Privacy & Confidentiality
Your privacy is one of my highest priorities. Here's how I protect your information and the legal protections that apply to therapy.
Confidentiality: What It Means
Confidentiality means that what you share in therapy is private and protected by law. I cannot disclose information about your sessions without your written consent, except in specific legal circumstances (described below).
This protection applies to:
- • Everything you say in sessions
- • Your clinical records and notes
- • Your diagnosis and treatment plan
- • Test results and psychological assessments
- • The fact that you're in therapy
Legal Protection: HIPAA & State Law
Your information is protected under:
HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act)
Federal law that protects the privacy of your health information. It sets strict rules about who can access your records and how they can be used.
State Confidentiality Laws
North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia each have specific laws protecting therapist-client confidentiality. These laws are sometimes stronger than HIPAA.
Therapist-Client Privilege
In legal proceedings, you have the right to prevent your therapist from testifying about what you shared in therapy or from releasing your records.
Limits to Confidentiality
There are specific situations where I am required by law to break confidentiality:
Imminent Danger to Self
If you express intent to seriously harm or kill yourself, I am required to take steps to prevent harm, which may include contacting emergency services or family members.
Imminent Danger to Others
If you express intent to seriously harm or kill someone else, I am required to warn the potential victim and/or law enforcement.
Child Abuse or Neglect
If I have reasonable suspicion that a child is being abused or neglected, I am required to report this to child protective services.
Elder or Dependent Adult Abuse
If I have reasonable suspicion that an elderly person or dependent adult is being abused, I am required to report this.
Court Order
If a judge orders me to release records or testify, I must comply, though I will work to protect your privacy to the extent possible.
Insurance Purposes
If you use insurance, I must share information with your insurance company to process claims. This typically includes diagnoses, session dates, and treatment plans.
Couples Therapy & Confidentiality
In couples therapy, confidentiality is a bit different. Generally:
- • Joint sessions are joint: Information shared in a session with both partners is shared between you both, and I don't keep secrets between partners.
- • Individual sessions are confidential: If I meet with one partner individually, what's shared is confidential between us, with the exception of limits to confidentiality noted above.
- • I won't take sides: My role is to help both partners; I maintain neutrality and don't share one partner's information with the other without consent.
How I Protect Your Privacy
- ✓ Client records are stored securely and accessed only by me
- ✓ Electronic records are encrypted and password-protected
- ✓ I do not discuss clients by name with other professionals
- ✓ I minimize what I share on insurance claims to what's clinically necessary
- ✓ I only share information when required by law or with your written consent
Questions About Privacy?
I'm happy to discuss confidentiality and privacy in detail during your consultation. It's important that you feel safe and secure in therapy.
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