Privacy Policy

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Inner Strength Counseling, PLLC (“Company,” “we,” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting it through this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy governs your access to and use of counselinginnerstrength.com, including any content, functionality and services offered on or through counselinginnerstrength.com (the "Website"), whether as a guest or a registered user.

When accessing the Website, the Company will learn certain information about you, both automatically and through voluntary actions you may take, during your visit. This policy applies to information we collect on the Website and in email, text, or other electronic messages between you and the Website.

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Please read the Privacy Policy carefully before you start to use the Website. By using the Website or by clicking to accept or agree to the Terms of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by the Privacy Policy. If you do not want to agree to the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Website. 

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Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA)

This document contains important information about federal law, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), that provides privacy protections and patient rights with regard to the use and disclosure of your Protected Health Information (PHI) used for the purpose of treatment, payment, and health care operations. 

HIPAA requires that I provide you with a Notice of Privacy Practices (the Notice) for use and disclosure of PHI for treatment, payment and health care operations.  The Notice explains HIPAA and its application to your PHI in greater detail. 

The law requires that I obtain your signature acknowledging that I have provided you with this.  If you have any questions, it is your right and obligation to ask so I can have a further discussion prior to signing this document.  When you sign this document, it will also represent an agreement between us.  You may revoke this Agreement in writing at any time.  That revocation will be binding unless I have taken action in reliance on it. 

LIMITS ON CONFIDENTIALITY

The law protects the privacy of all communication between a patient and a therapist.  In most situations, I can only release information about your treatment to others if you sign a written authorization form that meets certain legal requirements imposed by HIPAA.  There are some situations where I am permitted or required to disclose information without either your consent or authorization. If such a situation arises, I will limit my disclosure to what is necessary.  Reasons I may have to release your information without authorization:

• 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 psychologist-patient privilege law.  I cannot provide any information without your (or your legal representative's) written authorization, or a court order, or if I receive a subpoena of which you have been properly notified and you have failed to inform me that you oppose the subpoena.  If you are involved in or contemplating litigation, you should consult with an attorney to determine whether a court would be likely to order me to disclose information.

• If a government agency is requesting the information for health oversight activities, within its appropriate legal authority, I may be required to provide it for them.

• If a patient files a complaint or lawsuit against me, I may disclose relevant information regarding that patient in order to defend myself.

• If a patient files a worker's compensation claim, and I am providing necessary treatment related to that claim, I must, upon appropriate request, submit treatment reports to the appropriate parties, including the patient's employer, the insurance carrier or an authorized qualified rehabilitation provider.

• I may disclose the minimum necessary health information to my business associates that perform functions on our behalf or provide us with services if the information is necessary for such functions or services.  My business associates sign agreements to protect the privacy of your information and are not allowed to use or disclose any information other than as specified in our contract.

There are some situations in which I am legally obligated to take actions, which I believe are necessary to attempt to protect others from harm, and I may have to reveal some information about a patient's treatment:

• If I know, or have reason to suspect, that a child under 18 has been abused, abandoned, or neglected by a parent, legal custodian, caregiver, or any other person responsible for the child's welfare, the law requires that I file a report with the WA Abuse Hotline.  Once such a report is filed, I may be required to provide additional information.

• If I know or have reasonable cause to suspect that a vulnerable adult has been abused, neglected, or exploited, the law requires that I file a report with the WA Abuse Hotline.  Once such a report is filed, I may be required to provide additional information.

• If I believe that there is a clear and immediate probability of physical harm to the patient, to other individuals, or to society, I may be required to disclose information to take protective action, including communicating the information to the potential victim, and/or appropriate family member, and/or the police or to seek hospitalization of the patient.

CLIENT RIGHTS AND THERAPIST DUTIES

Use and Disclosure of Protected Health Information:

• For Treatment – I use and disclose your health information internally in the course of your treatment.  If I wish to provide information outside of our practice for your treatment by another health care provider, I will have you sign an authorization for release of information.  Furthermore, an authorization is required for most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes.

• For Payment – I may use and disclose your health information to obtain payment for services provided to you as delineated in the Therapy Agreement.

• For Operations – I may use and disclose your health information as part of our internal operations.  For example, this could mean a review of records to assure quality.  I may also use your information to tell you about services, educational activities, and programs that I feel might be of interest to you. 

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Patient's Rights

• Right to Treatment – You have the right to ethical treatment without discrimination regarding race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, age, or any other protected category. 

• Right to Confidentiality – You have the right to have your health care information protected.  If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer.  I will agree to such unless a law requires us to share that information.

• Right to Request Restrictions – You have the right to request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of protected health information about you.  However, I am not required to agree to a restriction you request.

• Right to Receive Confidential Communications by Alternative Means and at Alternative Locations – You have the right to request and receive confidential communications of PHI by alternative means and at alternative locations.

• Right to Inspect and Copy – You have the right to inspect or obtain a copy (or both) of PHI.  Records must be requested in writing and release of information must be completed.  Furthermore, there is a copying fee charge of $1.25  per page.  Please make your request well in advance and allow 2 weeks to receive the copies.  If I refuse your request for access to your records, you have a right of review, which I will discuss with you upon request.

• Right to Amend – If you believe the information in your records is incorrect and/or missing important information, you can ask us to make certain changes, also known as amending, to your health information.  You have to make this request in writing.  You must tell us the reasons you want to make these changes, and I will decide if it is and if I refuse to do so, I will tell you why within 60 days. 

