Your confidentiality and privacy are of the utmost importance. Federal and state laws protect these rights and your therapist may only dispense information about you with your written permission. There are, however, a few instances where limits to confidentiality exist and they are important to be notified of in advance. These include:

• Danger to self: If the therapist believes that a client is in danger of harming himself/herself (e.g. suicidal intent or inability to care for self), she may be required to take protective actions, which may include contacting the local police department, emergency medical care staff, and/or seeking appropriate hospitalization.
• Danger to others: If the therapist believes that a client is threatening serious harm to another person/s, she may be required to take protective actions; these include notifying the local police department, notifying potential victims, and/or seeking appropriate hospitalization.
• Child, Dependent Adult, or Elder Abuse. There are some situations in which the therapist is legally bound to take action to prevent others from harm, and this action may involve revealing information about you. If the therapist believes that a child (under the age of 18), elderly person (65 years of age or older in the state of CA), or a dependent adult is being harmed, she may be legally required to file a report with the designated social service agency.

With all of these situations, your therapist has your best interest at heart, as well as the safety of the community, and will put forth every effort to inform you of these processes prior to acting on them.