Privacy and Implications for the Field of Counseling Psychology

Shanta Crowley, M.B.A.
and Dr. Gerald Fishman, Associate Dean,

M.A. with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program

Union Institute & University 

In June, it was impossible to read a newspaper or watch the news without hearing about the NSA/Edward Snowden controversy. While this latest challenge to privacy sounds like a repeat of the privacy scandal that surfaced just a few years ago, we can’t ignore some of the ramifications this has for practitioners in the field of Counseling Psychology. In this short piece, we explore the implications of the Snowden incident in relationship to personal privacy and the professionals in the human services field.

Privacy and the Self:

We should first examine why privacy and the compromise of it is much bigger than having a paranoid feeling that the government is gathering information about your private life. According to past and present theories, privacy serves several purposes including our need to create space for ourselves and maintain relationships with others. In his 1967 work Privacy and Freedom Alan F. Westin (as cited in McDougall, 2005) expanded the definition of privacy by describing it as “…a two-tier definition… combining personal and social dimensions and consisting of four states (anonymity, reserve, solitude, and intimacy) plus four functions of privacy (personal autonomy, emotional release, self-evaluation, and limited and confidential communication).” (McDougall, 2005, para. 25)

Privacy is a concept that our society has been attempting to define long before this current social landscape. These aspects of privacy also straddle Maslow’s hierarchy of needs between the levels of safety and love/belonging. As human beings we like some level of privacy to create a sense of safety and form/maintain human relationships and trust.

Privacy, the Social Climate, and the Implications for the Field of Therapy:

When is the breach of individual privacy and confidentiality acceptable? Those who work in the field of human services regularly navigate the ethical nuances of privacy, confidentiality and legality. Some of these situations involve child abuse, clients seeking treatment for substance abuse, and a whole host of other areas. The American Counseling Association outlines the various professional ethical codes in relationship to the client, privacy, and confidentiality. The information that is shared with a counseling professional is confidential except under circumstances in which the keeping of certain information as confidential is considered to pose a danger to the client or another party. In situations in which a counselor is summoned by the court, counselors will “…obtain written, informed consent from the client or take steps to prohibit the disclosure or have it limited as narrowly as possible due to potential harm to the client or counseling relationship.” (ACA Code of Ethics, 2005, Section B: Confidentiality, Privileged, Communication, and Privacy) For example, if a counselor receives a subpoena in a criminal case involving one of their clients, this may require the counselor to release all of their client notes to the court. Thus, for those working in human services, maintaining individual client privacy and adhering to professional ethics within the context of legal obligation requires ongoing reflection.

In the situation with Edward Snowden and the government’s access to personal data of each American citizen, one of the arguments is that the privacy of the individual must be compromised in exchange for the safety of the overall group. In many ways as briefly outlined above, counselors, social workers, and other similar human service employees may be challenged to make decisions between maintaining confidentiality and individual privacy or violating it for the greater good. This raises the question of defining “the greater good.” For instance, consider these scenarios:

• Employer incentive-based wellness programs. These programs are based upon the goal of a healthier workforce or lower insurance costs if employees are encouraged to make  better lifestyle choices through various rewards. However, when does the well-intentioned wellness program infringe upon the individual’s right to personal choice? For example, mandatory gym memberships enforced by the employer override the rights of the individual in exchange for the overall good of contributing to a healthier, physically fit society.

• An individual who may be under distress or suffering from depression discloses their violent fantasies to their counselor. At what point does venting or therapeutic disclosing become a real threat or danger to the client or other people?

The distinction between what is good or safe for the individual versus a group or society is not always clear. These moral dilemmas are especially present in public health, public office, psychology, criminal justice, or other related professional fields of work.

However, in this current social climate, one does not have to necessarily be in the field of counseling psychology to be affected by issues of privacy. We are all constantly grappling with what individual privacy means now versus what it meant when it was theorized in the American Bill of Rights. With the progression of technology in regards to social media—Skype, Twitter, Facebook, MySpace—the distinction between public and private has become indistinguishable in some instances. We will most likely revisit this issue given the increased use of electronic medical records. While it offers convenience and ability to provide timely treatment to the patient, what is being compromised in regards to individual privacy or HIPAA? In addition to healthcare providers, many individuals working in other capacities within human services will have to re-evaluate what it means to be of service while navigating these ethical considerations.  As the concept of privacy continues to expand and change, those of us engaged in the field of psychology will continue to contribute to this important dialogue while navigating its impact upon our work.   

