Privacy Policy

Welcome. This document explains the services you will receive, how your privacy is protected under HIPAA, and what to expect during our sessions. Please read this carefully before signing. 

1. Our Professional Relationship

You will be working with an independent, licensed mental health professional. They are solely responsible for your clinical care and decision-making. You will receive your professional’s name, license type, and license number before your first session. 

2. Mental Health Services

Your care begins with a clinical evaluation of your mental health history and current symptoms. 

• What to Expect: Some questions may be sensitive or bring up strong emotions. This is a normal part of the process.
• Recommendations: After the evaluation, your professional will share their diagnostic impressions and may suggest a treatment plan (e.g., mindfulness or, if clinically necessary, a support animal).
• Discretion: All clinical decisions are made at the professional’s discretion; specific outcomes cannot be guaranteed. 

3. Teletherapy: Risks and Best Practices

Teletherapy is the delivery of mental health services via secure video or audio. While convenient, it has unique risks: 

• Privacy Risks: Using public Wi-Fi or being in a shared space could allow others to overhear your session.
• Technical Issues: Telephonic, internet, or software failures can disrupt sessions.
• Clinical Limitations: Remote sessions make it harder for your professional to see certain nonverbal cues (e.g., body language).
• Crisis Delay: In a remote setting, response to an immediate crisis may be delayed. 

To protect yourself, please: 

• Use a private, quiet room and a secure, password-protected internet connection.
• Avoid using work-owned devices or public computers. Turn off “auto-remember” for your login credentials. 

4. Fees and Billing

• Transparency: All fees for evaluations and follow-ups will be disclosed before you start.
• Ongoing Care: If you continue therapy, you will be billed at the professional’s standard hourly rate. This rate also applies to time spent on reports, records requests, or legal matters.
• Nonpayment: If fees go unpaid, lawful collection methods may be used, which require a limited disclosure of your information. 

5. Your Right to a “Good Faith Estimate”

Under the No Surprises Act, you have the right to receive a “Good Faith Estimate (GFE)” explaining how much your care will cost if you are uninsured or self-paying.

Your total annual cost is estimated by multiplying the hourly rate by the number of sessions you attend.

If your actual bills are $400 or more above your GFE, you can dispute the bill.

For more information, visit the CMS No Surprises website or call 1 (800) 985-3059.

6. Privacy (HIPAA)

Your Protected Health Information (PHI) is kept confidential and shared only as allowed by law or authorized by you. You may revoke your consent to share PHI at any time in writing, though this will not apply to information already shared. 

7. Communication and Emergencies

• Nonurgent: Professionals are often in sessions and may not answer immediately. They aim to return calls within one business day.
• Urgent/Life-Threatening: If you are in a life-threatening emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room immediately. We are not an emergency service. 

8. Minors

These services are intended for adults. If the client is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must provide consent. Parents may have a legal right to examine their child’s treatment records depending on state law. 

9. State-Required Disclosures

Your professional’s specific credentials, address, and license information will be provided via a separate notice. By law, we must also disclose the following: 

• Ethics: Your professional must follow the professional code of ethics for their specific license and state jurisdiction.
• Sexual Intimacy: Ethical standards and state laws strictly prohibit sexual intimacy between a professional and a client.
• Confidentiality: Your sessions are confidential except in specific legal or safety situations (detailed below). 

10. Clinical Records and Notes

Your professional maintains a clinical record (diagnostic impressions, progress notes, and billing). 

• Access: You may request to see or copy your clinical record in writing. Your professional may suggest reviewing these with you to ensure clarity.
• Psychotherapy Notes: Your professional may keep separate “personal notes.” These are highly protected and are not released without your written consent, unless required by law. 

11. How Your Information Is Used (HIPAA)

We generally only share your Protected Health Information (PHI) with your written permission. However, there are exceptions where we may share data without a separate release: 

• Coordination of Care: Sharing information with other healthcare providers involved in your treatment.
• Operations and Support: We use HIPAA-compliant vendors (Business Associates) for administrative tasks like billing, secure messaging, and scheduling.
• Professional Consultation: Your professional may consult with other experts to improve your care; identifying details are kept to a minimum. 

12. Exceptions to Confidentiality

We may be required to disclose your PHI without your consent in the following scenarios: 

• Mandatory Reporting: Suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elder, or vulnerable adult.
• Safety Threats: If you are a danger to yourself or others, we may notify law enforcement or emergency services.
• Legal Mandates: Compliance with court orders, subpoenas, or warrants.
• Professional Defense: If a legal or ethical complaint is filed against the professional.
• Workers’ Comp: As required for claims related to workplace injuries. 

4. Your RightsregardingYour PHI 

You have specific rights under federal law (HIPAA): 

• Right to Access: You can request copies of your health records.
• Right to Amend: You can request a correction to your record if it is incomplete or incorrect.
• Right to Restrict: You can request limits on how we share your info (though we are not always required to agree).
• Right to Confidential Communication: You can ask us to contact you at a specific phone number or mailing address.
• Right to an Accounting: You can request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI.
• Right to File a Complaint: If you believe your privacy has been violated, you may contact the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (1-800-368-1019) or us. You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

By typing your name below and clicking “I AGREE,” you confirm that you have read and understood this Informed Consent and Privacy Notice. You agree to its terms, including the risks of teletherapy and the privacy practices outlined above. 

1. Clinical Consultations (Standard Refund)

If you are unsatisfied with your experience or if your consultation does not result in the issuance of an official ESA or PSA letter, you are eligible for a 100% refund. 

• Time Frame: Refund requests must be made within 60 days of the original purchase date.
• Contact: To initiate a refund, please contact us by emailing [email protected].

2. ESA and PSA Letters: Housing Rejection Policy

Our network of licensed mental health professionals provides documentation designed to meet all current ethical, legal, and state-specific teletherapy standards. Because each provider follows unique clinical requirements and state-mandated waiting periods, letters are issued based on individual medical necessity. 

In the event a landlord or housing administrator (subject to the Fair Housing Act) improperly rejects your valid letter, our compliance team will work with you to resolve the dispute. If the letter is still not accepted, you may be eligible for a refund of your initial consultation fee, provided the following steps are met: 

• Good Faith Resolution: You must contact our legal compliance team and work with us to resolve the dispute with your housing provider before pursuing a formal discrimination claim or lawsuit.
• Documentation Required: You must provide proof that you submitted both a formal written request for reasonable accommodation and a copy of your provider-issued letter to the housing administrator.

3. PSA Training Cancellation Policy

Please note that all PSA training registrations are final and nonrefundable. Due to the immediate allocation of training materials and fixed registration costs, we cannot offer refunds for cancellations or “no-shows” once a registration has been processed.