Confidentiality

Confidentiality is an important element of the therapy process. Your identity and ongoing work in therapy will be kept strictly confidential. Note: If you use insurance to pay for therapeutic services, I can not gaurantee confidentiality of any information you authorize me to provide them.

Limits of Confidentiality

Counselor ethics and state law mandates confidentiality with the following limitations:

      • client is a danger to self / others,
      • client requests release of information,
      • court orders a release of information,
      • counselor is engaged in a systematic supervision process (which I am, see note below),
      • clerical assistants who process client information and papers,
      • legal and clinical consultation situations,
      • client initiates a malpractice lawsuit,
      • client is below 18 years of age, parents have rights to therapeutic information,
      • a child is abused or neglected,
      • an elderly person is abused or neglected, and
      • an insurance company or managed care company requests a diagnosis and/or relevant clinical information.

Confidentiality in Groups

    Group therapy is a powerful venue for growth and change. Not only do clients receive tremendous understanding, support, and encouragement from others facing similar issues, but they also gain different perspectives, ideas, and viewpoints on those issues. Most group therapy clients, though somewhat apprehensive at first, report that group experience was helpful far beyond their expectations.

    Groups are private and confidential; that is, what members disclose in sessions is not shared outside of the group. The meaning and importance of confidentiality are reviewed with group members at the first meeting, in informed consent, and every time a new member joins the group.

Please note: As a counseling intern, all of my counseling is supervised. This means that your case will be discussed with my supervising LPC for review of services that I provide to you. All rules of confidentiality still apply to both the LPC supervisor and myself. Your right to confidentiality is further explained in the NEW CLIENT PACKET, INFORMED CONSENT section.