RECOMMENDED STANDARDS FOR

COUNSELING CENTERS

IN THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA

I. Mission and Goals

Universities and colleges within the University System of Georgia provide an educational framework that maximizes student learning and enables students to become more productive, responsible, and contributing members of society. The counseling center has increasingly become recognized as important to the success of the mission of most institutions of higher education. Counseling centers and counseling services serve that mission by assisting students to profit and grow within the educational framework.

Students attending college today are presenting themselves to counseling centers in growing numbers with increasing severity of concerns. This is not likely to change and presents unique challenges to the counseling center staff. Counseling centers are therefore obliged to provide a broad spectrum of services to meet the demands of students and other elements of the collegiate community in the most effective mode possible.

In order to assess student needs and provide quality assistance, counseling centers in the University System of Georgia provide counseling and referral services for students needing such services. In centers where career counseling is an integral component, career assessment, career education programs, and career counseling services are provided that support the educational mission of the institution. Abiding by the state commitment to educational excellence, counseling centers are called on to reflect excellence in organization and administration, staff, services offered, professional development, facilities, funding, ethics, and research and evaluation procedures.

The counseling services facilitate institutional goals by working closely with faculty, administrators, and staff to provide a supportive campus climate to educate the whole person. By working together, the following developmental, remedial, preventive, retention, and consultative/training goals of the counseling center are realized:

Developmental goals - The developmental goals of a counseling center are to encourage realistic self appraisal, intellectual development, appropriate personal choices, the ability to relate meaningfully and effectively with others, and the capacity to engage in a satisfying and productive lifestyle. This aspect of the counseling center's activities is designed to foster growth in the students as they face the maturational tasks of life, such as: interpersonal competence, life/career planning, values clarification, a broadening capacity for emotional intimacy, and coping with diversity.

Remedial goals - The remedial goals of a counseling center include evaluating and assisting students in overcoming current specific personal problems, study skills deficiencies, inappropriate decision-making styles, and other factors that could negatively impact student retention. This aspect of the counseling center's activities is important when self-referred clients or clients referred by others who sense a problem present themselves for professional help.

Preventive goals - The preventive goals include anticipating environmental stressors that may negatively influence student welfare and initiating interventions that will neutralize such stressors. This aspect of the counseling center describes the activities of the center that are directed at problems within the environment which impede the growth of students. By initiating prevention efforts through campus programs, teaching, seminars, and networking, predictable stressors can be reduced and hence retention increased.

Consultative/training goals - Consultation goals include consulting with members of the academic community and general public to enhance an understanding of challenges facing students, promoting effective interaction with students, and enhancing cooperative relationships within the academic community. Training goals include increasing the understanding and skills of staff members, paraprofessionals, trainees, and graduate students working at the counseling center in the multiple dimensions of the work they are asked to assume. Training can also include

providing education and skills on specific topics (e.g., interpersonal communications, substance abuse, crisis assistance) to residential life staff, faculty, administrators, campus members, and other referral services.

II. Counseling Center Services

Students come to the counseling center with a wide diversity of problems that impede their academic progress. Issues range from communications skills to crisis management. Some students come with problems that can be resolved in one session. Others come with a history of long-term trauma and issues that have created patterns of ineffective interactions and ways of responding to life's choices. Counseling center staff must make decisions about which issues they are trained to effectively work with and which issues must be referred to appropriate outside resources.

In coping with the diversity and complexity of issues presented today, it is imperative that staff members at the University System of Georgia counseling centers be trained in assessment and evaluation. Also, an institution that is interested in student retention, student adjustment, and educating the whole person will be mindful of the types of counseling services needed today. They include but are not limited to high quality services in the following areas:

1. Individual counseling/therapeutic services for

students who may be experiencing problems such as

personal adjustment, relationship difficulties,

or other mental health concerns

2. Group counseling services to students who may

be experiencing emotional, cognitive, or behavioral difficulties

3. Crisis intervention, counseling, and quality referral when necessary for students experiencing personal

trauma

4. Assistance and referral for students in identifying and/or developing effective study skills that could contribute to their educational goals

5. Individual and/or group career counseling and related

career search technologies for students experiencing career concerns when career counseling is a component of the counseling center

6. Programming focused on the developmental needs of

college students to maximize their potential to

benefit from the academic environment and experience

7. Educational and consultative services provided to

faculty, staff, and administration to promote the growth

of students and an understanding of developmental,

remedial, and preventive issues; in accordance with the institutional mission and goals, educational and consultative services to other constituents served by the institution.

