The college students we work with are usually legally adults and are entitled to the same confidentiality that protects all adults who seek counseling from mental health professionals. Confidentiality protections are codified in state mental health law and in counseling, psychology and social work ethical standards and licensure laws. We can lose our license and be sued for breaking confidentiality outside of specified legal exceptions, most commonly when the patient presents an “imminent danger” to self or others. In some situations, breaking confidentiality is a criminal offense. If we determine that a student is an imminent danger to self or others, we do take appropriate steps, including making appropriate disclosures, to reduce that risk.
Incidents of targeted violence are too rare for reliable or valid profiles or protocols to be developed, and there are no useful instruments or methods for predicting such violence. The number of students who display the behaviors that have been observed in past school shooters is much higher than people outside of college counseling or campus police work would expect. If predictions were based on observation of such behaviors, there would be a great number of false positives. Even the best FBI or Secret Service forensic psychologists can't predict such targeted violence. Further, most college and university clinicians are trained primarily as helping professionals rather than as forensic psychologists, and they should not be asked or expected to practice outside of their competence.
Counseling and Psychological Services has a priority to contribute to campus safety. Counseling center staff have unique experiences, roles, and responsibilities related to campus safety. We have been leaders in the provision of counseling services for decades. We have: (a) pioneered outreach, (b) routinely considered that culture might play a role in effective service, (c) designed and implemented mental health triage systems, and (d) provided crisis intervention. Please feel free to consult with us regarding the matters discussed in this statement.
Original document created by former Center Director Dan Jones, Ph.D., ABPP
An Adobe Acrobat PDF copy of the complete document resized to fit on two pages of the Statement on the Role of the Appalachian State University Counseling and Psychological Services Center Managing Potentially Dangerous Students is available HERE.
The Counseling Center offers after-hours emergency coverage for urgent mental health concerns such as suicidal thoughts, sexual assault, and other trauma. Call the Counseling Center at (828)262-3180 and select the option to speak with the counselor on-call.
For additional resources see our Emergency Services page.
