Confidentiality & Informed Consent Policy
What you share in your therapy sessions is deeply personal, and protecting your privacy is one of my highest ethical and legal obligations. This policy outlines how your information is protected, as well as the strict legal limits to that confidentiality.
The General Rule: Absolute Privacy
As a licensed professional, I cannot and will not release any information about you, your attendance in therapy, or the contents of our sessions to anyone without your explicit, written permission.
If you want me to speak with another professional involved in your care—such as a psychiatrist, primary care doctor, or a school counselor—you will need to sign a Release of Information (ROI) form beforehand specifying exactly what may be shared.
Legal and Ethical Exceptions (Limits of Confidentiality)
There are a few rare circumstances where I am legally and ethically mandated to break confidentiality without your consent. These laws exist entirely to ensure human safety:
Safety/Harm to Self: If I have reason to believe you are in imminent danger of harming or ending your own life, I may need to contact emergency services or a designated emergency contact to ensure your safety.
Safety/Harm to Others: If you disclose a specific, imminent threat of serious physical violence against an identifiable person, I am legally required to take protective actions, which may include notifying the police and warning the intended victim.
Abuse or Neglect: If I have reason to suspect, or if you disclose information that suggests, the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child, an elderly person, or a dependent adult, I am legally mandated to file a report with protective services.
Court Orders & Subpoenas: In very rare legal proceedings, a judge may issue a court order requiring the release of clinical records or testimony. (Standard attorney subpoenas are resisted to the extent allowed by law).
Professional Consultation
To provide you with the best possible care, I occasionally consult with other licensed mental health professionals. During these consultations, your identity is kept completely anonymous, and no identifying details (like your name or employer) are shared. The peer professionals are also bound by strict confidentiality.
Digital Privacy & Communications
Emergencies: Text messaging and standard email are not secure forms of communication and should only be used for administrative purposes (like rescheduling). Do not use email or text if you are experiencing a clinical crisis.
Social Media: To protect your privacy and maintain professional boundaries, I do not accept "friend" or connection requests from current or former clients on my personal or professional social media accounts.
Telehealth Services & Privacy
Telehealth (online therapy) requires additional measures from both of us to ensure your sessions remain confidential and secure.
Secure Platforms: All telehealth sessions are conducted using a HIPAA-compliant platform designed specifically to protect medical data. No audio or video of our sessions is ever recorded by me without your explicit, written consent.
Your Responsibility for Privacy: You are responsible for ensuring that you are in a private, secure space during our sessions where you cannot be overheard by family members, roommates, or coworkers. I recommend using headphones and a secure, private Wi-Fi network rather than public Wi-Fi.
My Commitment to Privacy: I will always conduct our sessions from a private, secure office where no one else can see my screen or hear our conversation.
Crisis and Location Requirements: By law, I must know your exact physical location at the start of every telehealth session. In the rare event of a psychiatric emergency during an online session, I will utilize emergency services local to your current address. You must also provide an emergency contact person before we begin telehealth care.