III. Functions - The following statements reflect standards

considered appropriate for counseling centers in the

University System of Georgia. These statements were

developed from accreditation standards for university

and college counseling centers established by the

International Association of Counseling Services, Inc.

and standards enumerated by the Counseling Directors Association of the University System of Georgia (CDAUSG).

A. Assessment and Counseling

Counseling center staff use all available means to help students gain greater insight and become more productive

in their daily lives. Those means may include personal interviews, evaluations, inventories, and assessment

techniques.

According to the expertise of staff members and needs of

the student population, counseling centers offer individual and group counseling opportunities. Individual counseling

provides personalized attention when needed. Group

counseling and educational workshops are often utilized as effective and efficient means of helping students to maximize their educational experience, obtain self understanding through group interaction, and emerge from the institution more ready to utilize what they have gained from their educational and life experiences.

Counseling centers in the University System of Georgia

hire trained staff members who can effectively provide

counseling services concerning the following issues:

1. Interpersonal relations (communications skills,

self awareness, grief, anger management, self

esteem, intimacy, relationship building, etc.)

2. Family issues (couples and family communication skills,

couples and family counseling, parenting skills, etc.)

when staff members have such expertise. When available, such services are limited to students

and the student plus his/her family only.

3. Social issues (addictive behavior, values

clarification, etc.)

4. Crisis management (depression, suicide potentiality,

post-traumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, anxiety reactions, etc.)

5. Abuse (sexual, physical, or emotional abuse)

6. Issues arising from ethnic and cultural diversity

7. Common educational skills strategies (stress management and relaxation, study skills, testing skills, learning styles, reading strategies, motivational strategies, time management, etc.);

except in cases where other departments have been

given this responsibility

8. Career/vocational issues (career assessment,

understanding the world of work, career decision- making, job search skills, etc.) except in cases where other departments have been given this responsibility

9. Referrals made for assessment of learning disabilities and academic assistance for students with potential learning disabilities when fully trained assistance is not available within the counseling center and/or agreed upon as a service of the counseling center by the institution

10. Decision-making styles and methods

11. Developmental issues not included in the above

such as lifestage challenges, general psychological

wellness education, and other form of personal

enrichment not mentioned above

B. Outreach and Programming

Counseling center staff initiate and participate in

outreach efforts to address the developmental concerns

of students. They also initiate and participate in

programming outside the center that addresses critical

issues of students, emphasizes prevention, and is

designed to promote mental health among students. Such efforts include but are not limited to education and advertising about issues such as substance abuse, addictive behavior, sexual abuse, communication skills, sexual identity and intimacy, wellness education, and personal enrichment when not provided by other departments.

C. Emergency Evaluations and Crisis Intervention

Counseling center staff provide emergency evaluations

and services for students who are experiencing acute

emotional distress, are a danger to themselves or

others, and/or are in need of immediate psychiatric

help or hospitalization. When appropriate, they

provide immediate crisis intervention. When referral

services are needed, they refer and/or mediate back-up

linkages for students in crisis who are needing more help

than the counseling center can offer, such as hospitals,

psychiatrists (when not offered by the center), off-campus

therapists, and specialists. Every institution should

have immediate access to psychiatric back-up services

and facilities to house students overnight when needed.

D. General Referrals

Counseling center staff utilize all available resources

in the best interest of the students. When inter-office

staff or campus resources would be helpful, they collaborate and/or refer students to the appropriate

individuals. They are also knowledgeable about off-campus resources such as emergency and crisis resources, off- campus counselors and therapists, pharmacists knowledgeable about psychopharmaceuticals, psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and other specialists treating the "whole person." They refer students to these specialized services when their own expertise is not adequate for the situation and/or it is in the best interest of the students for other reasons.

