Important therapy question?

Question

I am wondering about the legal stipulations for patient confidentiality when it comes to being a therapy patient. My inquiry centers around the idea that I am in therapy to, among other things I suppose, control anxiety, especially in terms of school and succeeding at it. I am plenty smart enough for it but I have a hard time keeping my focus and concentration on it. Point being, I am in a jam w/ my school. I would like to inform them that the very issues they see w/ my academic performance are the same issues I am in counseling to resolve, but I wanted to know: if I tell them I AM in counseling, in the university counseling center no less, do I forfeit all further rights to confidentiality? Ideally, I would like them to know that I am trying to overcome my anxiety issues w/ conseling, but feel rather uncomfortable w/ a stranger knowing all the gory details of my treatment.

Just to clarify, I want them to see I am indeed in therapy because it, to me and hopefully to them, shows my committment to finishing school by addressing whatever it is that I am feeling held back by. But I am not sure I am comfortable with someone I inform of this being able to request a complete write up on my treatment history. Can they just say, "Yes. He has been seeking therapy in this office for X # of months..." and leave it at that?

Answer 1

Yes, you can have your counselor fill out a Release of Information form that allows the counselor to provide specific, limited information to your school. Schools sometimes have their own form they can fill out.

The Release of Information forms I use allow the client to list what information I, as the counselor, can disclose to the school. The same form also allows the school to release specific information, say academic or behavioral concerns so that all three parties can work together. I agree that often when schools are aware students are in counseling they are willing to work with the student more.

The Release of Information form is designed to limit how much information is released to the school, is time limited--mine are for 90 days-- so if the school contacts me 4 months down the road, the client needs to sign a new release form.

You could talk to your counselor or your school counselor to get this started. I never charge a fee for a release of information. --Also, this is the protocol in the State of Washington where I practice; other state laws may differ.

Answer 2

I am not a lawyer. But I am a mental health advocate. Sometimes it can help you to allow those agencies to have access to your private life. I don't think just saying you are being treated would be that big of an issue. It just shows that you have sought and are receiving treatment. That shows a lot of gumption for most mental issues. Remember, that sometimes you will have setbacks in a anyone's life and those should be just that... set backs. As long as you finish school, that is the goal and not how, when, where, etc. Right?