary and possible in connecting the particular “at-risk” client directly and immediately with local clinical or crisis intervention mental health professionals for consultation. On the basis of the same LSSU policy, all members of the campus community who are faced with a potential mental health emergency are also encouraged to call directly and immediately where time is of the essence using the community 24 hour mental health hotline, 632-2805 .

Consequently, on occasion I may determine that a client should be referred to another health care professional who has greater specialized expertise, authority and/or credential in the area of the client's concern. Every effort is made to assure that such referral is done with the client's cooperation and consent. Referrals should be expected in cases where there is general clinical personal therapeutic need or the presence of severe, serious emotional or personality distress which could be determined as potentially life threatening. In such cases a referral can be expected to be made immediately to a mental health specialist for further consultation, diagnosis or clinical treatment.

CONFIDENTIALITY

A client's trust through confidentiality is taken very seriously for ethical and legal reasons. Michigan statute (MCLA-600.2165), the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA), and Public Health Code Part 181 – Sec. 18117 qualifies the confidential relations and communications between a licensed professional counselor or a limited licensed counselor and a client as privileged and therefore shall not be considered as being required to be disclosed except as otherwise provided by law.

Generally, confidential information may be disclosed only upon consent of the client, if the client is 18 years or over. This philosophy is applied to all clients, regardless of nationality or statehood.

Parents or guardians of minors (under the age of 18) hold privilege, and are legally entitled to access information in your file. If the client is a minor, parents or legal guardians can provide consent for release or disclosure of minor client's records or communication.

I also adhere to the ethical standard established by the American Counseling Association (ACA), Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (2005):

Section B.1.C. “Counselors do not share confidential information without client consent or without sound legal or ethical justification.”

Section B.2 . Exceptions (the general requirement that counselors keep information confidential does not apply when) :

B.2.a. Danger and Legal Requirements. Disclosure is required to protect clients or identified others from serious and foreseeable harm or when legal requirements demand that confidential information must be revealed. For example, state law mandates that mental health professionals, including professional counselors, must report to the proper persons and /or agencies whether you have informed me the abuse of a spouse, child, elderly, or otherwise similarly dependant and/or incapacitated individual. The same would apply if you report sexual exploitation by a counselor, therapist, or other mental health professional.

B.2.b. Contagious, Life-Threatening Diseases. When clients disclose that they have a disease commonly known to be both communicable and life threatening, counselors may be justified in disclosing information to identifiable third parties, if they are known to be at demonstrable and high risk of contracting the disease.

B.2.c. Court-Ordered Disclosure. When subpoenaed to release confidential or privileged information without a client's permission.

B.2.d. Minimal Disclosure. When circumstances require the disclosure of confidential information, only essential information is revealed.

Section B.3. Information Shared With Others (also note remarks made under the heading, CONSULTATION p. 7) :

B.3.b. Treatment Teams. When client treatment involves a continued review or participation by a treatment team, the client will be informed of the team's existence and composition, information being shared (as permitted by law), and the purposes of sharing such information. The treatment team used in my practice is called, “StART”.

LSSU incorporates a Student Assistance and Response Team (StART) which exists to respond proactively to issues and concerns with students who may be experiencing some form of distress that may involve potential for immanent danger or disruptive activity that may interfere with the rights of others. This distress may be affecting any area of a student's life including functioning in the classroom, residence halls, campus community, and in their personal relationships.

The purpose of StART is to understand a student's situation and develop appropriate, timely and proactive responses to meet the needs of student's or others that may be critically affected. When a referral is made, appropriate members of the team meet quickly and bring together those parties with relevant information and expertise. The team then determines the best response to the concern and develops a plan of action. The goal of the team is to intervene, diffuse and resolve before concerns escalate.

The composition of the StART team consists of administrators, staff and faculty who can demonstrate that they have a role relationship to assisting with the concern. These representatives from many university departments include: Academic Affairs, Athletics, Counseling Services, Disability Services, Health Services, Public Safety, Registrar's Office and Student Affairs. Other members of the University community may be called on as needs arise.

