Members of the counseling staff work to carry out their mission by providing a variety of services to the Manchester University community, including:

• Individual, couple and group counseling
• Primarily short term mental health support services
• Referrals to outside providers when the need exceeds our resources
• Wellness oriented psycho-educational programming in various settings within the University community
• Social and personal facilitators for personal exploration, guidance, connections to resources, or to listen
• Consultation and support to faculty, staff and administrators as they work to meet the needs of students
• Collaboration with retention efforts to help students STAY, STUDY AND SUCCEED at Manchester University.

When you see a counselor, it's important to know that one of the core responsibilities of the counselor is confidentiality. This means a counselor may not share your information or anything you share in your sessions with anyone else. Exceptions to this trust include: If the student is a danger to themself or others, then their counselor has a responsibility to share that information for safety purposes. Otherwise, the only information that can be released, even to a parent, is that information for which a student signs an “Authorization for Release of Information.”
Support staff working within MU Counseling Services do not have session content information.

Professional Collaboration of Care
Counselors will collaborate and consult with each other toward appropriate student care. Counseling staff will avoid communication of unnecessary disclosure of student identity and/or unwarranted disclosure of a student’s personal information. Outside professionals may be utilized as needed for professional consultation, and identifying information will not be disclosed. In cases wherein the communication of personal identity and/or personal information is necessary to share toward the provision of appropriate care, counselors will make every attempt to:

1. obtain student permission prior to consultation disclosure
2. minimize information disclosure to only that which is directly necessary to consultation

Spartan Success
MU counselors participate in Spartan Success (powered by Starfish) and are members of the Spartan Success Intervention Team. When the needs of a student have been identified through the Spartan Success network, there may be times counseling staff are asked to reach out to a student to provide support. Tracking responses to referred student needs requires Intervention Team members to confirm if a student has responded to the outreach communication. Outreach to a student does not require participation in counseling nor are they a counseling client until after they have voluntarily enrolled in counseling services. Counselors will communicate the success or lack thereof regarding outreach attempts to ensure university services are offered to students. Session content is strictly confidential if a student chooses to participate in counseling services.

FERPA
FERPA guidelines allow for appropriate disclosure of information when there is a concern of imminent danger to self or others.

Third Party Communications
Students may voluntarily choose for communication to occur between counseling providers and an external professional or institution (e.g., family doctor, community mental health provider, family member, coach). In such cases, the student will:

• Complete a Release of Information (ROI) available through Counseling Services detailing the consent for the entity as well as identification of the specific information they wish to be shared.
• This document will be signed by the student and will be kept in the student’s record with our office.
• Release of Information (ROI) can be completed, terminated, or changes made at any time per the student’s request and signature if applicable.

Students may also voluntarily choose to bring someone with them to counseling services. This may include a friend, family member, faculty member, staff or a member of their support system. ROI is not required in these situations.

IC 34-30-16 Duty to Warn
Student presents clear and imminent danger to self or others (i.e. potential violence to self or others).

IC 31-33-5 Child Abuse Reporting
Under Indiana law any individual who has a reason to believe a child is a victim of abuse or neglect has the duty to make a report; therefore, each citizen of Indiana is considered a “mandated reporter.” While reporting child abuse is everyone’s responsibility, Indiana law requires some in certain occupations to do so. These professional reporters are staff members in a medical or other public or private institution, school, facility, or agency. These reporters are legally obligated by their profession to report alleged child abuse or neglect.

This Indiana mandated reporting applies to counseling services when there is reason to believe abuse or neglect has occurred, or through disclosure of abuse or neglect of any individual currently under the age of 18.