Confidentiality

Your therapist recognizes that confidentiality is essential to effective counseling. In order for therapy to work best, you must feel safe about sharing your personal information with your therapist. Your therapist will maintain this information ethically and legally confidential and will be released to other parties only with your expressed written consent.

Under most circumstances, all information about you, in written or verbal form, obtained in the counseling process (including your identity as a client) will be kept ethically and legally confidential. Information will not be disclosed to any outside person(s) or agency without your written permission except in certain situations, which include, but are not limited to:

If you are determined to be in imminent danger of harming yourself or someone else
If you disclose abuse or neglect of children, the elderly, or a disabled person(s).
If you disclose sexual misconduct by a mental health professional
To qualified personnel for certain kinds of audits or evaluations
In a criminal court proceeding
In legal or regulatory actions against a professional
In proceedings in which a claim is made about one's physical, emotional, or mental condition
When disclosure is relevant to any suit affecting the parent-child relationship, which includes divorce and

child custody deliberations.
Where otherwise legally required
Any information that you also share outside of therapy, willingly and publicly, will not be considered

protected or confidential by a court

The above is considered a summary. If you have questions about specific situations or any aspects of confidentiality, please feel free to discuss your concerns with your therapist. You may also contact the American Psychological Association at www.apa.org or the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists at (512) 305-7700 or http://www.tsbep.state.tx.us