Authors:

Dr. Gerald Fishman,
Union Institute & University

Dr. Gerald Fishman is the associate dean of Union’s Master of Arts with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology program. He is a NYS Licensed Psychologist and Certified School Psychologist with additional post-doctoral training in public health, chemical dependency, and specific therapy areas. Dr. Fishman has worked with clients across the developmental spectrum in mental health, chemical dependency, school, and private practice settings for over 25 years, and has taught at both graduate and undergraduate levels. Dr. Fishman has developed and directed adolescent chemical dependency and adult outpatient co-occurring disorder programs in both upstate and metropolitan New York areas, and is the co founder of the Human Services Consultation and Training Institute, offering statewide and national professional trainings in specific clinical, chemical dependency, behavioral health, school psychology, and education areas.

Shanta L.E. Crowley

Shanta Crowley is a multi-faceted professional with experience in management, consulting, event planning, visioning, strategy, and workshop creation and implementation. She has managed social-marketing campaigns, press conferences, city-wide health initiatives, and academic mentoring programs. Shanta is passionate about the arts. Her artistic endeavors include photography, writing, dancing, and performing.  She holds an MBA and an undergraduate degree in Women, Gender, and Sexuality. Her favorite hobbies include traveling and collecting fairytales, stories, and mythology from various cultures. Most recently, Shanta exhibited her photography in Surrender (Brattleboro, VT), based on her five month travels throughout India. Currently, Shanta is a contributor to the Brattleboro Reformer newspaper and writes regularly on her blog.

Article References and Resources:

ACA Code of Ethics as Approved by the ACA Governing Council. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.counseling.org/Resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf

Bissell, L. C., M.D., C.A.C. & Royce, J. E., S.J., Ph.D. (1987). Ethics for Addiction Professionals. (2nd ed., pp. 23-36). Center City, Minnesota: Hazelden Educational Materials.

Edward Snowden and the NSA Files — Story So Far. (2013, June 24). Retrieved from http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/world/edward-snowden-and-the-nsa-files-story-so-far/article4846529.ece

Greenwald, G., MacAskill, E., & Poitras, L. (2013, June 9). Edward Snowden: The Whistleblower Behind the NSA Surveillance Revelations. Retrieved from http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jun/09/edward-snowden-nsa-whistleblower-surveillance

McDougall, Bonnie. "Privacy." New Dictionary of the History of Ideas. Ed. Maryanne Cline Horowitz. Vol. 5. Detroit: Charles Scribner's Sons, 2005. 1899-1907. Student Resources In Context. Web. 31 July 2013.  Retrieved from

http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/suic/ReferenceDetailsPage/ReferenceDetailsWindow?displayGroupName=Reference&zid=7bfd1c8d80be55a9be48bd995ba205ec&action=2&catId=&documentId=GALE%7CCX3424300635&userGroupName=aust78750&jsid=dca94ad8d9c31bcd74f8771578498472

Time-Saving Secrets from Union Students

Union Institute & University students are extremely busy adults who must manage time carefully and balance their many responsibilities. Juggling work, school, family, volunteer, and social life activities can be a challenge. They seem to operate on a day with more than 24 hours! To find out how they manage it all, we asked four outstanding Union Institute & University students to share their top-ten secrets for succeeding as adult students.

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Nikki Dominique | Cincinnati, Ohio Academic Program:  Master of Arts with a concentration in  Leadership, Public Policy and Social Issues