E. Consultation and Community Relations

Counseling center staff are called on by the collegiate community, professionals, and other

individuals to act as consultants. They build these cooperative relationships to promote the goal of psychological well-being on campus and within the broader

community. They also build collaborative relationships

between the counseling center and other on-campus agencies when they are separate units offering similar services, such as the career planning and testing service, placement, minority affairs, non-traditional students, veterans services, disabilities services, learning assistance programs, and other services.

Counseling center staff are sensitive to the needs and

issues of students from all walks of life, including

those in underserved populations and culturally diverse populations. As such, they play an active role in

advocating for the needs of students to administrators,

faculty, and staff. They also act as mediators in

interpreting the institutional environment to students.

Due to their role as advocate for students, counseling

center staff must adhere to the ethical standards to which they are bound regarding dual relationships. This responsi-

bility limits their roles in making administrative decisions concerning the lives of students. For example, they cannot

ethically be involved with judicial matters or any form of

punishment for misdeeds as such is in conflict with their roles as counselors. Adherence to this principle allows

counseling staff to be much more effective in interventions

with students when they are needed.

Counseling center staff are expected to collaborate in

administrative decisions involving students when they are

making statements or taking actions that support their

intent to harm themselves or others. Counseling center

staff also provide consultation and collaborate with

administrators concerning situations that have an impact

on the psychological well-being of students and others on

campus. In all respects, counseling center staff provide

services within the confines of their ethical principles

regarding confidentiality and client welfare.

F. Professional Development and Supervision

Counseling center staff stay current in their areas of

professional expertise and attend on-going professional development activities. They share their expertise with other professionals. They utilize these occasions to increase their network of referral and collaboration contacts for the benefit of the students and their own professional growth. In addition, all licensed counseling center staff members in Georgia are required to engage in on-going licensure board-approved professional development activities in order to maintain their licensure status.

Counseling center staff members provide in-service training

and supervision experiences for other professional staff members and student staff. All unlicensed staff members, interns, trainees, practicum students, or para- professionals who are engaged in any form of personal

counseling or psychotherapy must remain under supervision

and direction until licensure status has been reached. If this supervision is to be applied towards licensure, all necessary state licensure regulations must be met by both the supervisor and supervisee. It is the responsibility of both parties to understand and meet these regulations before supervision begins.

G. Research and Evaluation

Counseling center staff conduct follow-up accountability

studies of the effectiveness of their services and student

satisfaction. They also conduct or provide consultation

on needs assessment research and institutional research

related to student characteristics. As time permits,

they conduct research that will benefit the broader

professional community.

IV. Organization, Administration and Size of the Counseling Center

Members of the counseling center should work closely with

the chief student affairs officer, administrators, and faculty in promoting the goal of emotional health on campus. The director should be positioned to effectively interact with the chief student affairs administrator, academic affairs administrator, and significant departmental heads. Where possible, counseling services should be physically and departmentally separate from other administrative offices, campus police, and judicial units.

Due to their diverse responsibilities (case notes, counseling preparation, intake interviews, individual and group sessions, administrative reports, supervision, preparing for lectures, seminars and/or discussions, committee assignments, other institutional responsibilities and professional development activities required to obtain

and/or maintain licensure), direct service activities should

not exceed 65% of the workload. Direct service responsibilities include intake interviews, individual and group counseling sessions, crisis intervention and consultation to the academic community. For an individual working 40 hours a week, this means no more than 26 hours of direct client contact per week is recommended. The workload should be arranged for center staff such that adequate time is provided for all aspects of professional counseling center responsibilities.

The ratio for professional and support staff should be established and reviewed frequently. The size of the staff

should be consistent with the following: the size of the

student body served (enrollment, number of campuses,

distance of one campus from another), other overlapping student support resources available on campus, the objectives and expectations imposed upon the staff, the mission and philosophy of the institution, actual service demands, and projected demands. The desirable minimum staff ratio for staff performing psychotherapeutic counseling or psychotherapeutic and career counseling is 1 to every 500 - 1500 students, depending on the extent and diversity of services provided to the institution and local community.

It is expected that staff holding equivalent degrees with faculty should be accorded the same or equivalent rights, privileges, and remuneration as faculty and the opportunity for representation on institutional governing bodies.