• Right to a Copy of This Notice – If you received the paperwork electronically, you have a copy in your email.  If you completed this paperwork in the office at your first session a copy will be provided to you per your request or at any time.

• Right to an Accounting – You generally have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of PHI regarding you.  On your request, I will discuss with you the details of the accounting process.

• Right to Choose Someone to Act for You – If someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information; I will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before I take any action. 

• Right to Choose – You have the right to decide not to receive services with me.  If you wish, I will provide you with names of other qualified professionals. 

• Right to Terminate – You have the right to terminate therapeutic services with me at any time without any legal or financial obligations other than those already accrued.  I ask that you discuss your decision with me in session before terminating or at least contact me by phone letting me know you are terminating services.

• Right to Release Information with Written Consent – With your written consent, any part of your record can be released to any person or agency you designate.  Together, we will discuss whether or not I think releasing the information in question to that person or agency might be harmful to you.

Therapist’s Duties:

I am required by law to maintain the privacy of PHI and to provide you with a notice of my legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI.  I reserve the right to change the privacy policies and practices described in this notice.  Unless I notify you of such changes, however, I am required to abide by the terms currently in effect.  If I revise my policies and procedures, I will provide you with a revised notice in office during our session.

COMPLAINTS

If you are concerned that I have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision I made about access to your records, you may contact me, the State of WA Department of Health, or the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Children Under The Age Of 13

Our Website is not intended for children under 13 years of age. No one under age 13 may provide any information to or on the Website. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are under 13, do not use or provide any information on this Website or on or through any of its features/register on the Website, make any purchases through the Website, use any of the interactive or public comment features of this Website or provide any information about yourself to us, including your name, address, telephone number, email address, or any screen name or user name you may use. If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information. If you believe we might have any information from or about a child under 13, please contact us at jmcneil@counselinginnerstrength.com

Information We Collect About You

When you access the Website, the Company will learn certain information about you during your visit.

Information You Provide To Us. The Website provides various places for users to provide information. We collect information that users provide by filling out forms on the Website, communicating with us via contact forms, responding to surveys, search queries on our search feature, providing comments or other feedback, and providing information when ordering a product or service via the Website. 

We use information you provide to us to deliver the requested product and/or service, to improve our overall performance, and to provide you with offers, promotions, and information.

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Information We Collect Through Automatic Data Collection Technology. As you navigate through our Website, we may use automatic data collection technologies including Google Analytics to collect certain information about your equipment, browsing actions, and patterns. This will generally include information about your location, your traffic pattern through our website, and any communications between your computer and our Website.  Among other things, we will collect data about the type of computer you use, your Internet connection, your IP address, your operating system, and your browser type. The information we collect automatically is used for statistical data and will not include personal information. We use this data to improve our Website and our service offerings. To the extent that you voluntarily provide personal information to us, our systems will associate the automatically collected information with your personal information.

Email Information

If you choose to correspond with us through email, we may retain the content of your email messages together with your email address and our responses. We provide the same protections for these electronic communications that we employ in the maintenance of information received online, mail, and telephone. For further information see the email policies below.

Email Policies

We are committed to keeping your e-mail address confidential. We do not sell, rent, or lease our subscription lists to third parties, and will not disclose your email address to any third parties except as allowed in the section titled Disclosure of Your Information.

We will maintain the information you send via e-mail in accordance with applicable federal law.

Disclosure Of Your Information

As a general rule, we do not sell, rent, lease or otherwise transfer any information collected whether automatically or through your voluntary action. We may disclose your personal information to our subsidiaries, affiliates, and service providers for the purpose of providing our services to you. We may disclose your personal information to a third party, including a lawyer or collection agency, when necessary to enforce our terms of service or any other agreement between you and the Company.

We may provide your information to any successor in interest in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of the Company’s assets and/or business.

We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so, in other words, when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it or for the protection of our legal rights or when compelled by a court or other governmental entity to do so.

How We Protect Your Information and Secure Information Transmissions

We employ commercially reasonable methods to ensure the security of the information you provide to us and the information we collect automatically. Email is not recognized as a secure medium of communication. For this reason, we request that you do not send private information to us by email. However, doing so is allowed, but at your own risk. Some of the information you may enter on our website may be transmitted securely via a secure medium known as Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL. Credit Card information and other sensitive information is never transmitted via email. The Company may use software programs to create summary statistics, which are used for such purposes as assessing the number of visitors to the different sections of our site, what information is of most and least interest, determining technical design specifications, and identifying system performance or problem areas.

For site security purposes and to ensure that this service remains available to all users, the Company uses software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage.

Policy Changes

It is our policy to post any changes we make to our privacy policy on this page. If we make material changes to how we treat our users' personal information, we will notify you by email to the email address specified in your account and/or through a notice on the Website home page. The date the privacy policy was last revised is identified at the bottom of the page. You are responsible for ensuring we have an up-to-date active and deliverable email address for you, and for periodically visiting our website and this privacy policy to check for any changes.

Contact Us

We welcome your questions or comments regarding the Privacy Policy:

Inner Strength Counseling, PLLC

Email Address: jmcneil@counselinginnerstrength.com

Effective as of JULY 23, 2023