Counselor´s Record Keeping System Essay

On that same day, the patient’s wife stated that her neighbor phoned the hospital to get information on her husband and information was given out. It is clear that the nurse who gave out information regarding the patient was in violation of 3.1, privacy and 3.2, confidentiality of provision 3 of the ANA Code of Ethics. It is the nurse’s duty to maintain all confidentiality and privacy of all patient information. (Nursing World, 2012) Information regarding a patient should only be given out to those who are dealing with the direct care of the patient. It is important for nurses to be aware of those who are not involved with the care of the patient.

Professional counselors and their staff are exposed to sensitive client information and records. The helpful receptionist and whose privilege videos, show how to apply both the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (ACA Code of Ethics) and state board counseling laws to common ethical scenarios. The content explores aspects designed to call attention to favorable and unfavorable skills and techniques in handling such matters. These two videos demonstrate the limitations of confidentiality and privileged information. As a professional counselor one is expected to uphold the principles of confidentiality and privilege according to the ACA Code of Ethics and state laws. One may conclude that the helpful receptionist video shows clear violations of confidentiality. While the whose privilege video indicates the significance of insuring that counselors comprehend state laws and ethics codes pertaining to confidentiality and privilege. Furthermore, counseling professionals are held accountable for violating ethics codes and state laws as well as training staff on informed consent.

Counseling is defined as ”the use of therapeutic strategies to help clients address personal concerns and mental health issues” (Nystul, 2016). Pursuing counseling as a career involves many years of formal study and certification or licensure. After receiving licensure to practice as a professional counselors it is a requirement to maintain involvement and certification in certain associations in order to hold your license. These association often require further education and/or professional practice in order to maintain membership in these associations. It is quite obvious that counseling requires a large amount of commitment and passion in order to pursue it as a career and maintain a title as a counselor. I have conducted an interview with a professional counselor in order to further understand the experience of being a counselor. The interview that I conducted explores the requirements of maintaining and receiving a counselling career, the experience of being a counselor, and what characteristics or skills a professional may have. The Individual who agreed to the interview was a counselor by the name of Susie Facio. Susie Facio, through this interview, will be giving us a look at what influenced her to become a counselor, what her work entails on a day to day basis, and what qualities and skills she has acquired in order to become a successful counselor.

On a bright and crisp morning of March 25, 2015, I interviewed Joni Roche and learned what a typical day was like for this Professional Counselor. Mrs. Roche has owned her own practice for nearly eighteen years and has truly loved every single part of it. Mrs. Roche has received a Master of the Arts degree and is a Licensed Profession Counselor and a Nationally Credited Counselor. During my interview with Mrs. Roche, I truly learned so many things from different counseling techniques, what it is like to have a private practice and the good and bad things counseling comes with that people do not necessarily speak about.

“Patient-specific information recorded and communications made in the course of providing mental health or developmental disability services are considered confidential and may not be disclosed except as provided by law (McWay, 2010, p. 239)”. A patient’s medical record is property of the hospital or the facility that created the record. However, the information held in the record is the possessions of the patient, and a copy of the record (with a mental health or development disability case) can be released to the patient as long as he/she is twelve years old. Also a patient who is twelve years old has the power to consent to release information to a third party. The release of a health record, with a mental health or development disability issue, can be permitted to the patient’s legal guardian without the consent of the patient, if the patient is under the age of twelve years old. However, if a

To do that, the information from a treatment provider can be most helpful. So if the information from a provider doesn’t make its way to the court by way of direct testimony, in defense to the confidentiality issues, it may do so through a guardian or evaluators interview with the provider. But in most cases, one way or another information from a counselor and his or her records will find its way to the judge who needs it” (Psychotherapy, 2008).

As mentioned previously, the focus of self-care within the field of counseling is imperative. The counselor must adhere to proper self-care in order to lead a successful career. Norcross (2000) explains that there are several self-care strategies that the counselor must follow, however, the strategies may vary from counselor to counselor. A few of the most universal strategies are as

The only person that can disclose information of their own medical record is the patient. Some exception where the information can be use without the patient document law issues to protect the patient concern as Criminal Acts, Legal Ordered, Communicable Diseases and Mandated.

The first thing I noticed is that she entitled the document, Professional Disclosure Statement and Informed Consent for Mental Health Counseling (Forgione, 2016). The ACC code of ethics titled it informed consent (2014 ACA Code of Ethics, 2016). North Carolina (N.C.) State board named it Professional disclosure statement (Chapter 53, 2016). Another thing I liked is how she explained her counseling process and approach. She notes that there are no guarantees, but they will work on their goals, treatments and make needed adjustments as needed. She warns that the process can present risks as certain aspects of life are discussed. Forgione also adds that she presents client-centered practices along with most effective approaches for the issue involved. My

TThe American Counseling Association (ACA) website is a very resourceful website especially for new counselors. It consists of various items from informing an individual of the benefits of being a member of ACA to allowing members to access the ACA’s code of ethics for reference at any point (cite). From the abundance of information given on the website, five sections caught my attention. All five seemed very helpful for a new counselor or for those in the process of becoming a new counselor. The five sections were the Clearinghouses, competencies, podcasts, practice briefs, and the Trauma and Disaster section (cite)

Consultation in comparison with other human services activities tends to focus on various ethical practices that emphasize informed consent and confidentiality. Although other human services activities such as medical practices may override confidentiality through the use of HIPAA. Confidentiality in consultation promotes keeping consultees information private in order to build trust and provide privacy. According to the American Counseling Association Code of Ethics (2014), A.2.b. types of information needed depicts that clients have a right to understand and know the services provided and the limitations to confidentiality. However, consultation focuses on providing a wide range of services. Lalayants, Epstein, and Adamy (2011) depict that for caseworkers it is more useful to use multidisciplinary cross-consultations. Consultation focuses on aiding consultees to solve problems through the use of supervision. Supervision in consultation is used to evaluate the process and to make observations.

When mental health counselors work with various clients during their career, they need to practice confidentiality and privacy when conducting one-on-one, group, or any type of counseling services. Like any medical patient, mental health clinicians need to treat their clients with dignity and respect. It is extremely important for the mental health counselor working with his or her assigned caseload

The FAQ page explains that a diagnosis as well as additional clinical information including treatment plans and copies of the client’s records may be required by an insurance company to be reimbursed (BetterHelp, 2016). This could be problematic if the counselor is not aware that the client wishes to involve their insurance. It is not stated on the website whether the counselors are required to write treatment plans or notes. If a counselor is unaware that the client wants to submit their records to insurance for reimbursement, then they may not keep records about the client. In that case, it is unlikely that insurance would cover the services. BetterHelp is contributing to the clients’ autonomy by informing the client about the possibility of reimbursement and the fact that confidential information may need to be shared with the insurance. They are allowing clients to make an informed decision about whether or not they want to enter into treatment and whether they wish to risk using their insurance

The supervisor is ultimately liable for the welfare of the supervisee’s clients. The supervisee is expected to discuss with the supervisor the counseling process and individual concerns of each client. Inform supervisor immediately of any of the following incidents: restraint, violence to themselves or others, suicidal thoughts, breach of appropriate boundaries, violations of confidentiality and/or clients rights, any disclosure of abuse or neglect. The supervisor must be available by phone, web-camera, or in person to answer clinical questions that correspond directly to the clients’

Explain the need for keeping records of assessment of learning and describe the types of records you would maintain.