Personnel of the center should be actively involved in making decisions regarding the on-going functioning of the center. To the greatest extent possible, the process by which these decisions are made should be collaborative.

V. Qualifications of a Director

The director should possess personal abilities and attributes that enable effective representation of mental health issues in the university or college environment. This includes the ability to hold the respect of the counseling center staff, student affairs/development staff, administration, faculty, and students. The director should also demonstrate involvement and commitment to educational and professional development both for her/himself and the staff.

The director should hold or be eligible for state licensure according to the Georgia licensure laws. Directors moving into the state should hold credentials required by their state of origin. Any director not licensed within Georgia should immediately pursue professional licensure according to state laws.

A. Directors with Doctoral Degrees

The director should possess a doctoral degree in counseling psychology, clinical psychology, counseling or another psychotherapeutically oriented discipline from an accredited institution of higher education. The director should demonstrate that he/she has a minimum of 60 graduate credits (semester hours) in the behavioral or other social sciences with emphasis on whatever counseling areas characterize the nature of the center. The director should have completed an appropriate supervised internship with college students or gained equivalent experience that is consistent with state licensure laws.

The director should have a minimum of 3 years as a staff member or administrator in a clinical/counseling agency before assuming the position of director. It is also desirable that one of the years should be in an administrative, supervisory capacity. If these conditions have not been met, the search committee should be satisfied that the candidate offered the position has the necessary credentials and the demonstrated ability to fulfill the requirements of the position.

B. Directors with Master's or Specialist Degrees

The director should have a master's degree or specialist's degree in a field deemed appropriate by the counseling center staff and other members of the hiring team. The director should have participated in a clinical field placement, practicum or internship within the master's

degree that is consistent with state licensure laws. This should include case supervision of counseling by a qualified supervisor. It should also include direct or indirect supervision of interviews. If the director has been hired without the appropriate supervision for state licensure, the institution should provide the needed supervision or funding to obtain the supervision.

The director should have five years experience as a staff member in a clinical/counseling setting, at least two of which should be in a clinical and/or administrative supervisory capacity.

VI. Responsibilities of the Director

The director is responsible for the overall administration and coordination of the resources and activities of the center as defined by administrative policies, procedures, and professional ethics. Depending on the organizational structure of the counseling center, typical director responsibilities will include overseeing all personal counseling and psychotherapy, career counseling, assessment of study skills and acquisition of effective study skills, crisis intervention, outreach, consultation, preventive mental health activities, coordination and recruitment of professional, non-professional, and support staff. This includes taking part in the direct delivery of counseling services to the university community.

The director is responsible for the training, development, supervision, and evaluation of all staff. She/he administers the procedures that monitor the quality of counseling/clinical services rendered by the center. The director is also in charge of preparing the following reports: the annual report, the budget, and reports representing the needs of the center.

The director takes an active part in university policy and institutional program development to ensure that the mental health needs of students are addressed. The director also oversees internal procedures regarding the development of publicity and publications that are creative, professional, and attractive, the dissemination of counseling center information, overseeing the employee assistance services (if offered), and developing procedures for the referral of students, faculty, and staff to appropriate services and individuals.

The director oversees the education of staff members regarding legal issues governing the delivery of counseling and other mental health services. The director represents the counseling center to the broader institutional community. He/she is thus in charge of the education of the broader institutional community in its response to mental health topics and related legal or ethical issues.

VII. Qualifications of Professional Staff Members

According to Georgia state licensure laws, any staff members working in the area of personal counseling should hold a professional license or be on record, once hired, as in the process of obtaining licensure. If they are in the process of obtaining licensure from Georgia, they should be under clinical supervision provided by a licensed professional and administrative direction. It is recommended that this supervision should be provided by the institution or funded by the institution.

The minimum educational requirements for a professional staff member should be a master's degree in counseling psychology, clinical psychology, counseling, or another related field that is appropriate for the job description. A terminal degree is desired, but not required. For individuals engaged in personal counseling, the master's degree and graduate training should be from disciplines consistent with state licensure requirements.

Professional staff members practicing personal counseling should have a supervised graduate level internship or practicum experience as part of the degree. They should have documentation of supervised experience at the graduate level in the counseling of college-age students.

