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The CONFIDENTIALITY of your sessions is protected by state and federal laws. However, there are some exceptions-to these laws.
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The confidentiality of your personal health information is covered by federal law under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The confidentiality of your session content and other personal information that may come up during your therapy is also covered by state law specific to the license of the mental health practitioner you are seeing.
You need to be aware, however, that as licensed mental health practitioners we may be obligated to notify appropriate law enforcement and social service agencies in certain cases. While there may be some nuanced differences governing reporting requirements for different types of licensed mental health practitioners, generally speaking reportable cases include child or elder abuse, cases involving significant danger to a client, an identifiable other person, or danger to the public in general.
You also need to be aware that as licensed mental health practitioners, we are required to keep certain administrative and clinical records about you regarding the psychotherapy you receive. While most of your records will be secured in an encrypted format in the internet cloud, some hard copy materials may also be secured in a locked file in your therapist's office.
Note:
If you have questions about your therapist's obligation to report information you are considering disclosing to your therapist, you should discuss this with your therapist before making the disclosure.