Honest communication is an important aspect of counseling. It develops a level of trust and creates a safe space for students to talk about anything and everything and to get support without fear of judgment or penalty. Please review our policies or contact us for more information.
The Consent for Treatment outlines expectations for services with our center. Students seeking services through the Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being are required to review and agree to the Consent for Treatment. This will be done in our office prior to your first appointment. For your convenience, you may review it here.
Confidentiality
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Mental Health Services provides confidential service in accordance with legal limitations (see below), as well as professional and ethical guidelines of counseling professions.
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Confidentiality means that your contact with this office does not go on your academic record and that clinical materials will not be disclosed to any other office or individual unless you have signed a written release for this to occur.
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Our staff members are exempt from Title IX and do not report crimes that include sexual violence (including rape, sexual assault, and sexual harassment) to University officials.
Some Limits to Confidentiality
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Counselors are required to release certain information in situations in which there is:
- potential harm to yourself or others,
- possible child or elder abuse, or
- a court order
Security of our records
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Mental Health Services maintains security of all counseling records.
- All digital student files are kept separate from the Michigan Tech student database and are only accessible to Mental Health Services staff.
- Access to these records are limited to Mental Health Services staff, unless a written release is received or by court order.
*If you have any further questions regarding confidentiality, please contact Mental Health Services at 906-487-2538.
We welcome your interest and inquiries about services we offer or general questions you may have. We also value your privacy and want to continue to ensure that it is kept. We ask that you limit emails to inquiries only for the following reasons:
- Email is not an appropriate medium for individual questions regarding personal counseling.
- Contacting us via email is for the sole purpose of inquiring about Mental Health Services and its functions.
- Scheduling an appointment can be done via email. However, to ensure that you are connected to services, please follow-up via telephone if you have not received a response in 48 business hours.
- Our staff does not respond to inquiries from our clients regarding specific counseling issues.
- Confidentiality is essential to the counseling process and cannot be assured with email. While we will do our best to keep your communication private, email usage can be monitored and the content of your personal message may be read by others.
- Staff access to email is limited to Mental Health Services business hours. Also, specific staff members may be unavailable due to illness, vacation, or other reasons. This means that your message may not be read immediately.
If you need to schedule an appointment or are experiencing a crisis, please contact us directly by calling us at 906-487-2538 during our business hours. If you are experiencing an emergency after hours, contact Public Safety at 906-487-2216 or dial 911.
The Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being does not tolerate behavior that violates the student code of community conduct. We expect all who communicate with the Center to follow this policy. This includes, but is not limited to, electronic, written, verbal, or physical threats or aggressive actions intended to intimidate, harm, or control another student, staff, faculty, or community member. All members of the community are expected to respectfully communicate needs and concerns or follow the appropriate university channels to resolve complaints or grievances they may have.
The Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being (CSMHWB) has a policy of not providing students who are seeking documentation for emotional support animals. No exceptions are made. If a student is seeking documentation for this purpose we refer them to their primary care physician or to an outside mental health provider to provide the necessary documentation needed. Counselors at the Center for Student Mental Health and Well-being are able to provide support through a variety of options to address mental health concerns that contribute to the need for an emotional support animal. If additional support or guidance on seeking accommodations or documentation for an emotional support animal is needed, please contact Student Disability Services. If you need assistance in connecting with a community provider, please contact the CSMHWB via telephone or email for more information.