In cases where staff members are responsible for the supervision of colleagues or of graduate student trainees, they must meet the clinical requirements for supervisor status set by the state licensure laws.

Staff members should have personal attributes that enable them to facilitate effective interpersonal relationships and communicate with a wide range of students, faculty, staff, and administrators. This includes the ability to understand people in the context of a diverse social/cultural milieu.

VIII. Responsibilities of Professional Staff Members

The following responsibilities are handled by professional staff members according to policies of the counseling center, staff qualifications, and needs of the student body: assessment of student mental health needs, individual counseling and psychotherapy, group counseling and psychotherapy, emergency and crisis intervention, and outreach programs that address the maturational challenges of the student body.

Administratively, they prepare client notes and reports, update institutional information, write lectures and speeches for on-campus and off-campus engagements, engage in staff meetings and appropriate campus committees, and design activities that will facilitate the developmental growth of students. When trainees and paraprofessionals are hired, the director and staff write descriptive materials that address the scope of the experience, supervision required, requirements of the trainees, and criteria for selection. They develop strong networks with faculty, staff, and administration. They also participate in service and program evaluations. According to time and need, they may engage in grant writing.

Professional staff members may assume formal and/or informal teaching responsibilities. They may engage in on-going formal teaching if other duties are adjusted so the workload is equitable and the teaching does not infringe on the quality of their other counseling responsibilities. They may also teach only if they are in a position where teaching does not pose an ethical dilemma involving the dual roles of counselor/instructor. They teach informally by directing seminars and workshops on mental health and/or career issues as outreach to the academic community and to the broader community when it is in the scope of their job duties.

Professional staff members broaden their knowledge and skills on a continuous basis. They participate in professional organizations, conferences, seminars, and workshops funded by the school where possible. They participate in community activities related to their profession. They also share their knowledge and gain from the expertise of faculty and staff within the institution. Depending on the priorities of the counseling center, they initiate and/or participate in professional research.

Licensed professional staff members participate in training and supervision of new staff members without licensure, paraprofessionals and graduate trainees, when appropriate. They also upgrade the knowledge and understanding of other staff members with in-service training and education seminars. They serve as consultants to faculty, administrators, staff, and student groups when needed. According to the priorities of the counseling center and the institution, they perform other assigned functions that contribute positively to the service offerings of the center and the academic mission of the institution. At the same time, they do not provide training, education, or supervision if they do not have an adequate knowledge base, time to prepare, or qualifications.

IX. Support Staff

Clerical staff are a direct, initial reflection of the counseling center to the academic community. Thus, they should be carefully selected. They should have the ability to communicate positively and clearly with students, faculty, staff, and administrators.

Support and clerical staff should be adequate to perform all relevant duties of the counseling center, such as receptionist, secretarial, and testing duties, when ethical and necessary.

All support staff, including student workers, should be given thorough training in the following areas: the operation and function of the counseling services and programs offered, policies and procedures, the limits of their responsibilities within the counseling services, issues regarding confidentiality, and other relevant counseling center ethics and legal issues.

X. Selection and Training of Professional Staff, Para-professional Staff and Graduate Student Trainees/ Interns/Practicum Students

Proper selection for all counseling center positions is key to successful training. Duties of the position and arrangements for supervision must be in accord with the appropriate licensure laws. This pertains to all professionals, paraprofessionals, trainees, and graduate students expected to engage in personal counseling.

Current job descriptions should be written and available for the staff and applicants. All expectations should be clearly delineated. Staff members should also understand and discuss their expectations before the selection of the candidates begins. The discussions should include but not be limited to: desired background and theoretical orientation, professional training expected, and other factors needed to complement the current staff.

Individuals hired for temporary or permanent positions or accepted as part of an educational requirement should be selected carefully. Where supervision is needed, supervision should be by experienced, qualified personnel. Responsibility for the appropriateness and quality of services lies with the professional, supervisor, the training director (if one is available), and ultimately the director of the center. The responsibility for providing the

necessary training and education of staff required to meet licensure laws and to maintain current licensure status resides with the hiring institution.

