Confidentiality and your records

The Clinic staff will safeguard your confidentiality and your relationship with the Clinic will not be revealed to anyone without your prior written consent. All information discussed in assessment and psychotherapy sessions will remain confidential and will not be revealed without your written permission, unless one of the following conditions apply:

• If you are judged suicidal or homicidal, your therapist/evaluator will be obligated to take special precautions in order to ensure no harm is done. If suicidal tendencies are observed, the therapist/evaluator may need to contact friends, family members, or other helping professionals in order to protect you. If you threaten to physically harm another person, the therapist/evaluator is obligated to inform the police and attempt to warn the intended victim.
• If a reasonable suspicion of child abuse exists, the therapist/evaluator is obligated to inform the local child protection agencies in order to protect the child.
• If you make your psychological status an issue in a court of law, or your evaluation has been ordered by a court of law, your therapist/evaluator may be legally obligated to disclose aspects of your assessment and therapy to the court (such as diagnosis and number if sessions; specific details are rarely relevant to court proceedings).
• Your therapist/evaluator or his/her supervisor may need to discuss your problems with another professional in order to ensure you get the best possible treatment that is available. When this is done, your name or other identifying information will not be revealed.

If confidentiality is broken or your records released because of any of the above reasons, you will be notified.

Ethics

Therapists at the CWRU Psychology Clinic follow the standards of Professional Conduct of the American Psychological Association. We do not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, race or ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, or ability/disability.

Supervision

The CWRU Psychology clinic functions as a training facility for graduate students in the Department of Psychology. All graduate student therapists are closely supervised by licensed clinical psychologists. As a part of providing adequate supervision, it is necessary for sessions to be audio and/or videotaped. Audio and video recordings are used only for approved training purposes and are destroyed on a weekly basis after use in supervision. You will always be notified ahead of time if the session will be observed or recorded, and you have the right to refuse being observed or recorded. Consent for recording of sessions is required of all clients who receive CWRU Psychology Clinic services and is completed during your intake appointment.

Electronic Records

All CWRU Psychology Clinic documents are stored securely in HIPAA-compliant and encrypted software.