The word privilege is used to describe the legal right of keeping your clinical records confidential. The law provides that privilege is held by you, the client. You have the ultimate say to whom, if anyone, has a right to your information (with limited exceptions noted below). Your information cannot be shared with anyone without your written permission (Release of Information (ROI)). According to the principle of confidentiality, Trinity Care of Ohio, LLC and your therapist are required to hold the privilege for you—even after therapy has terminated. This means that nothing known about you can be told to anyone else without your permission. Not even the fact that you are a client.
In certain instances, it may be necessary to discuss with your therapist specific questions you may have about confidentiality. Some common concerns are:
“What if I have committed a crime?” some individuals ask. Well, even criminal activity is protected by psychotherapeutic confidentiality. So you can relax, if that happens to be your particular concern—unless, of course, you are still engaged in criminal activity which jeopardizes the life or safety of others, and you reveal the details of this activity in therapy. Such a case could fall under one of the exceptions to confidentiality (see below).
“What if I talk about suicide? Not that I plan to kill myself, but sometimes I think about suicide. If I tell you about these thoughts, will you put me in hospital?” is a common concern. Actually, the issue here is whether there is a reasonable suspicion that you are likely to kill yourself. So just thinking about suicide doesn’t necessarily warrant any extreme action on the part of your therapist.
You will notice that when (or if) you sign an insurance form you are authorizing your therapist and Trinity Care of Ohio, LLC to give any information necessary for billing to anyone in the insurance company.
If a client informs the therapist of child abuse, dependent adult abuse, or elder abuse. If a client is threatening serious bodily harm to another person/s.If a client intends to harm themselves.
We are required by law to report these instances to the appropriate authorities immediately to protect the safety of the client and/or the public.
