Notice of Privacy Practices

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

What you share in therapy is private, and protecting it is part of my job. This notice explains, as plainly as I can, when the law allows or requires me to use or share your health information, and the rights you have over it. If anything here is unclear, please ask me.

The last section, About this website, explains what this website collects, which is almost nothing.

In this notice, "I" and "me" mean Sarah Hoogerwerf, Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, A Professional Corporation, and "your health information" means information about you and your care that identifies you, including records of your sessions and billing.

My responsibilities

• I am required by law to keep your health information private and to give you this notice of my legal duties and privacy practices.
• I must follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
• I will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
• I will not use or share your information in ways other than those described here unless you tell me I can in writing. You can change your mind at any time by letting me know in writing.

California law, including the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act, sometimes protects mental health information more strictly than federal law. When it does, I follow the stricter rule.

How I use and share your information

For your treatment

I use your information to provide your care. With your permission, I may share it with other professionals involved in your care, such as your doctor or psychiatrist.

To get paid

If you use insurance, I share the information your plan needs to process claims, such as dates of service, diagnosis, and the type of service. I share only what is needed.

To run my practice

I may use your information for the everyday work of a practice, such as keeping records, scheduling, sending appointment reminders, billing, and reviewing the quality of my work. I also work with companies that help me run my practice, such as my electronic health record and billing services. They are called business associates, and they must sign an agreement to protect your information as I do.

With people involved in your care

If you tell me someone is involved in your care or in paying for it, such as a family member or partner, I may share information with them that's relevant to that role, unless you tell me not to. In an emergency, when you can't tell me your wishes, I'll use my professional judgment and share only what's needed.

When the law allows or requires me to share information

Some disclosures don't need your written permission. In each case I share only what is necessary.

• To prevent serious harm. If you tell me about a serious threat of violence against a reasonably identifiable person, California law may require me to warn that person and law enforcement. I may also share information when I believe it is necessary to prevent a serious and imminent threat to your safety or someone else's.
• Abuse and neglect. As a mandated reporter, I must report suspected abuse or neglect of a child, an elder, or a dependent adult to the appropriate authorities.
• When required by law. I will share information when federal, state, or local law requires it.
• Health oversight. I may share information with agencies that oversee health care, such as my licensing board, for audits, investigations, and inspections.
• Legal proceedings. I may share information in response to a court order. For a subpoena or other legal request, I will follow California law, which usually requires your written permission or a court order.
• Law enforcement and government functions. I may share information in limited situations the law permits, such as for specialized government functions or to a coroner or medical examiner.
• Workers' compensation. I may share information as needed to comply with workers' compensation laws.

When I need your written permission

• Psychotherapy notes. Most uses and disclosures of notes I keep separately about our sessions require your written authorization.
• Marketing and sale of information. I do not use your information for marketing, and I never sell it.
• Anything else not described in this notice.

You can revoke an authorization at any time by telling me in writing. That won't undo anything I already shared while the authorization was in place.

I do not do fundraising, so your information will never be used for that.

Substance use disorder records

Some records of substance use disorder treatment are protected by an additional federal law, 42 CFR Part 2. If I receive records from a program covered by that law, I will use and share them only as Part 2 allows. That usually means with your written consent. I will not share them again except as the law permits.

Records protected by Part 2, and testimony describing them, will not be used or shared in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative proceeding against you unless you give written consent or a court orders it after giving you notice and a chance to be heard.

Artificial intelligence (AI)

I don't currently use artificial intelligence tools in my practice. Your sessions aren't recorded or transcribed, and no AI tool reads, summarizes, or writes anything about you.

Some practice management systems now offer AI features, such as help drafting notes. If I ever decide to use one, I'll update this notice first, tell you what the tool does and who provides it, and ask for your consent before using it with your information. Any company that handles your information this way must sign an agreement to protect it, like my other business associates. You can say no, and it won't affect your care.

Your rights

• See and get a copy of your records. You can ask to see or get a copy of your health information, on paper or electronically. I will respond within the time limits set by federal and California law and may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee. In rare cases, I may deny part of a request, and I will explain why in writing.
• Ask me to correct your records. If you think information in your record is wrong or incomplete, you can ask me in writing to correct it. If I say no, I will explain why in writing.
• Ask for confidential communication. You can ask me to contact you in a particular way or at a particular address, for example only on your cell phone. I will agree to reasonable requests.
• Ask me to limit what I use or share. You can ask me not to use or share certain information. I am not required to agree in most cases, but if you pay for a service in full out of pocket, you can ask me not to share information about it with your health plan, and I will agree unless the law requires otherwise.
• Get a list of disclosures. You can ask for a list of the times I shared your information in the six years before your request, who I shared it with, and why. This list doesn't include disclosures for treatment, payment, or running my practice, or ones you asked me to make. The first list in any 12-month period is free.
• Get a copy of this notice. You can ask for a paper copy at any time, even if you agreed to receive it electronically.
• Choose someone to act for you. If you have given someone medical power of attorney, or someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights. I will confirm they have this authority first.
• File a complaint. See below.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, please tell me first. You can reach me at (619) 848-6007 or sarah@hoogerwerftherapy.com.

You can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights:

• Online at ocrportal.hhs.gov
• By phone at 1-800-368-1019 (TDD 1-800-537-7697)
• By mail to Centralized Case Management Operations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 509F, HHH Bldg., Washington, D.C. 20201

I will never retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Changes to this notice

I can change this notice, and the changes will apply to all the information I have about you. The current version will always be on this website, and I will give you a copy on request.

Contact

Sarah Hoogerwerf, Privacy Officer
(619) 848-6007 · sarah@hoogerwerftherapy.com

About this website

This section covers https://hoogerwerftherapy.com itself. It's short, because this site collects almost nothing.

What this site collects

• No cookies, analytics, or tracking. This site does not use cookies, tracking pixels, advertising tools, or analytics of any kind.
• No forms or accounts. There is nothing to sign up for and no form that stores what you type.
• Basic technical data. Like every website, this one is delivered by a hosting provider, Cloudflare. To deliver pages and protect the site from abuse, Cloudflare may process technical information such as your IP address, browser type, and the pages you request. I don't use this information to identify you, and I don't combine it with anything else.
• Traffic totals. Cloudflare shows me overall numbers, such as how many requests the site received and roughly which countries they came from. These are totals only. They don't use cookies or scripts, and they don't tell me who visited or let me follow anyone around the site.

When you contact me

If you email, call, or text me, I receive the information you choose to send, such as your name, phone number, email address, and message. I use it only to respond to you and to schedule a consultation. I don't sell, rent, or share it for advertising or marketing.

Email and text messages are not fully secure. Please don't include details about your health or the reasons you're seeking therapy. We can talk about those on the phone or in session.

The "Request a consultation" buttons take you to a secure scheduling page run by SimplePractice, a practice management system for health care providers. Information you enter there is handled under SimplePractice's privacy policy and this notice.

Do Not Track

Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" signal. Because this site doesn't track visitors across websites or over time, it behaves the same whether or not that signal is on.

Children

This site is meant for adults and is not directed to children under 13.

Your contact information

To ask what contact information I have from you, or to have it corrected or deleted, email sarah@hoogerwerftherapy.com or call (619) 848-6007. Some records must be kept for a period required by law.

If this section changes, I'll post the new version here and update the effective date above.