20.2.3 Ganjuu Wellbeing Service

20.2.3.1 Purpose
Ganjuu Wellbeing Service provides services to support wellbeing of the University and the OIST community.

20.2.3.2 Services provided
Ganjuu Wellbeing Service provides the following services:

• Development and support of initiatives related to wellbeing and community
• Workshops and training related to wellbeing
• Services to teams (team building, mediation.)
• Information, advice and consultation on wellbeing or interpersonal matters, and
• Psychological therapy

20.2.3.3 Medical treatment availability
Ganjuu Wellbeing Service does not provide medical treatment. Psychiatric and medical consultations can be arranged via the OIST Health Center.

20.2.3.4 Language support
Services are provided in English and Japanese.

20.2.3.5 Eligibility and costs
All members of the OIST community (adults and children) who are living in Japan are able to receive the services, for free. The service is intended to support OIST community members who reside in Okinawa, with some exceptions that would be considered on an individual basis.

Eligible members for this service include full-time and part-time employees, students and immediate family members. Temporary staff whose work at OIST is identical to directly employed staff are included. Vendors and temporary staff whose place of work can be changed by their employing agency are not included.

The immediate family refers to a spouse, partner or children who live in the same household. Exceptions may be made for family members residing outside of the family home if the nature of a relationship is significant in supporting an employee or student (for example, separated spouses/partners who share care for children, or parents who are admitted on a visa to provide child-care). This is at the discretion of the Ganjuu Wellbeing Service.

20.2.3.6 Confidentiality
The Ganjuu Wellbeing Service keeps all personal information, confidential within the team. All clinical staff are bound by professional practice guidelines regarding confidentiality. The Ganjuu Wellbeing Service administrator has clear expectations and supervision from clinical staff at the Service regarding their responsibilities for confidentiality. Verbal or written information will not be disclosed without permission from the person it relates to (or from their parent/guardian if they are not able to provide informed consent), except in the following circumstances:

• If clinical staff believe that the individual or a third party is at risk of serious harm. This includes imminent risk of death or significant injury to self or another, reports of or risk of abuse or neglect to a child. In this case, confidentiality is broken in order to reduce the risk of harm by involving relevant  people or services that can provide the necessary support. Wherever possible this will be discussed with the individual, first, unless disclosure expose the individual or others to serious harm.
• If disclosure is required by Japanese law.
• Information relating to children 12 years and under will be shared routinely with parents/guardians unless there is a child protection issue in doing so. In most cases parents or carers will need to be involved in the intervention.
• For young people, aged 13-18 years, Ganjuu Wellbeing Service will negotiate with the young person and parents/guardians to reach an agreement about feedback which is appropriate to the developmental stage of the young person, and the clinical risk involved.
• For the maintenance and improvement of therapeutic services, the management of risk, and to adhere to professional practice guidelines, information will sometimes be shared with professional external consultants. This information will not be personally identifiable. Any external consultants are also bound by professional practice guidelines pertaining to confidentiality.

20.2.3.7 Record Keeping
As part of good professional practice, the Ganjuu Wellbeing Service keeps written records to support work with individuals, couples, families and groups. Individuals can request access to their own records which the Ganjuu Wellbeing Service holds about them under the conditions prescribed by the Protection of Personal Information Act in Japan; however, information provided by a third party cannot be disclosed without agreement from the third party. Any information requests will be first sent to the OIST Rules and Compliance Section for review.

Case notes are kept on paper and are stored in a locked filing cabinet within a locked side room. Email communication may be printed out and kept as part of the record. Files are destroyed five years after discharge, in accordance with Japanese law for retention of medical records.

Letters and some other clinical information may be stored electronically on a secure drive with access restricted to the Ganjuu Wellbeing Service. Outlook calendar is used for appointment recording but people are referenced by number, not name, to prevent accidental breaches of confidentiality. Personal details are recorded within the individual file and basic demographic data is collated  anonymously onto a database for service monitoring and improvement.