Confidentiality
Asking for help is not easy. Often, individuals hesitate to seek assistance due to concerns about who may find out and what others may think about them. Respecting your confidentiality is one of Counseling and Psychological Services’ (CAPS) highest priorities. We believe therapy is a personal matter and maintain confidentiality to the limits provided by Texas law and per FERPA guidelines. In most cases, the only information others have about your experience in therapy is what you choose to tell them yourself. No record of receiving therapy services is contained in any academic, educational, or job placement file.
Typically, information about therapy services is only released with the student’s written permission and to the parties the student approves. However, when breaking confidentiality is required, CAPS staff makes every effort to work collaboratively with students while upholding ethical and legal mandates. The only exceptions to confidentiality are in cases mandated by Texas law. These exceptions include:
- Imminent danger to self or others, in which case staff contact medical and/or police personnel
- Suspicion of abuse of children, the elderly, or persons with a disability, in which case staff contact the Texas Department of Family Services
- Sexual exploitation of therapy clients by therapists, in which case staff contact the District Attorney in the Texas county where the exploitation took place
- Court subpoena
In these cases, CAPS staff is happy to speak with you about what information will be shared, when, and with whom.
Additionally and in accordance with Texas Senate Bill 212, as of January 1, 2020, when a clinician at TWU CAPS becomes aware of an instance of a student being the victim of sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating violence, and/or stalking, CAPS is required to share with the TWU Title IX Office that an instance has occurred. We are only required to share that we are aware that an instance of sexual violence, sexual harassment, dating violence, or stalking has occurred, but we are not required to share any other information. Therefore, we will not share your name or any other identifying information about you unless you provide written permission and request we do so.
Due to the nature of our work and the importance of protecting our clients’ confidentiality, we discourage the use of email as it is not a secure form of communication. However, if you wish to email your therapist we encourage you to limit email as well as voicemail messages to the topic of scheduling. Please be aware that any email sent to your therapist will become a part of your permanent clinical file.
TWU Counseling and Psychological Services staff does not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on social networking sites in order to protect client confidentiality and therapist privacy.
Page last updated 4:16 PM, February 8, 2021