Confidentiality is of utmost importance. You cannot feel free to talk about your most intimate thoughts, feelings and actions unless you know that your privacy will be completely respected.

At Elayne Tanner & Associates Inc. we know the importance of complete confidentiality. No information will be passed on to others without your signed agreement. In some certain circumstances a verbal consent may suffice.

This means that if, for example, your physician, lawyer, child, partner or parent attempt to receive information, they will be denied. In fact, they will not even get confirmation that you are a client. This can be awkward at times. Sometimes someone who knows of Elayne Tanner & Associates Inc. will refer a friend. They will wonder why we do not thank them for the referral, or they might ask if you attended and how you are doing. We cannot give them any information that will compromise your confidentiality.

There are some limitations to confidentiality. Parents of children under the age of 16 have the right to access their child’s information. If the client is a child under the age of 16, the parents are asked to respect the child’s privacy as much as is possible and appropriate, depending on the age of the child. It is understood, however, that if there is reason to be concerned, the child’s well being comes first and the parent will be informed.

Confidentiality cannot be maintained if there is any indication of on-going child abuse. Any indication of child abuse must and will be reported immediately. This is the law and applies to any professional. We do not investigate nor verify the abuse before reporting. We will gladly support you through any subsequent investigation.

If for any reason, a file were subpoenaed, it would have to be presented to the court. This is very rare and not likely to occur. We would certainly support your right to privacy if this were to happen. Unless you were involved in a legal dispute for which the information in the file was relevant and the opposing party was aware of the existing file, this is immaterial.

The only other time than confidentiality could be breached would be if you had indicated that upon leaving your session, you intended to commit suicide or seriously harm another individual. At that time, someone would be contacted in order to keep you safe. The minimal amount of information necessary would be given so that your confidentiality would be protected as much as possible.

In smaller communities, confidentiality may be even more of a concern because you are likely to see your therapist in other settings and your therapist is likely to know people that you know. Rest assured, your confidentiality is of paramount concern to us and will be maintained.