According to California laws you are protected by confidentiality in your discussions with me. This means that I am legally prohibited from revealing any information about your visits, including that you are in therapy in the first place. I am also required to hold the privilege for you even after therapy has terminated. In another word I can not tell anything about you to anyone without your permission.

Holding your privilege is a very serious and important part of therapy, even when you have had committed a crime. However in California law, there are several exceptions to the confidentiality of psychotherapy such as:

• If I think that you are likely to hurt yourself or someone else, I am required by law to break confidentiality in order to protect you or someone you might endanger, from harm.
• If I have reason to believe that a child, elderly or disabled person have been or may be abused or neglected, I am mandated to report injury inflicted by others; sexual abuse; mental suffering; neglect; cruelty and statutory rape.

By law, I am required to keep some basic records about the therapy sessions I conduct and it is your right to ask for your records and see them. These usually consist of the dates of the sessions, fees and payments, and clinical notes that describe the treatment.

Finally you always have the right to ask me questions, whether these are about how the therapy will operate or about my credentials and training. If you are not satisfied with the therapy, you can end it at any time. Be sure, however, that you're not terminating simply because you're feeling bad—that's to be expected as the therapy does its work.