Privacy & HIPAA notice

Protected health information

Information created or received about a client's care — appointment records, clinical notes, billing details, and related communications — is treated as protected health information. It is stored on secure systems and is not sold, rented, or shared for advertising or marketing purposes.

How information may be used

Without additional written authorization, health information may be used or disclosed only for:

• Treatment — coordinating care with a client's other providers when appropriate and authorized.
• Payment — billing insurance or processing payments related to services rendered.
• Health care operations — quality review, licensing, and other administrative functions required of the practice.

Uses and disclosures beyond these purposes — including most psychotherapy notes and any marketing use — require the client's written authorization, which may be withdrawn at any time.

Client rights

• The right to request access to, and copies of, records maintained about their care.
• The right to request corrections or amendments to those records.
• The right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures, and to request confidential communication by alternative means.
• The right to receive an accounting of disclosures made without authorization.
• The right to a paper copy of the full Notice of Privacy Practices upon request.

Secure communications

Scheduling, paperwork, payments, and clinical communication take place through the practice's secure client portal rather than ordinary email or text message. Voicemail and email are used only for brief, non-sensitive matters; clients are asked to avoid sending detailed health information through unsecured channels.

This page is a plain-language summary. The practice's full Notice of Privacy Practices, which describes these protections in complete detail, is available on request and is provided to every client at the start of care.

Questions or concerns

Privacy questions, requests, or complaints may be raised with the practice directly, or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. Raising a concern will never affect the care a client receives.

Call 530.423.5044 or send a note through the secure contact page ↗.