Rights and Responsibilities

The goal of counseling is to help clients achieve desired changes in their lives. Because the change process is difficult for most people, the counseling experience is often quite challenging. To facilitate the counseling process, the following list of consumer rights and responsibilities is presented. Your counselor will be a licensed Professional Counselor.

Consumer Rights

• Be informed of your counselor's qualifications: education, experience and professional counseling certification(s) and state license(s).
• Receive an explanation of services offered, your time commitments, and/or other issues related to your counseling (e.g , assessment, diagnosis, progress) prior to receipt of services.
• Be informed of limitations of the counselor's practice to special areas of expertise (e.g., career development, ethnic groups, etc.) or age group (adolescents, older adults, etc.).
• Have all that you in counseling treated confidentially with certain exceptions. Ohio Codes currently* contain seven exemptions to privileged communication (confidentiality) that include:
• Ask questions about the counseling techniques and strategies and be informed of your progress.
• Refuse to participate or engage in any technique, strategy, or intervention suggested by your counselor.
• Participate in setting goals and evaluating progress toward meeting them.
• Be informed of who to contact in an emergency situation.
• Request referral for a second opinion at any time.
• Request copies of records and to be used by other counseling professionals.
• Receive a copy of the code of ethics to which your counselor adheres.
• Contact the appropriate professional organization if you have doubts or complaints relative to the counselor's conduct.
• Terminate the counseling relationship at any time. Office of Career and Counseling Services counselors may also choose to discontinue treatment if your issues or circumstances are deemed beyond the scope of her/his professional training or the resources of the Office of Career and Counseling Services. A termination session is usually suggested to explore your counseling progress and identify future treatment options.

Consumer Responsibilities

• Set and keep appointments with your counselor. Let him/her know as soon as possible if you cannot keep an appointment. Call 330.941.3515 to cancel and/or reschedule your appointment.
• Keeping appointments is important to the counseling process. Failure to keep three scheduled appointments will result in referral to outside agencies.
• Counseling services at the Office of Career and Counseling Services are provided at no cost to students.
• Help to plan your goals.
• Follow through with agreed upon goals.
• Keep your counselor informed of your progress toward meeting your goals.
• Terminate your counseling relationship before entering into arrangements with another counselor.
• NOTE: The above information was adapted form the statement jointly prepared by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) and Chi Sigma Iota (CSI) to help you understand and exercise your rights as a consumer of counseling services. The YSU Office of Career and Counseling Services, NBCC, and CSI believe that clients who are informed consumers are able to best use counseling services to meet their individual needs.