Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

[Brett Sokolow <>]

Ethically, any release by counselors (even anonymous) should be stated clearly in an informed consent document.  Hope you are well, Gillian.  

Regards,
Brett A. Sokolow
Brett A. Sokolow, Esq.
Attorney-at-Law

President & CEO, The NCHERM Group LLC

Executive Director, The National Behavioral Intervention Team Association 

Executive Director, The Association of Title IX Administrators 

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From: Gillian Greensite <>
Date: Tuesday, August 20, 2013 9:30 AM
To: "" <>
Subject: Counseling staff filing anonymous reports

Hi all,

It's been a while since I wrestled with this dilemma ( Brett will recall) and much has changed since then. Two concerns that I dealt with: one, I was required to report whether or not alcohol was involved and two, I needed to alert the survivor that I was sharing some limited anonymous information with the Title IX office. The latter was what I found problematic since it set up an immediate barrier to trust in my estimation. I found gentle ways to communicate that information but always felt it was an issue. I'm not sure the end result was worth it since the Clery numbers that UCSC reported never matched the reports sent to the Title IX office. So I'm wondering if the counseling staff will alert the survivor of their reporting responsibilities or not? Since they do that for other issues it may not seem a problem to add this bit, but how it's communicated is important. I think some counselors are better than others at doing this. I did a lot of role playing with my students until they were able to share their reporting responsibilities in a compassionate, reassuring way.

Gillian