Client confidentiality is crucial to safe, healing therapy. Confidentiality of client conversations and records is prescribed by law and stringent ethical guidelines. Below are our office policies in regards to confidentiality.

When disclosure is required by law

Some of the circumstances where disclosure is required by the law are: where there is a reasonable suspicion of child, dependent, or elder abuse or neglect; and where a client presents a danger to him or her self, to others, to property, or is gravely disabled (for more details see also the Notice of Privacy Practices form).

When disclosure may be required

Disclosure may be required pursuant to a legal proceeding.  If you place your mental status at issue in litigation initiated by you, the defendant may have the right to obtain the psychotherapy records and/or testimony by your psychotherapist. In couple and family therapy, or when different family members are seen individually, confidentiality and privilege do not apply between the couple or among family members. Your therapist will use clinical judgment when revealing such information and will seek to discuss this disclosure with you in advance.  Your therapist will not release records to any outside party unless so authorized to do so by all adult family members who were part of the treatment.

Emergencies

If there is an emergency during our work together, or in the future after therapy ends, where your therapist becomes concerned about your personal safety, the possibility of you injuring someone else, or about you receiving proper mental health care, he will do whatever he can within the limits of the law to prevent you from injuring yourself or others and to ensure that you receive the proper medical care.  For this purpose, he may also contact the police, hospital, or the person whose name you have provided on the biographical sheet.

Health Insurance and Confidentiality of Records

Disclosure of confidential information may be required by your health insurance carrier or HMO/PPO/MCO/EAP in order to process claims. Your therapist will disclose only the minimum necessary information to the carrier. Unless authorized by you explicitly, any psychotherapy notes will not be disclosed to your insurance carrier. Your therapist has no control or knowledge over what insurance companies do with the information he submits or who has access to this information. You must be aware that submitting a mental health invoice for reimbursement carries a certain amount of risk to confidentiality, privacy, and to future eligibility to obtain health or life insurance. In addition, computers are inherently vulnerable to break-ins and unauthorized access. 

Confidentiality of e-mail, cell phone, and fax communication

It is very important to be aware that e-mail and cell phone (also cordless phones) communication can be relatively easily accessed by unauthorized people and, hence, the privacy and confidentiality of such communication can be easily compromised.  E-mails, in particular, are vulnerable to such unauthorized access, and faxes can be sent erroneously to the wrong address.  Please notify your therapist at the beginning of treatment if you decide to avoid or limit in any way the use of any or all of the above-mentioned communication devices.  Please do not use e-mail or faxes in emergency situations.

Litigation Limitation

Due to the nature of the therapeutic process and the fact that it often involves talking to your therapist about many matters that may be of a confidential nature, it is agreed that should there be legal proceedings (such as, but not limited to, divorce and custody disputes, injuries, lawsuits, etc.), neither you (client) nor your attorney, nor anyone else acting on your behalf will call on Forrest Seymour, LICSW, to testify in court or at any other proceeding, nor will a disclosure of the psychotherapy records be requested.

Consultation

Your therapist consults regularly with other professionals regarding his clients; however, the client’s name or other identifying information is never mentioned.  The client’s identity remains completely anonymous, and confidentiality is fully maintained.

Voluntary Release of Information