Sharing of Sensitive Information
Site supervisors do not have access to the academic records of field experience students. Site supervisors are encouraged to maintain a copy of all documents completed by students and themselves for their records as well as for the field site. Students are asked to sign a FERPA Release form with their practicum and internship applications in case it is necessary for Walden to share FERPA-protected information with the field site. The sharing of protected information is done on a limited, as-needed basis only.
Field experience students are required to share counseling experiences in the practicum and internship courses. When sharing their experiences with other students, students must not share names or other identifying information about the clients they serve. Students can share some demographic information, such as sex, age, diagnosis, and race/ethnicity.
Site supervisors can discuss issues regarding students’ progress with the faculty supervisor (instructors of the practicum/internship courses). The site supervisor, course instructor, and director of field experience or designee may talk about a student’s work with a specific client (e.g., the site supervisor may converse with the instructor to discuss a student’s skills and/or professional development) but not about any details of the client’s name, address, and/or demographic information that may lead to the specific identification of the client.