Counseling is a confidential process that involves a therapeutic relationship between you and a trained counselor. To gain the most benefit from your counseling experience, it is important that you actively engage in the process during your sessions and work on applying new skills between sessions.
Counseling can have benefits and risks. It is designed to help you come to a greater understanding of yourself and learn new coping strategies. Since counseling often involves discussing challenging aspects of your life, you may also experience uncomfortable feelings. Your counselor is available to support you through the process. While the outcome of counseling is often very positive, there is no guarantee of how you might feel about your counseling experience.
The professional credentials of our staff members are posted in the waiting room and on our website. If you have questions about the direction of counseling or your counselor’s style please discuss your concerns with your counselor. Your participation in counseling is voluntary and you may withdraw at any time.
Our goal is to serve all students effectively. We ask you to keep all scheduled appointments or notify us as soon as possible if you will be late or need to cancel. Daily walk-in hours are available, Monday through Friday, but we ask you to reserve these for urgent concerns. After hours emergency contact information is posted in various campus locations, is available from Residence Life staff members, and may be found on our web site.
There is no fee for counseling services. Your counselor may recommend off campus mental health or substance abuse services that are beyond the scope of our services. You are responsible for any charges if you seek off-campus services.
CONFIDENTIALITY:All interactions with Counseling Services are confidential, including the scheduling of or attendance at appointments, the content of your sessions, your progress in counseling, and your records.
Counseling Services staff members consult with each other as needed to provide the best possible care.
Counseling records are kept electronically on a secure server that is accessible only to the counselors. Certain limited ITS staff members maintain the technical aspects of the records program, but they do not work with any identifiable client data. The director of health services has access to counselors’ schedules, but not to counseling records themselves.
No counseling records are contained in any academic, educational, or job placement file. Your counseling records are destroyed no less than 7 years after your departure from Lawrence University. This is in keeping with legal and ethical requirements.
You may request in writing that the counseling staff release specific information about your counseling to persons you designate. If that information pertains to an administrative decision (e.g. housing exemption request) any written documentation (i.e. memo) that is shared becomes part of your educational record rather than your counseling record .
It is possible that in the future you might be asked by an outside agency to sign a release allowing the agency to review your counseling records (e.g. if you apply for health or life insurance, licensure or certification in some professions, or employment in agencies that require a security clearance). In those cases we require a specific release signed by you in order to comply.
EXCEPTIONS TO CONFIDENTIALITY: