Faculty Guide: Counselling's role in academic regulation

Counselling Services Role in Academic Regulations

Most often, faculty will interact with Counselling Services when an extenuating circumstance has occurred in a student's life and has impacted their academic abilities. Counselling Services becomes involved when extenuating circumstances such as death, traumatic events, or mental health conditions impact the ability of a student to perform to the best of their ability or complete work in a timely manner. Counsellors do not decide if any accommodations are granted, but rather decide if they will support a student's request to access accommodations. We understand the importance of maintaining academic integrity at the University of Lethbridge and do not take this responsibility lightly. Our role is to:

  • Meet with the student and assess the situation
  • Explore all options with the student
  • Decide if the client's request for accommodations warrants consideration by Advising or the faculty member
  • Encourage the student to complete a Student Declaration of Extenuating Circumstances form.

Counselling Services has moved away from providing personal Letters of Support or Leniency for students; however, we recognize and honor the need for advocacy letters. As such, we have created the Student Declaration of Extenuating Circumstances, a self-reporting advocacy letter, in lieu of counsellor written letters. Students can fill out this declaration when a formal Letter of Support or Leniency needs to be provided to a U of L staff member or instructor. Once completed, a Counselling Services staff member will review the declaration and forward it (via email) to the U of L staff member(s) and/or instructor(s) identified on the document. 

Who might use this Student Declaration of Extenuating Circumstances? Anyone seeking a letter for:
  • Request for Leniency or Accommodation
  • Letter for an Incomplete
  • Letter for Withdrawal with Cause
We do not provide letters for:
  • Mental health diagnosis confirmation.
  • Medical concerns (hospital visits, medical appointments, or physical illness).
  • Immigration, Visa's, or international travel.
  • Matters related to criminal charges, court mandated counselling, or other related circumstances.
  • Student grants and/or Financial Aid.
  • Employment, volunteer, and/or tenancy matters. 
     

Confidentiality

As professional counsellors, we are bound by strict rules of confidentiality. As a result, we rarely provide detailed information about a student's situation and cannot confirm if they are a client with our office. Students must sign a consent to release information form before we can share any information with faculty or staff outside of our office. Even then, we only share the most essential and basic information regarding a client's situation.