The kind of information to be shared will vary from one incident to another. The team is involved with personal issues that relate to imminent danger, harassment or other incidents relating to the success of the individual or to the safety and well-being of the campus community. Consequently, the team will be involved with personal and/or sensitive personal information relating to the support of student success or the intervention of foreseeable, dangerous, disruptive or hazardous situations.

Each member of the team is expected to maintain and protect the highest confidentiality standards. Persons referring concerns are protected by their rights to privacy as covered by law and can remain anonymous. The team responds to the student with respect and concern and does not confront with accusations. Members agree to uphold all Lake Superior State University , state and federal laws, policies, guidelines and practices relating to the rights and privacy of those involved. Violating these protections is subject to review and sanctions as outlined by the appropriate parties.

CONSULTATION

Consistent with Section B.8.a.-d.; Section C.2.d.-e; and Section D.2.d. of the ACA Cole of Ethics (2005) mental health counselors take reasonable steps to seek peer and other supervision as needed to evaluate their effectiveness as counselors. As especially indicated in B.8.c., when consulting with colleagues, counselors do not disclose confidential information that reasonably could lead to the identification of a client or other person or organization with which they have a confidential relationship UNLESS they have obtained the prior consent of the person or organization OR the disclosure cannot be avoided. They disclose information only to the extent necessary to achieve the purposes of the consultation.

TECHNOLOGY--IT'S LIMITATIONS AS ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION

Due to the inherent difficulty of maintaining the confidentiality of electronically transmitted communications, it is not possible to insure absolute privacy when using e-mail and other forms of electronic communication. Consequently, all persons associated with this practice are cautioned to use discretion in the content of such forms of communication (2005 ACA Ethical Code A.12.g.1).

The applied use of encryption has not been possible with regard to the Web sites and e-mail for this practice. Be aware that due to limitations in technology, it is possible that unauthorized users including family, friends and others may find ways to access electronic correspondence that may be of a personal or sensitive nature (2005 ACA Ethical Code A.12.g.6).

This practice does not constantly monitor email or other forms of electronic communication 24/7. Therefore daily, weekly, or monthly reviews of such transmittals can not be guaranteed or assumed as being reviewed throughout the year.

Regardless of the situation, it can always be expected that all information entrusted will be handled in such a fashion as to be within all current legal and ethical doctrines available and will serve the best interests of the client.

OFFICE HOURS

Except as otherwise indicated on the office door or in the counseling services receiving office (Library 119A), the regularly scheduled working hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Available hours of appointments may vary depending upon openings available at any particular time. Therefore, it is a good idea to call or check with the counseling secretary for available times. Office hours for my practice are available during the academic year only and are subject to the faculty calendar of recess periods covering such times as Thanksgiving, Christmas, Semester and Spring breaks.

Appointments can be scheduled by contacting our secretary either in person (room 119A, lower level of the library) or by calling 635-2752.

FEES AND ELIGIBILITY FOR SERVICES

Being a University-supported department, the services available through the center are generally restricted to student members of the campus community.

In order to be eligible for personal non-clinical (see Limitation of Services section on p.3) counseling services without charge, clients must, 1) have gone through LSSU's formal application procedure, 2) are eligible for full-time admission, and 3) must be currently enrolled for and earn at least nine (9) credit hours each semester.

Counseling sessions are normally 50 minutes. Notice of 24 hours is requested for cancellations. The number and frequency of sessions depends upon individual needs.

Those currently in counseling elsewhere should keep in mind that it is usually not appropriate for an individual to receive counseling services from two mental health providers concurrently. I will request release from clients to inform the other mental health professionals in order to maintain positive and collaborative professional relationships (2005 ACA Ethical Code A.3.).

Please note: Those students who have withdrawn from LSSU after a full or minimum nine (9) credit hour part-time enrollment must meet the same eligibility and fee requirements as are required of any other potential clients in the general public.

