Privacy Practices

The law protects the privacy of all communications between a patient and therapist. In most situations, your therapist at the Center for Pastoral Counseling at Springfield (CPC) can only release information about your treatment to others if you sign a written authorization form that meets certain legal requirements imposed by HIPAA and /or Pennsylvania law.  

However, in the following situations, no authorization is required:

Your therapist may occasionally find it helpful to consult other health and mental health professionals about a case. During consultation, he or she will make every effort to avoid revealing your identity. The other professionals are also legally bound to keep the information confidential. If you don’t object, your therapist will not tell you about these consultations unless he or she feels that it is important to your work together. Your therapist will note all consultations in your Clinical Record.

You should be aware that we practice with other mental health professionals. In most cases, we need to share protected information with these individuals for both clinical and administrative purposes, such as scheduling, billing and quality assurance. All of the mental health professionals are bound by the same rules of confidentiality. All staff members have been given training about protecting your privacy and have agreed not to release any information outside of the practice without the permission of a professional staff member.

If you are involved in a court proceeding and a request is made for information concerning your diagnosis and treatment, such information is protected by the therapist-patient privilege law. Your therapist cannot disclose any information without a court order. If you are involved in or contemplating litigation, you should consult with your attorney to determine whether a judge would likely to order your therapist to disclose information.

If a government agency is requesting the information for health oversight activities, we may be required to provide it for them.

If a client files a complaint or lawsuit against a therapist at CPC, the therapist may disclose relevant information regarding that client in order to defend his or her self.

If you file a worker’s compensation claim, your therapist in rendering treatment or services in accordance with the provisions of Pennsylvania Workers’ Compensation law, may upon appropriate request, be required to provide a copy of your record to your employer or his/her appropriate designee.

There are some situations in which a therapist is legally obligated to take action, which he/she believes is necessary to attempt to protect others from harm and he/she may have to reveal some information about a client’s treatment. 

If a therapist has reasonable cause to believe that a child under 18 known to that therapist in his or her professional capacity may be an abused child or a neglected child, the law requires that the therapist file a report with the local Office of Children, Youth, and Families. Once such a report is filed, the therapist may be required to provide additional information.

If a therapist has reason to believe that an adult over the age of 60 living in a domestic situation has been abused or neglected in the preceding 12 months, the law requires that the therapist file a report with the agency designated to receive such reports by the Department of Aging. Once such a report is filed, the therapist may be required to provide additional information.

If you have made a specific threat or violence toward another or if your therapist believes that you present a clear, imminent risk of serious physical harm to another, your therapist may be required to disclose information in order to take protective actions. These actions may include notifying the potential victim, contacting the police, or seeking hospitalization for you.

If your therapist believes that you present a clear, imminent risk of serious physical or mental injury or death to yourself, your therapist may be required to disclose information in order to take protective actions. These actions may include seeking your hospitalization or contacting family members or others who can assist in protecting you.

If such a situation arises, your therapist will make every effort to fully discuss it with you before taking any action and he/she will limit their disclosure to what is necessary.

While this written summary of exceptions to confidentiality should prove helpful in informing you about potential problems, it is important that we discuss any questions or concerns that you may have now or in the future. The laws governing confidentiality can be quite complex, and we are not attorneys. In situations where specific advice is required, formal legal advice may be needed.