Office Policies

The Counseling & Career Services Office provides three main services including career development, personal counseling, and disability support. Policies for the general office as well as each particular service area are listed below:

GENERAL OFFICE

All services are provided free of cost as part of the student’s tuition and fees.
Individuals who miss scheduled appointments may be required to reschedule for an alternative date and/or time.
Individuals who arrive for a scheduled appointment more than fifteen minutes late may be required to reschedule for an alternative date and/or time.
In accordance with HIPAA regulations, re-release of protected health information will not be permitted and all documents received from outside agencies will be stamped with "No Re-Release" Additionally, all UACCB documents will be stamped with "copy" prior to release to any outside agency.
Requests for records from outside agencies must be submitted in writing and bear the signature of the student in question.
All requests for records will be subject to a two week waiting period.
No individuals will have access to student records without express written consent from the student included in said student’s file prior to disclosure.
Individuals with complaints or grievances are requested to first discuss the matter with the Counseling & Career Services Coordinator. If the matter is not resolved, individuals are encouraged to see the Director of Student Development.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT

Eligible candidates for career development services include prospective and current UACCB students as well as graduates.
Only Equal Opportunity Employers will be permitted to post job announcements and actively recruit UACCB students.
Employers requiring an initial financial investment prior to hire will not be permitted to post job announcements, participate in recruitment events, or schedule on-campus recruitment activities.
Employers must schedule on-campus recruitment activities at least two weeks in advance to ensure necessary space and appropriate advertisement.
Assistance with job shadow opportunities may be provided through this office; however, scheduling is the responsibility of the student.

PERSONAL COUNSELING

Eligible candidates for personal counseling services include current UACCB students only. Due to potential for conflict of interest, UACCB employees and their spouses/children are ineligible for this service.
Students currently enrolled in a course taught by the school counselor will be referred to an outside agency for personal counseling services for that semester.
Students may make requests for individual services in person, via telephone, or via email.
Counseling is provided by appointment only on a first-come-first-serve basis, except in crisis situations.
Services will be provided in a face-to-face format only no computer-based or telephone-based services are offered.
Treatment areas include depression, conflict management, anxiety, stress management, relationship issues, anger management,etc.
Treatment consists of short-term counseling services typically including one two-hour assessment session followed by six to ten one-hour counseling sessions.
Student records are protected using a dual lock system to protect confidentiality.
Student information will not be released without the student's written consent except in certain emergency situations including the student's disclosure of suicidal/homicidal thoughts or intentions, disclosure of child or elder abuse, admitted prenatal exposure to controlled substances, or under court order or subpoena.
Upon receipt of a legitimate request for release of information, only the following information may be released: Student Intake, Personal History Form, Treatment Plan, Discharge Summary
Detailed narratives will only be released under subpoena or court order.
In cases when a student discloses or implies a plan for suicide, the counselor is required to notify legal authorities, contact a UACCB Vice Chancellor, and make reasonable attempts to notify the family of the student.
In cases when a student discloses or implies a plan for homicide, the counselor is required to notify legal authorities, contact a UACCB Vice Chancellor, and make reasonable attempts to notify the potential victim.
Students may be non-voluntarily discharged from counseling services if they exhibit physical violence or verbal abuse, carry a weapon, or engage in illegal acts either in the Counseling & Career Services office or at any UACCB facility. Non-voluntary discharge may also occur if the student refuses to comply with program rules or treatment recommendations.
In the case of the counselor's incapacitation or termination, the records custodian will take immediate ownership of student records.
The records custodian is responsible for informing students actively engaged in counseling of any adjustment in services.
Student records will be retained for a period of at least five years.

DISABILITY SUPPORT

Eligible candidates who provide appropriate documentation for disability support services include current UACCB students and those individuals taking college placement tests administered by UACCB personnel.
Appropriate documentation to support the existence of a disability may include an IEP from a secondary school, a 504 Plan from a secondary school, a comprehensive vocational rehabilitation agency evaluation, a psychological evaluation, or a medical evaluation.
Upon receipt of a legitimate request for release of information, only the following information may be released: Student Intake Form, Consent Forms to Release Information, Accommodation Letters to Faculty, Equipment Check-Out Form
Detailed narratives will only be released under subpoena or court order
Students requesting accommodations that require time to arrange should register with the Counseling & Career Services office a minimum of ten business days prior to the start of each semester to ensure accommodations are available by the first day of classes. Examples of this include, but are not limited to, extra time on exams and the provision of daisy players. Some accommodations, such as sign language interpreters and texts in alternate formats, may take more than ten days to arrange.
Students eligible for assistive technology equipment must complete the appropriate check-out form upon receipt of the item and return the item at the conclusion of each semester. Failure to do so may result in a "hold" being placed on the student's account which may affect future registration and access to grades and transcripts.
Instructors will provide student accommodations only after they have received a current Faculty Accommodation Letter from the student.
When possible, the instructor will administer testing accommodations. If an instructor is unable to provide the accommodation(s), he or she should request assistance from the appropriate academic department chair. If the academic department is not available to administer the exam, the department chair or instructor should seek assistance from the Counseling & Career Services Office.
When requesting assistance from the Counseling & Career Services office, testing arrangements should be made one week in advance or as soon as the exam is announced in class. Due to limited personnel and the need to reserve rooms for testing, tests might not be given to students if arrangements are not made at least two business days in advance.
Instructors are required to submit exams to the Counseling & Career Services Coordinator in a sealed envelope prior to the scheduled test time with the following information attached: instructor's name, student's name and course, date and time of the exam, and any special instructions.
Students may be asked to show identification (student ID or driver's license) before taking an exam.
Personal belongings (cell phones, purses, book bags, etc.) are not permitted in private testing areas and students are encouraged to leave these items at home or in their vehicles.
Accommodated tests will be given on the same date and time as they are given in class unless approval is provided by the instructor to do otherwise.
Should cheating occur, the test will be confiscated and the incident reported immediately to the instructor.