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Counseling and Human Development Statement of Confidentiality
 The Office
of Counseling and Human Development (CHD) is dedicated to providing high
quality health care. We maintain a confidentiality policy in which privacy is
respected and better health care is promoted. An important way of insuring
confidentiality is to provide patients/clients with detailed information on
CHD's policy on confidentiality and the New Hampshire law on privileged
communication between patients/clients and a mental health professional. In
addition, a copy of the Mental Health Bill of Rights is posted in our waiting
area. CHD has made copies available in the waiting room.
Mental health records are confidential. However, there are exceptions to
maintaining strict confidentiality in that the law requires mental health
providers to share information in specific circumstances to protect the health
and safety of patients/clients or others. In addition, there are specific
circumstances (such as emergencies or on-call matters) in which CHD mental
health providers may give or seek information from previous, current or
subsequent providers to enable coordination of care in the best interest of the
patient/client.
It is important for patients/clients to know that New Hampshire general laws
outline a protected relationship between mental health professionals and
clients. This privileged relationship means that clinicians may not reveal or
be compelled by law to reveal any communication, observation, test result or
other information gained as a result of the treatment relationship. Information
conveyed to Counseling and Human Development by someone other than our client
is not considered confidential and may be shared with our client. Privileged
communication between patient/client and therapist may be waived by a judge in
child custody adoption cases, in law suits where mental condition is an
important consideration, and in criminal law suits. Federal law and
professional ethical guidelines require us to inform patients/clients that
sexual contact between a therapist and patient/client is a serious violation of
professional practice. Finally, if psychological issues are substantially
affecting ability to learn, patients/clients may be eligible to register under
the Americans with Disabilities Act for psychiatric disability status and
academic accommodations through the Disabilities Office.
In attempts to provide our clients with a continuum of high level care,
there may be times when the CHD staff will need to contact patients/clients or
respond to patients/clients via electronic mail, voice mail, facsimile machine,
cellular phone and/or answering machine, unless instructed otherwise. It is
important to realize there is the potential that these messages could be
inadvertently received or overheard by an unintended third party.
Although counseling records are maintained separately from the general
health record, entries are made in our medical record at the Dartmouth College
Health Service for coordinated health care purposes. They include: 1) date of
visits and the name of mental health provider; and 2) psychotropic medication
prescription. Detailed records for emergency counseling visits which occur at
the Dartmouth College Health Service and inpatient admissions at the Dartmouth
College Health Service for emotional reasons are filed separately from the
general health record.
The office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. We can be reached at
646-9442. Emergency services are available 24 hours every day of the year.
Clinical evaluations, medication evaluations, short term counseling, group
therapy and emergency evaluations are provided at no cost.
If there are any questions on confidentiality, procedures or the bill of
rights, please bring them to the attention of your primary mental health
provider. Counseling and Human Development encourages patients/clients to help
us maintain high quality care by active participation.
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