CONFIDENTIALITY

Your Provider will not disclose your personal information without your permission unless required by law. If your Provider must disclose your personal information without your permission, your Provider will only disclose the minimum necessary to satisfy the obligation. However, there are a few exceptions.

• Your Provider may speak to other healthcare providers involved in your care.

• Your Provider may speak to emergency personnel.

• If you report that another healthcare provider is engaging in inappropriate behavior, your Provider may be required to report this information to the appropriate licensing board. Your Provider will discuss making this report with you first, and will only share the minimum information needed while making a report. If your Provider must share your personal information without getting your permission first, they will only share the minimum information needed.  There are a few times that your Provider may not keep your personal information confidential.

• If your Provider believes there is a specific, credible threat of harm to someone else, they may be required by law or may make their own decision about whether to warn the other person and notify law enforcement. The term specific, credible threat is defined by state law. Your Provider can explain more if you have questions.

• If your Provider has reason to believe a minor or elderly individual is a victim of abuse or neglect, they are required by law to contact the appropriate authorities.

• If your Provider believes that you are at imminent risk of harming yourself, they may contact law enforcement or other crisis services. However, before contacting emergency or crisis services, your Provider will work with you to discuss other options to keep you safe.

RECORD KEEPING

Your Provider is required to keep records about your treatment.  These records help ensure the quality and continuity of your care, as well as provide evidence that the services you receive meet the appropriate standards of care.  Your records are maintained.

COMMUNICATION

Communication with your Provider outside of your sessions is available through the following mediums:

• Texting/Email:

Texting and email are not secure methods of communication and should not be used to communicate personal information. You may choose to receive appointment reminders via text message or email. 

• Secure Communication

  • Secure communications are the best way to communicate personal information, though no method is entirely without risk.  Your Provider will discuss options available to you. If you decide to be contacted via non-secure methods, your Provider will document this in your record.

• Social Media/Review Websites

  • If you try to communicate with your Provider via these methods, they will not respond.  This includes any form of friend or contact request, @mention, direct message, wall post, and so on.  This is to protect your confidentiality and ensure appropriate boundaries.

  • Your provider may publish content on various social media websites or blogs.  There is no expectation that you will follow, comment on, or otherwise engage with any content.  If you do choose to follow your Provider on any platform, they will not follow you back.

  • If you see your Provider on any form of review website, it is not a solicitation for a review.  Many such sites scrape business listings and may automatically include your Provider. If you choose to leave a review of your Provider on any website, they will not respond.  While you are always free to express yourself in the manner you choose, please be aware of the potential impact on your confidentiality prior to leaving a review.  It is often impossible to remove reviews later, and some sites aggregate reviews from several platforms leading to your review appearing other places without your knowledge.