Confidentiality
All information disclosed within sessions and the written records pertaining to those sessions are confidential and may not be revealed to anyone without your (client’s) written permission, except where disclosure is required by law. Most of the provisions explaining when the law requires disclosure were described to you in the Notice of Privacy Practices that you received with this form.
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 self, to others, to property, or is gravely disabled.
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 therapy records and/or testimony by your Goodman Therapy Therapist ("GTT"). In couples 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 GTT will use his/her clinical judgment when revealing such information. Your GTT will not release records to any outside party unless he/she is 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 termination, where your GTT becomes concerned about your personal safety, the possibility of you injuring someone else, or about you receiving proper psychiatric care, he/she will do whatever he/she 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/she may also contact the police, hospital or the person whose name you have provided on the biographical sheet.
Confidentiality of E-mail, Cell Phone and Faxes 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 due to the fact that servers have unlimited and direct access to all e-mails that go through them. Faxes can be sent erroneously to the wrong address. Please notify Goodman Therapy 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. Also, please note that most insurance companies will not reimburse for phone sessions. Clients will be expected to assume the full fee if phone sessions are scheduled.
Litigation Limitation
Due to the nature of the therapeutic process and the fact that it often involves making a full disclosure with regard to many matters which 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 Goodman Therapy or your GTT to testify in court or at any other proceeding, nor will a disclosure of the therapy records be requested.
Consultation
Your GTT may consult with other professionals regarding his/her 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.
* Considering all of the above exclusions, if it is still appropriate, upon your request, your GTT will release information to any agency/person you specify. Unless, your GTT concludes that releasing such information might be harmful in any way. 