APPROPRIATE TERMINATION

Pursuant to 2005 ACA ethical code A.11.c. Counselors may terminate counseling when in jeopardy of harm by the client, or another person with whom the client has a relationship.

ACCESS TO RECORDS

Pursuant to 2005 ACA ethical code B.6.d., and B.6.e., Counselors provide reasonable access to records and copies of records when requested by competent clients. Counselors limit the access of clients to their records, or portions of their records, only when there is compelling evidence that such access would cause harm to the client. Such access will involve assistance by the counselor in interpreting the counseling record.

DESCRIPTION OF EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE

(Section 18113 of the Michigan Public Health Code for Licensed Counselors specifically requires a description of the licensee's professional education and experience to be included in the Professional Disclosure Statement .)

My educational background includes a bachelor's degree (B.S.) in Industrial Technology with minors in Sociology and Psychology and master's degree (M.S.) in counseling from the University of Wisconsin-Stout (accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools-NC A) . Also included is a doctoral degree (D.Min.) in Biblical Counseling from Pillsbury College & Graduate School (accredited by The Accrediting Commission International for Schools, Colleges, and Theological Seminaries- ACI ; recognized: by The Missouri Coordinating Board for Higher Education and as an authorized Certified Academic Institution- CAI by the National Christian Counselors Association).

Pursuant to ACA ethical code C.4.f., I am a professional member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), Michigan Counseling Association (MCA), Michigan Education Association (MEA) and the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC). I also hold a Professional Counselor License #6401000863 in the State of Michigan . Additionally, I am a Board Certified Professional Christian Counselor, #0225 granted by the International Board of Christian Counselors in association with the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC).

I have taught Psychology, Human Relations, and Life Skills and served as Trade and Industry counselor at Lakeshore Technical College in Cleveland Wisconsin over a period of four years (8/74 to 6/78) and earned a standard certification to teach in Wisconsin at the post-secondary level.

Beginning in 7/78 to the present, I have taught and developed courses, provided personal, therapeutic, academic and comprehensive career counseling at Lake Superior State University . Effective 8/86 to 9/97, I served as Director of Counseling and Testing Services, was promoted up the ranks to associate professor and began serving on the Scholastic Standards Committee which continues to the present.

I also chaired a subcommittee for the writing of the Title III grant, Strengthening Institutions-Activity II. This successful grant application ultimately culminated in the consolidation of LSSU's existing but widely dispersed learning support resources into one central location and provided funds for personnel and resources that are now financially institutionalized as part of the University's current comprehensive learning center. The Title III grant application was not only awarded with a disbursement extending over five years but was also selected as a National Model for the proposal writing of Title III applications for four-year institutions.

From 9/97 to 9/03, my title changed slightly as I served as “Chair of Counseling and Disability Services”. During this period, disability services was placed within the student counseling department and soon a Resource Center for Students with Disabilities (RCSD) and a new full time disability services coordinator position was created and equipped. Also created was an interdepartmental oversight committee which among other things developed policy leading to LSSU's sanctioned RCSD policy manual and clarification of RCSD Student Rights and Responsibilities.

During these years, incentives were given for the development of ”Institutes for Excellence”. As part of the counseling department's National Testing Program, an “Institute for Career Testing & Research” was developed. Both the revenue earnings and service function of this Institute as well as the National Testing Program experienced growth which expanded to unprecedented levels.

From 9/03 to the present, I developed the University intervention response structure, policy and protocol for eminent danger counseling emergencies and served on the Community Mental Health Suicide Prevention Committee. In response to national alerts concerning alarming rates of suicide attempts and depression as it affects colleges and universities, I assembled the first organizational meeting of what soon became known as the Student Assistance and Response Team (StART). StART is able to quickly intervene and proactively respond with strategic staff identified across the university when critical incidents first surface.

The majority of my experience over all the years has involved the privilege of providing direct service to students in the form of personal and therapeutic counseling support. I must say this has been and continues to this day to be the most personally rewarding part of my career.

Revised: September 2007