Notice of Privacy Practices

Your Information. Your Rights. Our Responsibilities.

You may print this page, or ask us for a paper copy at any time.

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.

Effective date: November 12, 2026

This notice applies to Core, A Licensed Clinical Social Worker Corporation, doing business as Core Therapy (“Core Therapy,” “we,” “us”), including all of our therapists, interns and staff. Core Therapy provides mental health services by telehealth in California.

If you have questions about this notice or want to use any of the rights below, contact our Privacy Officer:

Mail: Core Therapy, Attn: Privacy Officer, 135 W Cypress Ave, Monrovia, CA 91016
Phone: (888) 611-9338
Email: info@corelcsw.com

Your Rights

When it comes to your health information, you have certain rights. This section explains your rights and some of our responsibilities to help you.

Get a copy of your health record

You can ask to see or get an electronic or paper copy of your health record and other health information we have about you. Ask us how to do this.
Under California law, we will let you inspect your record within 5 working days of your written request and provide copies within 15 days. Under federal law we must respond no later than 30 days. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.
In limited cases a therapist may decline to give you direct access to parts of your mental health record if the therapist determines that seeing them would create a substantial risk of significant adverse or harmful consequences to you. If that happens, we will tell you in writing and you may ask that a licensed health care professional of your choice be allowed to review the record on your behalf.
Psychotherapy notes (a therapist’s separate personal notes analyzing session content) are not part of the record you are entitled to access under HIPAA.

Ask us to correct your health record

You can ask us to correct health information about you that you think is incorrect or incomplete. Ask us how to do this.
We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days. You may also add a written statement of up to 250 words about anything in your record you believe is incorrect or incomplete, and we will attach it to your record.

Request confidential communications

You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, a particular phone number or email address) or to send mail to a different address.
We will say “yes” to all reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or share

You can ask us not to use or share certain health information for treatment, payment, or our operations. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if it would affect your care.
If you pay for a service out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share information about that service with your health insurer for payment or our operations. We will say “yes” unless a law requires us to share that information.

Get a list of those with whom we’ve shared information

You can ask for a list (accounting) of the times we’ve shared your health information for six years prior to the date you ask, who we shared it with, and why.
We will include all disclosures except those about treatment, payment, and health care operations, and certain other disclosures (such as any you asked us to make). We will provide one accounting a year for free but may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee if you ask for another one within 12 months.

Get a copy of this privacy notice

You can ask for a paper copy of this notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically. This notice is also posted at coretherapyonline.com/notice-of-privacy-practices.

Choose someone to act for you

If you have given someone medical power of attorney or if someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights and make choices about your health information. We will make sure the person has this authority before we take any action.

File a complaint if you feel your rights are violated

You can complain if you feel we have violated your rights by contacting our Privacy Officer using the information above.
You can file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights by sending a letter to 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201, calling 1-877-696-6775, or visiting www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/.
We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your Choices

For certain health information, you can tell us your choices about what we share. If you have a clear preference for how we share your information in the situations described below, talk to us. Tell us what you want us to do, and we will follow your instructions.

In these cases, you have both the right and choice to tell us to:

Share information with your family, close friends, or others involved in your care or in paying for your care.
Share information in a disaster relief situation.

If you are not able to tell us your preference, for example if you are unconscious, we may go ahead and share your information if we believe it is in your best interest. We may also share your information when needed to lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

In these cases we never share your information unless you give us written permission:

Marketing purposes
Sale of your information
Most sharing of psychotherapy notes

Core Therapy does not sell your health information and does not use it for marketing.

Our Uses and Disclosures

How do we typically use or share your health information?

Treat you. We can use your health information and share it with other professionals who are treating you. Example: with your knowledge, your therapist may coordinate with your psychiatrist or primary care doctor about your care. Within Core Therapy, clinical supervisors and supervised clinicians and interns may review your information as part of your care.

Run our practice. We can use and share your health information to run our practice, improve your care, and contact you when necessary. Examples: scheduling and sending appointment reminders by text, email or phone; quality review; clinical supervision; training; and compliance activities.

Bill for your services. We can use and share your health information to bill and get payment from health plans or other entities. Example: we give information about you to your health insurance plan so it will pay for your services.

Service providers. We use outside companies to help us operate, such as our electronic health record, telehealth, scheduling, communications, billing and payment vendors. When these companies handle your health information, they must sign a business associate agreement that requires them to protect it.

How else can we use or share your health information?

We are allowed or required to share your information in other ways, usually in ways that contribute to the public good, such as public health and research. We have to meet many conditions in the law before we can share your information for these purposes.

Help with public health and safety issues, such as reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or domestic violence, and preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
Do research, when the law allows it.
Comply with the law, including sharing information with the Department of Health and Human Services if it wants to see that we are complying with federal privacy law.
Respond to organ and tissue donation requests and work with a medical examiner or funeral director.
Address workers’ compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests: for workers’ compensation claims; for law enforcement purposes or with a law enforcement official; with health oversight agencies (such as licensing boards) for activities authorized by law; and for special government functions such as military, national security, and presidential protective services.
Respond to lawsuits and legal actions, such as in response to a court or administrative order, or in response to a subpoena.

California Law and Mental Health Information

California’s Confidentiality of Medical Information Act and other state laws often give your mental health information more protection than federal law. When a California law is stricter than HIPAA, we follow the stricter law. Some situations where California law requires or permits disclosure without your authorization:

Child abuse or neglect. Therapists are mandated reporters and must report reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect to child protective services or law enforcement.
Elder or dependent adult abuse. Therapists must report known or suspected abuse of an elder (65 or older) or dependent adult.
Serious threat of violence. If you communicate a serious threat of physical violence against a reasonably identifiable victim, your therapist has a duty to make reasonable efforts to warn the victim and notify law enforcement.
Danger to self. If your therapist believes you are a danger to yourself, they may share information as needed to protect you, including with emergency services or a family member.
Court orders and subpoenas. In most legal proceedings your therapy communications are protected by the psychotherapist-patient privilege. We will release information only as required by law, and we will make reasonable efforts to notify you first.

Minors

Under California law, a minor 12 years of age or older may consent to outpatient mental health treatment in some circumstances. When a minor consents to their own care, the minor generally controls access to the related records, and a parent or guardian may not have the right to see them. When a parent or guardian consents to a minor’s care, the parent or guardian generally may access the records unless the therapist determines that access would harm the therapeutic relationship or the minor’s well-being.

Communicating electronically

With your permission, we may communicate with you by text message or email. These methods carry some risk that information could be read by others. You may ask us to use a different method at any time, and you can opt out of text messages by replying STOP.

Substance Use Disorder Records (42 CFR Part 2)

Core Therapy is not a federally assisted substance use disorder treatment program. If we receive substance use disorder treatment records from such a program that are protected by federal law (42 CFR Part 2), we will use and share those records only as permitted by that law. In particular, we will not use or share those records, or testimony about their content, in any civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigation or proceeding against you unless you give written consent or a court orders it after giving you notice and an opportunity to be heard. Records shared with us under your written consent for treatment, payment, and health care operations may be further shared as allowed by HIPAA. We will not use Part 2 records for fundraising.

Our Responsibilities

We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of your protected health information.
We will let you know promptly if a breach occurs that may have compromised the privacy or security of your information.
We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in this notice and give you a copy of it.
We will not use or share your information other than as described here unless you tell us we can in writing. If you tell us we can, you may change your mind at any time. Let us know in writing if you change your mind.

Changes to the Terms of This Notice

We can change the terms of this notice, and the changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new notice will be available upon request and on our website at coretherapyonline.com.