The ethical codes

of the American Psychological Association, the laws of the State of North Carolina, and federal privacy regulations guide the policies of the UNC Charlotte Counseling Center.  This means that the information you share with your counselor is confidential.  University officials, teachers, parents, law enforcement officials, potential employers, and others have no access to any of your records without your written permission.  The only exceptions to this rule of confidentiality are the following:

1.   If you are clearly likely to do physical harm to yourself or another person in the near future, it is your counselor's duty to take steps to protect your safety and the safety of others.

2.   If you share information about currently-occurring abuse or neglect of any juvenile(s) or disabled adult(s), your counselor may be required by state law to report that information to the Department of Social Services.

3.   If ordered to do so by a judge as part of judicial proceedings.

Many psychologists and all graduate student counselors at the Counseling Center receive supervision from senior staff psychologists.  This means that information you share with your counselor will be reviewed by her or his supervisor to ensure that you are receiving the highest quality of service.  It is your right to know the name of your counselor's supervisor if you desire.  Your counselor also may seek consultation with other professional psychologists and counselors on the Counseling Center staff in order to help you better deal with your concerns.  Graduate students clearly identify themselves as such as well as the identities of their supervisors.

Records containing information about your visits to the Counseling Center are stored in keyed file cabinets and in a file server environment kept in a physically secure facility accessible only by authorized Counseling Center personnel.  If you have any question concerning your records, please feel free to talk to your counselor or call the Counseling Center at 704-687-2105.