The Juggling Act of the College Counseling Center

Abstract

College and university counseling centers have dual loyalties to both individuals and institutions that can create difficult conflicts of interest. Skillful juggling of conflicting loyalties is one of the variables that define college counseling as a mental health specialty. Conflicts typically involve pressures either to breach confidentiality or, more problematically, to involve the agency in administrative functions and decisions. The professional literature and the professional association ethical codes offer little guidance on how to respond to these pressures. A number of variables such as institutional size and stability, administrative location, agency history, degree of external pressure, degree of consensus on the counseling center s role, philosophy of psychological services, and the current ethical and legal climate influence how difficult the juggling act may be. The International Association of Counseling Services recommendation of "administrative neutrality" provides a conceptual tool usefull in formulating counseling center policy and selling boundaries.