Questions: Is it appropriate and/or allowed for a professor to discuss their perceptions of my mental health on a reference for grad school?

Hello,

Thanks for your question. I suspect the question and response will be of value to others. My first response was to want to speak to confidentiality in counselling (we never share information about students without a student’s signed consent), but realized you were talking about perceptions a professor has about your mental health.

There are several problems with your professor commenting on your mental health in a reference letter. First, since your professor is not qualified to assess your mental health status they cannot speak to this. Even if they are also registered mental health professionals, they are not in this role when they are preparing a reference letter. Second, if there was a diagnosis of a mental illness that the professor knew about, this says nothing about your ability to do grad school. Many people diagnosed with a mental illness are able to thrive and have great success in University because they have found effective treatment and ways of coping. Third, when there is a psychiatric disability there is a duty to accommodate that person and to explore how they, with some possible adjustments, are able to meet the learning requirements. What that accommodation actually looks like can be different because of specific program requirements that will limit the kind of accommodations that are possible and appropriate.

What your professor is able speak to in preparing a reference, is knowledge of your performance. This would all be with reference to your actual behavior. This could include questions such as the following: Did you hand things in on time? Was the quality of the work up to the standards required by graduate studies? Can you work independently?

I am going to refer you to the Office of Campus Equity and Meaningful Inclusion with any further questions about this. Khaula Bhutta is a human rights advisor who works out of this MRU office. She will be able to say more about your options for handling a situation where your professor is including, in your reference, perceptions on your mental health. Her email is kbhutta@mtroyal.ca.

I wish you all the best in resolving your concern.

Mirjam Knapik, Ph.D., R. Psych.