1. Use your lunch hour for studying. Find a quiet place at work or go sit in your car and get some reading done. If you do this all week, you gain five extra hours of studying or five hours of free time in the evening or weekends to do something fun/relaxing with friends and family. 
2. Take one day off per week. Set aside one day, whether a week day or a weekend and don’t do any school work. It’s important to take time away from the stress of school work so you don’t burn out. 
3. Start out ahead and stay ahead. Use Sunday to prepare for the upcoming week, not as catch up for the previous week. Start your reading on Sunday so you can post early in the week. That way, if life gets hectic you have some wiggle room to get things done. This also helps your fellow students who need to respond to your online posts. 
4. If you have school-aged children, create family homework time. Complete your homework while your children complete theirs. If your children are not in school yet, have them color or complete an activity book. 
5. Communicate openly and frequently with your professors. If you are struggling with the content or the deadlines, talk to your instructors. Union has great professors, they will have ideas to help and will review content with you. 
6. Be honest with family and friends. Let them know you are starting school and how excited you are. Prepare them for the fact that you will have less time and may need to cut back on commitments and/or social outings. If they care about you, they will understand and support you on your new adventure. 
7. Stay organized. Keep a calendar, either electronic or an old-fashioned paper planner. Write in all of your school assignments, family commitments, and work assignments. Take a look at your planner every morning and evening to prioritize and keep on track with all of your tasks. 
8. Reward yourself. Just finished a big paper or hard reading assignment? Go out for ice cream or have your favorite candy bar. Going back to school is a challenge so recognize your accomplishments, even if they are small. It will keep you in a positive state of mind. 
9. Write down the top five reasons you are going back to school. Post that list somewhere that you will see it on a regular basis. When you are feeling overwhelmed and/or frustrated, look at those reasons to remind yourself why getting a degree is important to you. 
10. Make friends with your fellow students, even if you only ever speak online. These are the people who are going through the same things that you are. They understand your struggles and your triumphs. Your fellow students are a good support system and sounding board.

Nikki Dominique earned her undergraduate degree from Ohio University in 2002. She served in both the insurance and construction industries before joining Union Institute & University’s admissions department in October 2012. In addition to working, she is pursuing her M.A. with a concentration in Leadership, Public Policy, and Social Issues. She was drawn to the university’s online master’s degree program for its freedom in program design and flexibility to fit into her busy schedule.

Joe Behler | Cincinnati, Ohio Academic Program:  Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.)

1. Make sure your significant partner/friends/family understands the commitment you are making to doctoral study. 
2. Track the number of hours you spend each week on any Psy.D. doctoral work. This includes reading, ProSem, etc. I was surprised to learn I spent 29 hours a week in my first semester. 
3. After recording your average number of hours, then become more efficient. For example, I used voice dictation software to write papers and reduced the hours per week to 23-25. 
4. I worked full time my first year, against the advice of faculty, and this was a mistake. I reduced my work from 40 hours to 32 hours for my second, third, and fourth years and this helped. 
5. Read articles and books whenever possible. I often read at work when a client would not show or cancel an appointment. I gained some study time in this manner. 
6. Self-care is critical. Exercise, eating, and sleeping well are very important. I had to be careful about staying up too late doing school work, missing sleep and then feeling run down. 
7. I had to cut back some friendships and I focused on my partner, children, close friends, and family. There is a loss here but I would catch up on breaks, during the summer, and after four years. 
8. Organization is critical. I used my calendar to write down every assignment due date. If you follow the faculty program of expected classes and do not stray from it you will finish. 
9. I had the luxury of living in close proximity to the ProSem site. If you live farther away and must travel, get advice from student travelers on how to manage this time issue. 
10. I have fond memories of the extended weeks in Brattleboro and Cincinnati. After class we had fun together. Bond with your classmates and get to know the wonderful faculty.

Joe Behler selected the distance learning doctoral psychology program (Psy.D.) at Union Institute & University because the program allowed him to maintain a job in psychology while completing his doctoral coursework. Face-to-face training was on weekends mostly, once a month and two extended weeks each year, which gave Joe time for family commitments and studying.

Emily Dunham | Lincoln, Vermont Academic Program: Master of Arts with a Concentration in  Counseling Psychology

