Referrals/Confidentiality
Referrals
Students are referred to the School Counseling office for a variety of personal and academic reasons. Referrals can come from Ridgeview staff, parents, or students.
Parents/Guardians can refer their child for individual or group counseling by contacting Mrs. Pfeifer through email or by phone at 997-7321 or 990-3267 to discuss needs of their child. Students can self-refer by using the "I Would Like To See My School Counselor" form.
Parents/Guardians can refer their child for individual or group counseling by contacting Mrs. Pfeifer through email or by phone at 997-7321 or 990-3267 to discuss needs of their child. Students can self-refer by using the "I Would Like To See My School Counselor" form.
Confidentiality
The role of the professional school counselor regarding confidentiality is:
- To support the students’ right to privacy and protect confidential information received from students, the family, guardians and staff members
- To explain the meaning and limits of confidentiality to students in developmentally appropriate terms
- To provide appropriate disclosure and informed consent regarding the counseling relationship and confidentiality
- To inform students and the family of the limits to confidentiality when:
- the student poses a danger to self or others
- there is a court-ordered disclosure • consulting with other professionals, such as colleagues, supervisors, treatment teams and other support personnel, in support of the student
- privileged communication is not granted by state laws and local guidelines (e.g., school board policies)
- the student participates in group counseling
- substance use and treatment are concerns (CFR 42, Part 2; 2017)
- To communicate highly sensitive student information via face-to-face contact or phone call and not by e-mail or inserting into the educational record
- To request to a court of law that a student’s anonymity be used if records are subpoenaed
- To be aware of federal, state and local security standards related to electronic communication, software programs and stored data
- To advocate for security-level protocols within student information systems allowing only certain staff members access to confidential information
- To assert their belief that information shared by students is confidential and should not be revealed without the student’s consent
- To adhere to all school board policy and federal and state laws protecting student records, health information and special services (i.e., HIPAA, FERPA, IDEA)
Parents and Confidentiality
The professional school counselor:
- Respects the inherent rights and responsibilities of parents for their children and endeavors to establish a collaborative relationship with parents to facilitate the counselee’s maximum development.
- Adheres to laws and local guidelines when missing parents experiencing family difficulties that interfere with the counselee’s effectiveness and welfare.
- Is sensitive to cultural and social diversity among families and recognizes that all parents, custodial and non-custodial, are vested with certain rights and responsibilities for the welfare of their children by virtue of their role and according to law.
- Informs parents of the counselor’s role with emphasis on the confidential nature of the counseling relationship between the counselor and counselee.
- Provides parents with accurate, comprehensive, and relevant information in an objective and caring manner, as is appropriate and consistent with ethical responsibilities to the counselee.
- Makes reasonable effort to honor the wishes of parents and guardians concerning information that he/she may share regarding the counselee.