Below are your rights and responsibilities as a client of St. Olaf Counseling Center. As a
consumer of psychological services offered by mental health counselors licensed by the state of
Minnesota, you have the right:
- to expect that a provider (mental health professional and/or mental health practitioner) has
met, or continues to meet, the minimal qualifications of training, experience, and supervision
required by state law; - to examine public records maintained by MN professional boards which contain the
credentials of a mental health professional; - to obtain a copy of the code of ethics that guide your provider’s professional conduct from the
State Register and Public Documents Division, Department of Administration, 117 University
Avenue, Saint Paul, MN 55155; - to report complaints directly to a provider’s licensing board:
A) for Licensed Psychologists (LP) to the Board of Psychology contact the MN Board of Psychology
B) for Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC), Licensed Professional Clinical
Counselors (LPCC), and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LADC) contact the
MN Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy
C) for Licensed Independent Clinical Social Workers (LICSW) contact the MN Board of Social Work
D) for Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFT) contact the MN Board of Marriage and Family Therapy. - to be informed of the cost of professional services before receiving the services;
- to have their information kept private and confidential, except as described in St. Olaf
Counseling Center Privacy Practices and as defined by rule and law; - to be free from being the object of discrimination based on race, religion, gender, sexual
orientation, national origin, source of payment, ethical or political beliefs or other unlawful
category while receiving services; - to have access to your records as provided in Minnesota Statutes section 144.291 to 144.298,
except as otherwise provided by law or prior written agreement;- Upon request, the mental health therapist will supply complete and current information in non-technical language about your diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis;
- Upon written request, the mental health therapist will promptly furnish copies of your records or, with your consent, a summary of the record;
- If the mental health therapist reasonably determines that the information you have
requested would be detrimental to your physical and mental health, the mental health therapist may withhold that information from you and supply it instead to an appropriate third party or other treatment provider. That third party or treatment provider may release the information to you; - The mental health therapist may also withhold information that you have requested if prior to your request that therapist has defined and described a specific basis for withholding that information;
- to be informed and active participants in all decisions and treatment planning concerning your
mental health needs; - to refuse treatments or participation in research and/or training procedures;
- to be informed about disclosures of your private records that may be made without your
written consent. Your information shared with the mental health therapist will be kept
confidential unless you are in imminent risk of hurting yourself, you are in imminent risk of
hurting another person, you know of minors or vulnerable adults who are being hurt or
neglected, or you are a woman who is pregnant and using certain classes of illicit drugs. In those
situations, appropriate emergency or health care personnel will be contacted in order to address
those safety issues. If you have been exploited or abused by a previous psychological treatment
provider, that provider’s licensing board will be contacted. Additionally, if a subpoena is issued
and requires that a copy of your counseling records be turned over, the mental health therapist
will be required to provide a copy of your records to comply with the court order - to terminate services at any time, except as otherwise provided by law or court order; and
- to be free from exploitation for the benefit or advantage of a provider