Notice of Privacy Practices

ABOUT THERAPY

The main goal is to help you recognize and handle daily problems better and resolve inner conflicts to improve your personal and social relationships. This is done by:

• Increasing your awareness of challenges and strengths.

• Encouraging you to take responsibility for making changes to reach your goals.

• Setting clear therapy goals.

• Using community, medical, and self-help resources.
  
  

Participation in therapy has both benefits and risks. Risks may include experiencing uncomfortable feelings, such as sadness, guilt, anxiety, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness, because the process of therapy often requires discussing the unpleasant aspects of your life. However, therapy has been shown to have benefits for individuals who undertake it. Therapy often leads to a significant reduction in feelings of distress, increased satisfaction in interpersonal relationships, greater personal awareness and insight, increased skills for managing stress, and resolutions to specific problems. Unfortunately, there are no guarantees about what will happen.

Therapy requires a very active effort on your part. To be most successful, you will have to work on discussed things outside of sessions.

CONFIDENTIALITY

What you talk about in therapy is usually kept private. But there are times when we have to share this information, even if you don’t want us to. These include:

• If we suspect abuse or neglect of a child, elderly person, or vulnerable adult.

• If we think you might harm yourself or others, or can’t care for yourself.

• If you plan to harm someone, we will warn the person or contact the police.

• If a court orders us to share records or information.

• If your insurance or a third party needs information to handle claims or reviews.

• If an emergency or disaster risks losing your records.

• If a licensing board or official agency requires it.

• If the Patriot Act or other laws require it.

In short, there are legal and safety reasons why confidentiality may have limits.

CLIENT NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

This notice describes how your health information may be used and disclosed and how you are able to access this information. Please review it carefully; protecting our clients’ privacy is important to this practice.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requires us to inform you of our policy. At Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC, we are very careful to keep your health information secure and confidential. This law requires us to continue maintaining your privacy, to give you this notice, and to follow the terms of this notice.

The law permits us to use or disclose your health information to those involved in your treatment; for example, when you are referred to a different practitioner. We may use or disclose your health information for payment for your services. For example, we may send a report of your progress to your health insurance company.

We may disclose your health information for our normal healthcare operations. For example, one of our staff members will enter your information into our computer. We may share your medical information with our business associates, such as a billing representative or service. We have a written contract with each business associate which requires them to protect your privacy.

We may use your information to contact you. For example, we may send newsletters or other information to you. We may also want to call and remind you about appointments. If you are not home, you can designate whether we leave this information with another person.

In an emergency, we may disclose your health information to a family member or another person responsible for your care. We may release some or all of your health information when required by law.

You have the right to know of any disclosures we make of your health information. As we will need to contact you from time to time, we will use whatever address or telephone number you prefer.

You have the right to see or receive a copy of any of your health information and to disclose your copy to whomever you choose. You have the right to request an amendment or change to your health information. If you wish to change information in your medical record or include a statement in your file, please submit it to us in writing. We reserve the right to decide whether changes to existing information will be made; however, in either case we will include your request in your file.

If we agree to an amendment or change, we will not remove or alter earlier documents, but will add new information.

You have the right to receive a copy of this notice. If we change any details of this notice, we will notify you of the changes in writing.

If you believe that your privacy has been compromised or if you are seeking more assistance regarding your personal health information, please contact:

Kelly O’Hanlon, MS, LPC
Owner, Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC
kohanlon@authenticmindspsychotherapy.com

If your concerns are not addressed, you have the right to file a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 509F, Washington, DC, 20201.

CLIENT NOTICE FOR FILING A COMPLAINT

The nature of the services provided by Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC are voluntary. If at any point in the relationship with your therapist you are unhappy or feeling uncomfortable, you are encouraged to first contact:

Kelly O’Hanlon, Owner of Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC
Email: kohanlon@authenticmindspsychotherapy.com

Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC wants you to be happy with your services and encourages open communication to help ensure your wellness needs are being met.

If your concerns are unresolved, you have the right to file a formal complaint with the Office for Civil Rights, Health and Human Services (OCR). You can find out more about how to file a complaint at:
http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacyhowtofile.htm

You can also call OCR at 1-800-368-1019 if you need help filing a complaint or have a question about the complaint form. If you file a complaint with OCR, your health care provider cannot retaliate in any way.

Additionally, you can file a complaint about a licensed health care practitioner with the Pennsylvania Department of State at:

Pennsylvania Department of State Complaints Office
2601 North Third St.
P.O. Box 2649
Harrisburg, PA 17105-2649

This office receives complaints on behalf of the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine and other licensing boards. You must file a “Statement of Complaint” form. You can download a complaint form from the Department of State’s website at:
http://www.dos.state.pa.us/bpoa/site/default.asp

You may also obtain a complaint form by calling the Complaints Office Hotline at 1-800-822-2113 (toll-free within Pennsylvania) or at 717-783-4854.

Lastly, you can contact the Pennsylvania Insurance Department, Bureau of Consumer Services at:

1321 Strawberry Square
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Telephone: 1-877-881-6388

RELEASE OF RECORDS

All client information is considered strictly confidential (subject to limitations authorized or required by law) and will not be given out to anyone without your prior written consent or other legal authorization.

In the event of a request for copies of or a transfer of client records, the records will be forwarded only after receipt by Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC of signed written authorization from the client or other authorized persons.

Please note that email and text communication is not secure and therefore confidentiality cannot be guaranteed.

RECORDING

Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC does not permit the audio, video, or other electronic recording of any services provided without the express written permission of an authorized representative of Authentic Minds Psychotherapy. Any violation of this policy may result in immediate termination of the services being provided.

Your session is documented using Therapro, which is an AI transcription service and is fully compliant with both HIPAA and the HITECH Act.

AFTER-HOURS EMERGENCIES

Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC providers are not available for after-hours emergencies. If this is a mental health emergency, call 911, or your medical group or primary care physician.

Here are some crisis phone numbers:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255 (TALK) or 988 (call or text)
Lehigh County Crisis: 610-782-3127
Northampton County Crisis: 610-252-9060
Bucks County Crisis: 215-257-6551
Carbon, Monroe, Pike Counties Crisis: 570-992-0879
Lehigh County Warmline (non-crisis): 1-833-899-1331
Northampton County Warmline (non-crisis): 1-855-727-3377

NON-DISCRIMINATION POLICY

Authentic Minds Psychotherapy LLC does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, creed, national origin or citizenship status, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, marital status, familial status, earning a GED rather than high school diploma, physical or mental disability, relationship or association with a disabled person, source of income, age, height, weight, veteran status, use of guide or support animals and/or mechanical aids, or domestic or sexual violence victim status, or prior disability.

This applies to both “actual” and “perceived” protected characteristics.