Privacy policy
Issues in clinical consulting, therapeutic placement, outpatient therapy and family mental health are private and are considered legally protected as privileged information. However, there are exceptions to this confidentiality. These exceptions include but are not limited to:
1. If you reveal to Cobalt Family Consulting, or if Cobalt Family Consulting determines in their professional opinion, your suicidal thoughts and intentions present a real danger, Cobalt Family Consulting will do all in their power to keep you safe. Cobalt Family Consulting believes there is always ambiguity around suicide and will act in support of those parts of you who wish to live.
2. If you reveal to Cobalt Family Consulting, or if they determine that you present a physical danger to someone else, Cobalt Family Consulting has a duty to warn him or her.
3. Cobalt Family Consulting is legally bound to report the abuse of children and elders.
4. If you are involved or may in the future be involved in litigation of any kind and your mental health becomes an issue before the court, your treatment records may be mandated for disclosure to the court, but only by duly authorized court order.
5. If you ask Cobalt Family Consulting to share information for the coordination or continuation of care and sign a Release of Information form.
6. Cobalt Family Consulting NO SECRETS policy with couples & families:
When Cobalt Family Consulting agrees to work with a couple or family (the treatment unit), they consider the couple or family to be the client until or unless that initial contract is changed by mutual consent. Cobalt Family Consulting may need to share information learned in an individual discussion with the entire treatment unit that is, the family or the member of the couple, if Cobalt Family Consulting is to be effective with the treatment unit. Please know Cobalt Family Consulting will not hold secrets since - as you can imagine - this would utterly undermine trust and the healing will be sabotaged. It is very common for Cobalt Family Consulting to see different combinations within any treatment period with a couple or family. Seeing one person does not mean that everything that happens will be shared with everyone else, only that Cobalt Family Consulting can’t hold onto secrets. If a couple comes to Cobalt Family Consulting seeking to repair the marriage or the family, “the marriage” or “the family” is our client. If during the course of treatment it becomes apparent that one partner or family member wants to leave the relationship, this then becomes a conversation until:
a. All parties agree to a separation/divorce and the focus of therapy then becomes a conscious separation/divorce; or
b. Both parties agree to continue working on the marriage or healing of the whole family unit; or
c. One family member or partner leaves the relationship and the remaining member or partner establishes new goals for therapy.