A school counselor, who is in a counseling relationship with a student, has an ethical and legal obligation to keep information contained within that relationship. Confidentiality is the ethical and legal term ascribed to the information communicated within the counseling relationship, and it must be maintained unless keeping that information confidential leads to foreseeable harm*. “Serious and foreseeable harm is different for each minor in the school setting and is determined by students’ developmental and chronological age, the setting, parental rights and the nature of harm” (ASCA, 2016, A.2.e).

 

 

Bristol School Counselors understand the need to continue to follow all legal and ethical guidelines for confidentiality as they would in face-to-face counseling sessions.  Please keep in mind that Virtual School Counseling sessions do pose potential limitations, such as but not limited to, unsecured electronic communication platforms, unintended viewers or recipients, and appropriate use of electronic modes of communication by students, staff and parents.  Bristol School Counselors will be using email to communicate with students and parents to help mitigate these limitations to confidentiality in a virtual setting. Expectations listed in the Bristol School Student Handbook regarding school approriate conduct also apply to the virtual learning setting.