Confidentiality

All interactions with CAPS at Cal Maritime, including scheduling and attendance for appointments, content of your sessions, and your records, are confidential as determined by federal and state laws as well as professional codes of ethics. Your legal status will never be included in your records. You may request in writing that the office staff release specific information about your services to persons you designate.

All CAPS counselors are expected to maintain confidentiality of all protected health information (PHI).  This includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • Name
  • Physical description
  • Demographic information (e.g., ethnicity, gender identity, able-bodiedness, etc.)
  • Contact information
  • Date(s) of service
  • Presenting problem(s)
  • Diagnosis/es
  • Information shared over the phone, in person, via letter, email, fax, or any other electronic means

Counselors may disclose confidential client information only under the following conditions:

  • Signed, written release of information from the client that is current (i.e., signed within the past 12 months).
  • Disclosure to medical providers. As an integrated service within SHC, CAPS counselors may disclose PHI to medical providers when there is a clinically relevant reason for communication (e.g., holistic care, continuity of care). Disclosure is done on a need-to-know basis, with the least information necessary disclosed. Counselors are encouraged to share their intent to disclose with clients and give serious consideration to contraindications (e.g., client's preference for privacy, potential for harm).
  • The client presents an imminent danger to himself/herself.
  • The client presents an imminent danger to a readily identifiable person or group of persons or property (including disclosure to the Behavioral Intervention Team [BIT] team).
  • The client is gravely disabled.
  • The client has shared information regarding abuse (e.g., physical, sexual, neglect, financial, etc.) of a child (i.e., person under age 18), elder (i.e., person over age 65), or dependent adult (i.e., person over age 18 who is in the legal custody of another person).