The type of training required may vary, depending on licensure regulations. Generally, training includes individually supervised case conferences, group case conferences, workshops sponsored by the center, quality staff meetings, and provision of resources for individuals being trained to attend workshops, seminars, and conferences. Cases assigned to trainees should be relative to their current level of training and competency.

All staff members should be trained thoroughly regarding appropriate agency policies and procedures, services offered, programs provided, counseling center ethics, statutes, regulations and laws concerning counseling center services. All members of the center serving in a counseling role should have access to necessary consultation resources. Assistance should be available in areas such as psychopharmacology, psychological assessment, case management, and program development. Staff members should also be able to access specialists and information in the areas of psychiatry, learning disabilities, mental health law, career information, and addictions.

Material describing graduate student internships, practicum student positions, and trainee positions should include the following information: amount and content of training, supervisor(s) and amount of supervision, number of hours per week in direct supervision, type of supervision (individual and group), qualifications of the supervisor, scope of service functions performed, and the criteria for selecting interns, practicum students, and trainees.

Before beginning training, all students and trainees should receive the specific criteria for grading and/or evaluations. They should also receive, in writing, the consequences of not fulfilling the requirements. Periodic evaluations should be made after the training has begun with full participation of the student or trainee in the evaluation process.

XI. Professional Development

On-going professional development activities are an integral aspect of an effective counseling program. Staff members should participate in appropriate professional organizations

and groups, campus colloquia, seminars, local, regional, and national meetings, and professional activities. Staff members should also be encouraged and supported in accepting leadership responsibilities within their respective organizations. Release time and budget resources should be made available to assist staff in these activities. Professional development time should be considered as regular working hours.

The counseling center should also maintain a continuous in-service training program for all members of the center. Depending on the needs and size of the staff, in-service activities should incorporate supervision, consultation, and professional development opportunities. All counseling centers are encouraged to collaborate in their activities with counseling centers at other institutions and related services on or off campus. This is especially true for counseling centers that have a small staff of under six individuals involved in psychotherapeutic counseling or psychotherapeutic and career counseling.

For licensure purposes and more advanced training, junior staff members should have the opportunity for continuing supervision and consultation from more highly trained and experienced staff members. This supervision consultant

should be counted as "direct service hours" for

the supervising staff members. When useful for over-all staff development, case presentations, research reports, and discussions of current professional issues should be included as an on-going activity.

XII. Salaries and Hiring Practices

Salaries of all staff members, support staff, para- professionals and paid trainees/interns should be

established in relation to credentials, experience, responsibilities, and the quality of performance of their duties. Salaries, benefits, and career advancement should be commensurate with those of others in the institution with similar qualifications and responsibilities and with individuals in a similar position in other institutions of higher education in the region. The counseling service should demonstrate hiring practices which are consistent with the goals of equal opportunity/affirmative action.

XIII. Facilities

When possible, the counseling facility should be centrally located. It should be separate from the administrative offices, campus police, and judicial units. It should be attractive to students and given a name that is easily recognized by students as providing the services of a "counseling center." This name should be easily seen on the outside of the facility. There should be a reception area that provides a comfortable and private waiting area for clients. In addition, the counseling center should maintain or have ready access to group meeting space for group counseling sessions and staff meetings. Where testing is a function of the office, an area suitable for individual and group testing procedures should be available in the center or in an area of ready access. The facility should be soundproof because of laws guarding confidentiality and accessibility of services to those who are physically challenged.

Individual offices for professional staff should be designed to accommodate the functions performed by the staff members. Well insulated individual offices should be provided for counseling sessions. Individual offices should be appropriately equipped with a telephone, an inter-office communication system, files, bookcases, and furniture which creates a relaxing environment for students, and audio recording equipment. Where possible, each professional and support staff member should have access to his/her own up-to-date computer and printer.

The center should maintain or have ready access to equipment that is capable of providing modern, technical approaches to record keeping, media presentations, research, and counseling/ therapy/assessment. Counseling centers with training components should have adequate audiovisual facilities and, where possible, direct observation facilities.

The counseling services should maintain or have ready access to a professional library, and when possible, a student reading room or space supplied with psychological self-help and educational materials. In those instances where the counseling service includes a career development component, there should be a reading room which holds the following: institutional catalogs (on computer or paperback), occupational/career information, other community information deemed important for the established functions of the office, and job listings where appropriate.

