All communication becomes part of a clinical record, which is accessible to you upon request. All records are kept confidential. Everything shared between you and me is kept confidential, except in following situations:

• You direct me to tell someone else
• I determine that you are a danger to yourself or others
• I am ordered by a judge to disclose information
• I suspect child abuse

By engaging me as your counselor you are also consenting to have me discuss your case from time to time with a licensed clinical colleague within the practice, who may also have access to your file.

It is in your best interest to inform me of any litigation, dispute with employer, or separation or divorce issue(s) you may have, including custody cases. If any of these issues arise, I will carefully evaluate on a case-by-case basis what and to whom information will be disclosed in order to uphold the ethical and legal requirements to which I am bound. Please remember that medical and mental health records are frequently subpoenaed when litigation is involved.

Use of communication technologies including email, Skype, or FaceTime always bear a level of risk for confidentiality breaches should these systems/accounts ever be “hacked” or accessed without appropriate permissions. These breaches would be beyond my control and responsibility. I will have a disclosure on my email messages reminding you that the messages are not encrypted, therefore, it is your choice to disclose personal information via email or not. If Skype or FaceTime is not available to you or you do not feel comfortable with their security level, you may choose to limit sessions to telephone use only.

The nature of my consulting practice is strictly outpatient. It is your responsibility to discuss expectations for care beyond a typical outpatient (once per week) frequency with me so that appropriate referrals may be made if needed. If you fear harm to yourself or another, you should contact your nearest “Crisis Response Center” (CRC) or dial 911 for information about the closest CRC. You may also call the hospital’s ER to seek urgent care. You may certainly contact me for support, however I cannot guarantee I will be available at the time you may be in need. Therefore, please call 911 in a crisis or for urgent support.