1. Do your homework!! Not just the readings/papers/tests, but also research specific state and national requirements for your chosen major. Develop a plan for after graduation and determine exactly what it's going to take to get there.
2. Be your own advocate. Part of graduate school involves increased personal responsibility to determine what you want in school, work, and life overall. Go for it! Find out who is going to be able to help you reach your goals and utilize them.
3. Don't procrastinate. This is big. I am notorious for saving everything until the last minute, and I can always count on a few miserable weekends towards the end of each term. Believe me, things are MUCH easier if you start early.
4. Use the writing center and your peers. This is easier said than done, but as this program is so independent, it can be easy to get off track and discouraged when you have no one to bounce your ideas off of. The writing center is always available to help!
5. Research Capstone early. A very useful part of the Capstone project is being able to incorporate earlier pieces of your own papers throughout the course of your educational career. After all, you can't plagiarize yourself! This is super helpful, but in order to really take advantage of this, you need to start thinking about your Capstone early and writing papers that can be tied to it later on.
6. Get to know your peers. I was not great with this over the course of my time at Union. The residencies are extremely useful to build relationships with other students, but only if you choose to engage. The residencies give us an opportunity to share our experiences with others who are balancing the same things and can be a very useful tool to enhance self-care.
7. On that note, pay attention to self-care. It's easy to lose ourselves in balancing the job, internship, school work, kids etc. It's very important to take time for ourselves in order to be fully present for our other responsibilities. I have found that self-care is the easiest thing to neglect in grad school and perhaps the most important thing to nurture.
8. Start looking for internship sites early. It's important to start this process very early. Think about what you are interested in. Submit several applications. Place follow-up calls. Identify a contact person to reconnect with to express your interest. It took me months to nail down a site and straighten out all of the details. Do yourself a favor and don't save this until last minute!
9. Research financial resources. Contact the financial aid office to ask about scholarships. As my time here at Union is drawing to a close, I am not faced with repaying my loans. Make sure to consider how these will impact you in the future. There are plenty of resources out there; you just need to take the time to seek them out.
10. Overall, my best piece of advice is to start early with everything and to speak up when you have questions. Union has plenty of very supportive and knowledgeable staff, and because of the online format, there is an increased personal responsibility to reach out for assistance when you need it. I have never had anyone ignore my questions or point me in the wrong direction.

Emily Dunham lives with her fiance and three dogs in Addison County, Vermont, where the couple recently purchased their first home. She works full-time at an animal hospital and also works 20 hours per week at an intensive outpatient treatment facility as part of her internship requirements for graduation. She really enjoys working with individuals trying to obtain recovery and she hopes to secure employment in this field upon graduation from Union Institute & University.

Nashid Shakir | Cincinnati, Ohio Academic Program: Master of Arts with a concentration in Leadership, Public Policy and Social Issues

1. Online learners must take control in planning their learning pace (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999), and also be realistic about their capabilities as they learn better about themselves, they must be willing to do better. 
2. They must monitor their own learning comprehension. (Shapley, 2000). 
3. They must make judgments on various aspects in their learning process (Petrides, 2002) and their personal learning style. 
4. Learners need to become aware of and actively explore various learning resources in an online learning context (Sener & Stover, 2000) with an understanding that their every subject and everything they learn on the front end of their academic journey is to prepare them for the rigid requirements that will be demanded of them at the end of their journey and that the whole is a combination of its parts. 
5. Learners need to develop strategies to effectively use resources and overcome challenges that are uniquely associated with online learning (e.g., written communication) (Hill, 2002). 
6. Online learners need to become motivated to overcome the procrastination challenge associated with online learning (see Elvers, Polzella, & Graetz, 2003), and to take advantage of online communication affordances to create meaningful interaction (King, 2002). 
7. Online learning provides flexibility for learners to pace their own study (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999). The anytime, anywhere feature of asynchronous online learning provides learners with the ability to plan their activities at the time and the place that are most convenient for them (Palloff & Pratt, 1999). This can often feed procrastination because the learners most always allow themselves more time than they actually they have. Be very careful, procrastination may be your biggest culprit! 
8. Learners still have the flexibility to choose the most convenient place from which to create their own learning space (Song et al., 2004), and decide on their own learning pace and sequence (Chizmar & Walbert, 1999). Be careful and do not over estimate your abilities or capacity. 
9. In an online learning environment, the monitoring responsibilities are in large part left to the learner. They must decide whether they understand the subject correctly [or not] (Shapley, 2000) or are heading in the right direction with their course work. Even though your professor may be only an email away, he or she may also not be! 
10. The level of responsibility for seeking assistance is also on you as the learner. It’s your time, your money, and ultimately your responsibility if you succeed or not!

Nashid Shakir has worked in social services and community capacity building for the past 25 years. Union Institute & University became a path to increase his effectiveness as a social entrepreneur. In his direct social environment there are a plethora of doctoral-level graduates and candidates from Union working to bring about productive change. These alumni and their achievements inspired Nashid to join Union's master of arts program.