XIV. Funding and Center Fees

A counseling center should provide evidence that it has developed an accurate and reasonably comprehensive system for qualitative and quantitative accounting of all professional services which are delivered. The counseling center should have funding sufficient to carry out its mission and to support the staff adequately. Such budgetary funding includes salaries commensurate with the salaries of others holding similar degrees, experience, and responsibilities nationally. The center should also have reasonable funds to purchase and maintain necessary office equipment, supplies and materials, and state of the art technological equipment.

A counseling center should be able to sustain an adequate mailing budget and yearly printing costs, cover reasonable media expenditures, sustain institutional memberships in appropriate professional organizations, and order relevant subscriptions. It should have the funds to keep abreast of current library resources for both the professional library and self-help libraries for the students, and order occupational information that is up-to-date in terms of quantity, quality, and validity when the center encompasses an occupational resource component.

The funding should be able to cover attendance and other related expenses at professional association meetings, professional conferences, relevant workshops and seminars, and other professional development activities.

In addition to the institutional funding commitment through the general funds, other funding sources may be considered. Other possibilities include: state appropriations, state lottery funds, student fees, user fees, donations and contributions, fines, concessions and store sales, rentals, and dues.

Counseling center staff should maintain an active role in

decisions about the appropriateness of assessment and counseling fees. Before initiating such fees, each situation should be evaluated in regard to other alternatives than fees, the specific circumstances of the decision, and the ethical considerations that apply.

XV. Ethics

All personnel at the counseling center should be thoroughly trained regarding relevant federal, state, and local statutes which govern the delivery of counseling and psychological services. Counseling center staff members should be knowledgeable about codes of ethics in the counseling/therapeutic professions provided by associations such as APA, ACA, ACPA, AMHCA, CPA, or NASW. Professional staff should adhere to the professional code of ethics under which they were trained and educated. Agency operating procedures should be congruent with these standards and in no way abridge or contravene an individual staff member's ethical obligations and privileges.

The counseling center staff members should provide written statements to clients describing limits of confidentiality. These statements should include but not be limited to statutes requiring reporting of child abuse and statutes and/or case law that stipulate making appropriate notification when clients are physically dangerous to themselves or others.

If clients are under the age of 18, they must be clearly informed before beginning psychotherapy that their records must be released if their parents provide a written request. Information about a client 18 years and older should be released only at the written request or with the concurrence of the client. This should be done when the client has full knowledge of the nature of the information that is being released and of the parties to whom it is released. Consultations with faculty, staff, administrators, and other agencies are occasionally in the best interest of the student. However, information should not be divulged without the student's full knowledge and concurrence.

Exceptions to this rule occur in cases of clear and imminent danger to self or others. In cases of "clear and imminent danger" to the client or others, reasonable action should be taken to inform responsible authorities, and when possible, to consult with other professionals. When implementing these procedures, counseling center personnel should be cognizant of guidelines that stipulate the limits of confidentiality such as: professional ethical principles, state statutes, federal statutes, and local mental health policies.

Case notes should be maintained as required by professional standards and applicable statutes. They should include the following: intake and assessment information, test results, process notes, and a termination summary. Case records are the property of the counseling service. They should be kept in a central, secure area in a locked file. Records should be maintained according to the current legal state standards.

A counseling center should not pay fees to others for recommending or referring clients to the center. Also, personnel should not accept fees for recommending clients to a school or agency.

All staff engaged in research should abide by ethical standards. In addition, professional ethics should be abided by in the preparation, use, and distribution of all tests administered by the agency.

XVI. Research and Evaluation

There should be systematic and regular evaluations of the counseling services to determine whether the goals and needs of students are being met. There should also be systematic and regular evaluations of activities designed to enhance the development of the staff, including suggestions for on-going programs and efforts.

Methods of evaluation may vary, but they should include both quantitative measures and qualitative measures. Data collected should include responses from students and other significant constituencies. Results of these regular evaluations should be used in revising and improving the program goals and implementation of the objectives.

STANDARDS FOR

COUNSELING CENTERS

IN THE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA

March 6, l997

Adopted by

Counseling Directors Association