I am committed to your privacy. A good therapy relationship is based on open and honest communication. You need to feel confident that what you share with me will be confidential. If you are having your therapy sessions through video conferencing you will access your session through a patient portal that meets the HIPAA regulations. While you may use a desktop with webcam, laptop or smartphone to access the portal, where you do this is important. Your environment should ensure your privacy. I strongly discourage using public places like work cubicles or unsecured conference rooms, internet cafes, local restaurants, museums and the like that may have wifi availability but have no assurances for your privacy.
Your medical records are confidential. Information contained within them will not be released to insurance companies, attorneys, schools, or others without proper written consent.
When treating a child or adolescent, I keep parents informed on the progress of treatment. Personal information given to me by the youngster is kept confidential. In cases where I believe certain information must be told to the parents, I will usually discuss it with the child or adolescent first.
Various state laws describe certain situations that may require me to share your personal and confidential information. This may include but is not limited to when there is suspected abuse or neglect or threat of harm to self or others.
I will discuss privacy matters with you at the time of our first meeting. The privacy practices handout is on the patient portal.