Other Clinic Policies

Confidentiality

Clients have a right to confidential communication with their counselors. The Healing Clinic follows the State of Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act, the American Counselors Association Code of Ethics, the American Psychological Association Principles of psychologists and Code of Conduct, and federal laws pertaining to your private health information.

In keeping with best practices and Illinois law, your counselor may need to notify others if there is a potential risk of suicidal or homicidal action and/or reports of child, elder, or disabled individual abuse.

Personnel Training

Faculty, student counselors, and personnel associated with the clinic are trained in mental health counseling. They are also required to complete the University’s annual Health Information Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) training.

Confidential Data

Confidential data include, but are not limited to:

Service inquiries sent via the clinic website
Clinical documentation of services
Training video recordings
Signed consent forms

Non-confidential data include de-identified information collected for clinic oversight and evaluation; and names of personnel, trainees, and supervisors.

Confidential Data Storage

University of Illinois Box Health Data Folders (BHDF) store all confidential material related to clinical practice. [Note re: HIPPA compliance]

Your individual counselor, clinical supervisors, and clinic staff including the director and coordinator will have access to your confidential material.

Data Deletion

At the end of your treatment, video recordings of counseling sessions are deleted.

Written notes and documents, such as signed Informed Consent forms and Authorization to Release Information forms are kept for six years. Records will be kept from the date when it was last in effect. See The Duty to Record: Ethical, Legal, and Professional Considerations for Illinois Psychologists.

Rights and Responsibilities

The Clinic is guided by the principles of two professional organizations, The American Counselors Association Code of Ethics and the American Psychological Association Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct.

If Client Requires Emergency Services

The Clinic does NOT provide emergency or walk-in services. If a client requires emergency care they will be directed to a local hospital emergency department, the University of Illinois Police Department or other relevant services.

Non-Discrimination Policy

The Clinic abides by the University of Illinois Non-discrimination Policy, which is consistent with the APA and ACA codes. It is the expectation of student counselors, supervisors, and other clinic personnel that they will “will not engage in discrimination or harassment against any person because of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, order of protection status, genetic information, disability, pregnancy, sexual orientation including gender identity, unfavorable discharge from the military or status as a protected veteran, and will comply with all federal and state nondiscrimination, equal opportunity and affirmative action laws, orders, and regulations.”

College of Education Healing, Training, and Research Clinic