Ethical Standards

I adhere to and follow the professional ethical standards created by the American School Counselor Association. The ethical standards can be found on the ASCA website at http://www.schoolcounselor.org.

To help you understand my ethical obligation to your child and yourself as a parent, I have provided some input on common ethical concerns that arise in schools.

Confidentiality: I adhere to a strict interpretation of confidentiality that is consistent with the ethical standards. There are exceptions to confidentiality such as suspected child abuse/neglect, suicide ideation, or possible harm to others. In addition to these, other situations may arise that I feel may warrant a breach in confidentiality.

Confidentiality in a Virtual Setting: This school year, many things will take place virtually. In a continuation to follow the ASCA code of ethics, I also follow their guidelines for confidentiality in a virtual setting. In a virtual counseling session,  there may be people around that can not be seen on a computer screen in the homes of students. Confidentiality standards will always be followed by the counselor even though the counselor can not guarantee confidentiality from others. In order to protect the confidentiality of yourself and others please consider the following while in a counseling session or group:

•  Find a safe, quiet, and private location in your house
•  Use headphones so that others can not hear the conversation
•  Play nature sounds or white noise quietly in the background so that others in your house cannot hear you talking. Students can use a bluetooth speaker, phone, home speaker, etc. 

Parent Rights: I believe that parents have the right to guide the development of their children and recognize the unique role they play in helping deliver school counseling services. I will do everything possible to work with parents in a manner that respects the delicate balance between the rights of students and parents. Although there may be student interactions or situations that I feel are not in your child’s best interest to share, it is my goal to establish a collaborative relationship with parents/guardians to facilitate the student’s maximum development.