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Add to FavoritesShould school counselors uphold patient privacy or report students who might become unstable?
This question is a bit misleading. A school counselor should most definitely uphold patient privacy when they are engaged by a student who is at risk or displaying signs that they may become unstable; however, that does not mean they do not help and align this student with the proper channels for receiving the proper treatment for what they are displaying.
A school counselor needs to gain the trust of their students, and then respect the trust they gained, because if they do not, they will have less and less students wishing to seek out their assistance. Respecting the student's right to patient privacy does not mean they cannot bring the proper attention and light to the situation and head off a potential incident either. It just means they are not going to report the student in such a way that instead of them receiving help and treatment they will receive discipline actions and carry a stigma around because every one knows they may be having some mental instability issues. You might first cause the student to become unstable if you report them and discipline takes the place of actually helping them obtain the proper understanding and treatment for what they are experiencing.
Also, if school counselors start tracking every student who comes to them and deeming some as potentials for becoming unstable, how do we know they won't abuse it and misdiagnose a potential problem that was never there? It is better to help the student seek out further professional help and monitor them while they are receiving it.
Sure, if a student is really unstable in a threatening way, a school counselor may not be equipped or skilled enough to handle that situation or condition. Then, they may have to seek a more skilled professional or report them to the proper channels. There is a great difference between unstable and threateningly violent.
Do we want to start tracking every shy and introverted student that gets bullied and report every one of them because they might become unstable? Well unfortunately, this is happening in many of our public schools. Counselors are reporting the shy and introverted, while "Joey Jock and his clique" often get away with being the verbally and sometimes physically abusive student. It sounds like school paranoia is causing more pressure and harm to these shy and introverted students and sending out a wrong message.
In the majority of school violence cases in recent years, these students that have become unstable and violent were students that faced isolation and bullying from the popular kids. You know the popular kids who have mommy and daddy so involved in school politics that they are untouchable when it comes to anything they might do wrong. It is no excuse for these unfortunate ostracized students to act out in violence, but when they are often silently betrayed by school politics and have no where to turn or are told the wrong information to resolve the situations they often deal with daily, they are walking time bombs created by the very school system that wants the right to report them as unstable even though they may be wrong. I think that could open the door to more stigmas placed on students that happen to be different or not like the cool cliques.
Learn more about this author, Jan Castagnaro.
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In light of recent school shootings, the debate between students' privacy and students' safety continued to rage. The lessons learned from Virginia Tech were that documented incidents of harassment and aggressive, anti-social behavior should never be ignored. Apparently, the assailant, Sueng Hui-Cho had run-ins with female students and college instructors that prompted fear around campus. One professor, Nikki Giovanni, addressed the administration with her concerns. The administration ordered Cho to have a psychological and mental evaluation. However, they failed to follow up after issuing the directive. Cho wasn't suspended or expelled. He gained entry, like any other student and proceeded to committ the worst act of school violence in U.S. history.
When two students and a teacher were killed at Louisiana Tech, the privacy versus safety issue emerged again. An alleged, love triangle turned deadly as a teacher shot to death a couple, and then killed herself. Other students noticed the romantic rivalry. Unfortunately, awareness came too late and three people are now dead. The two cases showed campus students and their administrations not working together. When counselors get reports on troubled students, they're supposed to make judgments with the students' concerns in mind. Potential victims should be more of counselors' concerns. Lessons taught at Virginia Tech and Louisiana Tech showed the dangers of ignoring warning signs. But, in two other cases, warning signs were heeded. Lives were saved.
In Louisville, Kentucky, a student attempted to enter a campus building carrying a handgun. Security detained him and notified the police. The assailant was disarmed. Later, investigators uncovered a horrific plot. After already killing his parents and a sibling, the suspect wanted to perpretrate a Columbine-type shooting on the University of Louisville campus. An emergency alert was implemented at campuses nationwide following the Virginia Tech massacre. Campus security/police was armed and trained for this kind of situation. Only three died in this case. None were killed on university grounds.
In Windsor Heights (Des Moines), Iowa, a male student was arrested before going back to the University of Northern Iowa. Authorities found a handgun on him. During the investigation, an ex-girlfriend told detectives that he threatened to confront her. She also said that he was armed. The student confessed to phone harassment and weapons charges. UNI expelled him after the arrest. No one in this situation was injured or killed.
The Louisville and Windsor Heights arrests showed campus authorities, students and law enforcement working together. In the first two cases, 35 people were killed and over 20 were wounded. In the last two cases, only three people, none being students or faculty, died. It took one great tragedy for some precautions to be created. A student's mental and psychological evaluation aren't public record. However, they can be used by campus authorities to alleviate the dangers of ones who are mentally unstable. The measure came too late for Virginia and Louisiana. However, with new policies in place, crimes like that won't be repeated with more families to be left grieving.
Learn more about this author, Marcus Brooks.
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