School Counseling Ethical Standards
The School Counseling program at GMS follows the ethical and professional standards set by the American School Counselor Association. The ethical standards can be found on following ASCA website. Confidentiality: In accordance with the ASCA ethical standards, what is said in my office will never leave my office, with a couple of exceptions: if I suspect that a student is at imminent risk to themself, is a risk to others, or is being harmed by someone else. Sometimes these situations come to me in the form of suspected child abuse, suspected suicide ideation, reports of drug abuse or reports of self-mutilation. Other cases involve student self-reporting information that mandates reporting. In both situations, students are informed and involved throughout the reporting process.
Duty to Warn: In the event that a student is at risk to themself or others, parents/guardians will be contacted immediately. In certain cases, it might also be necessary to contact community resources such for the purpose of mandated reporting or referral. Due to fact that the climate of schools is ever changing, there may be additional situations that I feel warrant a break in confidentiality in order to comply with ASCA standards. In each case, it will be stated that confidentiality will be broken, and the necessary steps will be outlined.