Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date: July 25, 2026

This notice applies to Joseph Heggins Psychotherapy, a service of Individual and Couples Counseling of Houston, PLLC.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Obtain an electronic or paper copy of your health record.
• Ask us to correct information you believe is incorrect or incomplete.
• Request that we communicate with you in a particular way or at a particular location.
• Ask us to limit certain uses or disclosures of your information.
• Obtain a list of certain disclosures we have made.
• Obtain a paper copy of this notice.
• Choose someone legally authorized to act for you.
• File a complaint if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.

Obtain a copy of your health record

You may ask to see or receive an electronic or paper copy of your health record and other protected health information we maintain about you. We will ordinarily provide a copy or summary within 30 days of receiving your request. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee as permitted by law.

Psychotherapy notes receive additional legal protection and generally are not included in the ordinary right of access to the clinical record.

Ask us to correct your record

You may ask us to correct health information that you believe is incorrect or incomplete. We may deny the request in certain circumstances, but we will explain the denial in writing within the time required by law.

Request confidential communications

You may ask us to contact you in a particular way, such as by telephone, email, or mail, or to send communications to a different address. We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Ask us to limit what we use or disclose

You may ask us not to use or disclose certain information for treatment, payment, or healthcare operations. We are not generally required to agree, and we may decline when the restriction could affect your care or our ability to operate the practice.

If you pay for a service completely out of pocket, you may ask us not to disclose information about that service to your health plan for payment or healthcare operations. We will honor that request unless disclosure is required by law.

Obtain an accounting of disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures of your protected health information made during the six years before your request. The accounting does not include disclosures for treatment, payment, healthcare operations, disclosures you authorized, and certain other disclosures excluded by law.

One accounting during any 12-month period will be provided without charge. A reasonable, cost-based fee may apply to additional requests during the same period.

Choose someone to act for you

If a person has legal authority to act as your personal representative, that person may exercise your privacy rights. We will verify the person’s authority before taking action.

File a privacy complaint

You may contact the practice if you believe your privacy rights have been violated:

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

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Your choices

For certain health information, you may tell us your preferences regarding disclosure. This may include sharing information with family members, close friends, or others involved in your care or payment for your care.

If you are unable to communicate your preference, we may disclose information when we reasonably believe it is in your best interest or when necessary to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to health or safety.

We will obtain your written authorization before:

• Using or disclosing your information for most marketing purposes.
• Selling your protected health information.
• Disclosing most psychotherapy notes.
• Making other disclosures not otherwise permitted by law.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Revocation will not affect actions already taken in reliance on the authorization.

How we may use and disclose your information

Treatment

We may use your information and disclose it to other professionals involved in your care when permitted by law.

Payment

We may use and disclose information to bill and obtain payment from you, your health plan, or another responsible entity.

Healthcare operations

We may use and disclose information to operate the practice, coordinate services, assess quality, conduct administrative activities, and comply with professional and legal obligations.

Public health and safety

We may disclose information when legally permitted or required for matters such as:

• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
• Preventing or reducing a serious threat to health or safety.
• Responding to legally authorized public-health activities.
• Reporting certain adverse events or risks as required by law.

Compliance with law

We may disclose information when required by federal or state law, including to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services when it is reviewing our compliance with federal privacy requirements.

Health oversight, law enforcement, and government functions

We may disclose information for legally authorized health-oversight activities, workers’ compensation matters, law-enforcement purposes, and certain government functions.

Judicial and administrative proceedings

We may disclose information in response to a valid court or administrative order or as otherwise permitted or required by law. Additional protections may apply to mental-health records, psychotherapy notes, and substance-use-disorder records.

Medical examiners and funeral directors

We may disclose information to a coroner, medical examiner, or funeral director when authorized by law.

Research

We may use or disclose information for research only when the applicable legal requirements have been satisfied.

Additional protections for mental-health and substance-use information

Texas law may provide greater protection to mental-health records than federal law. We will not disclose mental-health treatment records without written authorization unless the disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.

Psychotherapy notes generally require separate written authorization for disclosure, except in limited circumstances permitted by law.

To the extent the practice maintains substance-use-disorder patient records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, those records will not be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you unless authorized by your written consent or by a qualifying court order and subpoena.

Our responsibilities

• We are required by law to maintain the privacy and security of protected health information.
• We will notify affected individuals as required if a breach may have compromised the privacy or security of their information.
• We must follow the duties and privacy practices described in the currently effective notice.
• We will not use or disclose information other than as described in this notice unless you authorize us in writing or the law permits or requires the use or disclosure.
• We do not sell protected health information.

Changes to this notice

We may revise this notice. A revised notice may apply to information already maintained by the practice as well as information received in the future. The current version will be available on this website and upon request.