Will my professors, on-campus work supervisors, UM staff and/or other UM faculty know about my appointment at the Counseling Center?
The Counseling Center does not disclose any information about your participation in our services unless you provide us with written permission. UM faculty and staff outside of the Counseling Center do not have access to your Counseling Center record. Our staff is legally and ethically required to keep confidential what you shared with them, including the fact that you were seen here. The only exceptions to confidentiality involve threats to life or safety or possible harm to a vulnerable person (e.g., a child, an elderly adult, an adult with a developmental disability).
My parents pay my tuition and receive my bill. Will they know about my Counseling Center services?
If you are 18 years old or older, your Counseling Center record is confidential. That means that, unless there is a life-or-death emergency, we are not able to share anything in your record with your parents without your written permission.
If you are under 18, your parents or guardians have rights to see your record, but we can discuss with you what we will share with them and what we will keep private.
For students who are covered through the UM student health insurance plan, psychiatry appointments with a Counseling Center psychiatrist DO appear on the insurance’s Explanation of Benefits (EOB) claim detail. Counseling appointments do not appear on any EOBs.
If I tell my Counseling Center counselor that I am breaking the law or breaking school rules, can I get in trouble for it?
The purpose of the Counseling Center is to serve the mental health needs of the students. What you share with your counselor at UM is confidential. Exceptions to confidentiality mainly involve threats to life or safety or possible harm to a vulnerable person (e.g., a child, an elderly adult, an adult with a developmental disability).