Visiting Day: M.A. with a concentration in Counseling Psychology

Saturday, September 21, 2013

9:30am – 12:00pm

 New England Center

 Cincinnati Center

Union’s New England and Cincinnati academic centers will simultaneously host visiting days for the M.A. with a concentration in Counseling Psychology program on Saturday, September 21, 2013. Join students, faculty, and staff to learn how this graduate program can further your education and career. The mission of the M.A. with a concentration in Counseling Psychology program is to educate future psychologists and counselor practitioners to identify and treat psychological problems and issues in a variety of clinical, educational, and workplace settings. The day’s activities will include an overview of the program by staff and faculty, a question and answer session with a current student, and the opportunity to attend a class.

Master of Arts with a Concentration in Counseling Psychology highlights:

• Hybrid Delivery: online and one weekend residency per term (3/year) at Union Institute & University headquarters
• Curriculum includes 60 credit hours and an internship
• Individualized attention from faculty and staff
• Attend full-time or part-time
• Concurrently pursue a Certificate in Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counseling without taking additional coursework

For more information or to register contact

New England Academic Center:
Hanna Thurber:
hanna.thurber@myunion.edu | 802-254-0152 x8905
New England Academic Center
28 Vernon Street, Suite 210 | Brattleboro, Vermont 05301-3669

Cincinnati Academic Center
Lauren Wenstrup:
lauren.wenstrup@myunion.edu | 513-487-1269
Cincinnati Academic Center
440 East McMillan Street | Cincinnati, Ohio 45206-1925

Union Announces Changes in Vermont

Montpelier, VT – On September 18, 2012, Union Institute & University (UI&U) President Roger H. Sublett, Ph.D. announced several changes to the university’s operation at the Montpelier Academic Center. The actions are a result of the changing landscape for higher education and the university’s long-range planning process to better position the university as it nears its 50th anniversary in 2014.

“As we approach our 50th anniversary, and as part of our strategic plan, we are looking very closely to identify programs that strengthen the university, and also scrutinize where we can make improvements, consolidate, and take other measures to increase and stabilize our enrollment, improve our offerings, and be more responsive to the market demand,” the President told staff and faculty at the Montpelier Center. “This is a time for creativity, innovation, and for bold moves across the entire university,” he said.

Responding to an increasing need by students for more flexibility and more affordable options, the university’s low residency B.A. Weekend program will be consolidated into the existing B.A. online option, a program that has seen steady improvement. The Montpelier location currently has about 30 students in the residency program and 80 online students. For students wanting a face-to-face low residency option, the B.A. Weekend program, located out of the university’s Brattleboro Academic Center, will continue to enroll students. Bachelor of Science programs with majors in Business Administration, Business Management, Maternal Child Health: Lactation Consulting, and Leadership will continue to be offered online.

With these moves, at the end of its lease with the Vermont College of Fine Arts in June 2013, UI&U will close its operation in Montpelier and consolidate its Vermont programs in Brattleboro, where it will administer the Doctor of Psychology, the Master of Arts with a concentration in Counseling Psychology, and the B.A. Weekend programs. Management of the B.A. program will move to Cincinnati, the university’s national headquarters, along with the administration of the online Master of Arts program. Faculty will not be affected as they will continue to teach online across the university and can participate in the Brattleboro weekend option. During the next several months and into next year, the university will transition a number of staff positions. It is estimated that approximately 15 staff positions will be impacted and most of these jobs will be moved to Brattleboro or Cincinnati. Three program adviser positions will not be filled.

Union Institute & University is a non-profit, accredited, private university specializing in adult and distance education since 1964. Union strives to engage, enlighten, and empower students in a lifetime of learning and service. The university’s transformational and socially relevant programs promote creative and critical thinking, and connect scholarship with real-world practice. Flexible online classes, brief residencies, classroom experiences, and hybrid models of instruction lead to undergraduate, masters, and doctoral degrees. Union graduates, including 14 college presidents, leaders in the public, private, and non-profit sectors, members of the United States Congress, and the first female prime minister of Jamaica, promote Union’s legacy of utilizing education to transform lives and communities.