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Confidentiality and Privacy Policy

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Confidentiality & Privacy Policy   

The law protects the relationship between a client and a psychotherapist, and information cannot be disclosed without written permission. However, there are several exceptions to confidentiality. Some of these exceptions are listed below.  A full list is included in the Client Agreement and these will be reviewed with you during your first session. 

 Examples of exceptions include:

  • Suspected child abuse or dependent adult or elder abuse, for which I am required by law to report this to the appropriate authorities immediately.

  • If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person/s, I must notify the police and inform the intended victim.

  • If a client intends to harm himself or herself, I will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in ensuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, I will take further measures without their permission that are provided to me by law in order to ensure their safety.

 

Social Media Policy

This document outlines my office policies related to use of Social Media. Please read it to understand how I conduct myself on the Internet as a mental health professional and how you can expect me to respond to various interactions that may occur between us on the Internet.If you have any questions, I encourage you to bring them up when we meet. As new technology develops and the Internet changes, there may be times when I need to update this policy. If I do so, I will notify you in writing of any policy changes.

 

Friending: I do not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). I believe that adding clients as friends or contacts on these sites can compromise your confidentiality and our respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of our therapeutic relationship.

 

Email: I prefer using email only to arrange or modify appointments. Please do not email me content related to your therapy sessions, as email is not completely secure or confidential. If you choose to communicate with me by email, be aware that all emails are retained in the logs of your and my Internet service providers. While it is unlikely that someone will be looking at these logs, they are, in theory, available to be read by the system administrator(s) of the Internet service provider. You should also know that any emails I receive from you and any responses that I send to you become a part of your legal record.

 

Conclusion: Thank you for taking the time to review my Confidentiality and Privacy Policy. If you have questions or concerns about any of these policies and procedures, please bring them to my attention so that we can discuss them.

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