Confidentiality

A student’s contact with Counselling Services is confidential in accordance with the law. We do not share information with anyone including roommates, parents, friends, faculty and Deans without your written permission. All staff are required to respect your privacy and treat all of your information as confidential.  Exceptions to confidentiality may be required by law under circumstances where there is a reasonable suspicion of abuse of children, where a person presents a serious danger of violence to another, where a person is likely to harm themselves unless protective measures are taken or where release of records is court mandated.

Counselling Services staff may consult with colleagues or a supervisor to improve their skills and to provide a student with the highest quality services possible. Occasionally Counselling Services staff is approached by faculty and staff to discuss ways to handle particular information. This is typically done without identifying information to protect privacy. In addition, if a student requests that a counsellor discuss a situation with an instructor, for example, we will ask the student to sign a Release of Information Form.

All information provided to the Counselling Services Office is protected by the College's privacy and freedom of information policy as deemed by law. 

E-mail Disclaimer

 
E-mail communication with a Counsellor may not be a confidential means of communication. Therefore Counselling staff may not respond in depth to e-mail communication with students around direct counselling issues. E-mail is not seen as the appropriate means to communicate urgent or emergency information.

The risks of sending e-mail include that it could fail to be received or that confidentiality could be breached. In person, telephone or a written letter or note are suggested as an alternative to e-mail.