Confidentiality

The services provided at the Cleveland State University Counseling Center are completely confidential (with a few exceptions, discussed below).  This means that the Counseling Center does not provide information about you or your work with the Counseling Center to parents/legal guardians, faculty, staff, or anyone else unless you sign a release of information permitting the exchange of information with others outside of the Counseling Center.

As noted above, there are a few exceptions to confidentiality.  The Counseling Center may be legally bound to break confidentiality:

• if you are at imminent risk to seriously harm or kill yourself or someone else
• if you report current, ongoing abuse/neglect of an individual within a vulnerable population (such as children, elderly individuals, individuals with developmental disabilities, etc.) by you or anyone else
• if you report maltreatment of an animal (such as a dog, cat, etc.)
• if we are mandated by a court of law to release your records; in this case, the Counseling Center will attempt to make you aware of the court mandate
• if you are under 18 years of age; in this case, your parent/legal guardian may have access to your records at the Counseling Center