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In general, the law protects the privacy of all communication between a client and a mental health provider. I may only release information about your treatment to others if you sign a written authorization form. You may revoke any such authorizations at any time, which must be in writing. However, in the following situations, your authorization is not required to release your personal information:
• Therapist's duty to warn another in the case of potential suicide, homicide, or threat of imminent, serious harm to another individual.  
• Therapist's duty to report suspicion of abuse or neglect of children or vulnerable adults.
• Therapist's responsibility to report prenatal exposure to cocaine, heroin, phencyclidine, methamphetamine, amphetamine, or their derivatives, THC, and excesses and habitual use of alcohol.
• Therapist's duty to report the misconduct of mental health or health care professionals.
• Therapist's responsibility to provide a spouse or parent of deceased client access to their child or spouse's records.
• The therapist's duty to provide parents of minor children access to their child's records. Minor clients can request, in writing, that particular information not be disclosed to parents. Such a request should be discussed with the therapist.
• Therapist's duty to release records if subpoenaed by the courts.
• Therapist's obligations to contracts (e.g., to the client's employer, to an insurance carrier or health plan.)  

As a client you have the following rights: 

• The right to request and receive confidential communication of my protected health information by alternative means or at alternative locations. For example, clients may ask the therapist to send any correspondence to an address other than the clients’ home address if not wanting family members to know about therapy.

• The right to request that the therapist change information in my record. I understand I am required to make such requests in writing along with reasons for the requested changes. The client’s request will be noted.

• Clients understand I generally have the right to receive an accounting of any disclosures the therapist has made of protected health information, which did not require client authorization.

• Clients understand my therapist may use or disclose my health information for treatment purposes, including presenting my case in consultation with other professionals or consultants bound by the legal framework of privacy and confidentiality for professional development and guidance purposes. This case consultation may include case consultation with other therapists or with therapists and supervisors outside of my practice. In most cases, outside consultation will be undertaken without the use of any identifying information.

As of April 14, 2003, HIPAA provides several rights with regard to your Clinical Record and disclosures of Protected Health Information (PHI). These rights include requesting that your therapist amend your record; requesting restrictions on what information from your Clinical Record is disclosed to others; requesting an accounting of most disclosures of PHI that you have neither consented to nor authorized; determining the location to which protected information disclosures are sent; having any complaints you make about the therapist’s policies and procedures recorded in your records; and the right to a paper copy of this Agreement and the HIPAA Notice. Discuss any questions you may have about these documents with your therapist.

 The Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) is a federal law that provides new privacy protections and patient/client rights with regard to the use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information (PHI) used for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. HIPAA requires that we provide you with a Notice of Privacy Practices and Patient Rights (the notice) for use and disclosure of PHI for treatment, payment, and healthcare operations. The notice explains HIPAA and its application to your personal health information. The law requires that we obtain your signature, acknowledging that we have provided you with this information. Although these documents are long and sometimes complicated, it is imperative that you read them carefully. You can discuss any questions you have about the procedures with your therapist. When you sign the Acknowledgement form, the Therapist– Client Services Agreement will represent a formal agreement between you and your therapist. You may revoke this agreement in writing at any time. That revocation will be binding. The therapist has taken action in reliance on it; if there are obligations imposed on the therapist by your health insurer to process or substantiate claims made under your policy; or if you have not satisfied any financial obligations you have incurred.
 

Record Keeping: HIPPA requires all medical records and other individually identifiable health information used or disclosed by us in any form, whether electronic, on paper, or orally, are kept properly confidential. HIPAA gives you, the client, significant new rights to understand and control how your health information is used. HIPAA provides penalties for covered entities that misuse personal health information.

Each time you meet with your therapist, an electronic record is made, which may contain personal information. This may include your symptoms, diagnoses, treatment, a plan for future treatment, and billing-related information. If you prefer paper records, we can discuss this option at an additional cost.

For more information regarding the federal HIPPA Privacy Law visit:

https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/laws-regulations/index.html