Clients and former clients may request copies of their health care records from Turning Point Counseling & Wellness Services by emailing the request to info@tpcws.org. All requests will be acknowledged within two business days.
To avoid delays, please include:
Full name and date of birth
Phone number and/or email address
Description of records requested (entire record or specific dates)
Preferred delivery method (secure email, mail, or pick-up)
If requesting records on behalf of another person, documentation showing legal authority (such as guardianship or medical power of attorney) is required.
Identity verification may be required to protect patient privacy.
A therapist may disclose confidential information to medical or law enforcement personnel if they determine there is a probability of:
Imminent physical injury by the patient to themselves (suicide risk).
Imminent physical injury to another person (threat of violence).
Immediate mental or emotional injury to the patient.
*Note on “Duty to Warn”: While Texas law permits disclosure to law enforcement to protect others, Texas courts have historically been more restrictive than other states regarding a therapist’s “duty to warn” a specific third-party victim directly, emphasizing reporting to authorities instead.
Therapists are mandatory reporters. They must break confidentiality and file a report with the Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and/or local law enforcement if they suspect and/or are informed by the client:
Child Abuse or Neglect: Suspected abuse of anyone under 18 years old. Professionals must report this within 48 hours of discovery.
Elder Abuse: Abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of an adult aged 65 or older.
Disabled Adult Abuse: Abuse of any adult with a disability.
Confidentiality may be waived or bypassed in judicial or administrative settings if:
A judge issues a court order or a specific subpoena for the records.
The patient is involved in a lawsuit where their mental condition is an element of the claim (e.g., claiming emotional distress).
The therapist is being evaluated by a court-appointed examiner.
The patient files a malpractice suit or formal complaint against the therapist.
Disclosure without specific session-by-session consent is also allowed for:
Billing and Payment: Sharing minimal necessary info with insurance companies to secure payment.
Treatment Teams: Sharing information with other professionals within TPCWS who are participating in the patient’s care.
Deceased Patients: Releasing information to a personal representative of a deceased patient.
In accordance with Texas House Bill 4224 (89th Regular Session) and Texas Health & Safety Code §181.105, Turning Point Counseling & Wellness Services provides the following information to assist consumers in:
Requesting health care records
Contacting the licensing authority
Filing a consumer complaint
If you believe your rights have been violated or you wish to file a consumer complaint, you may contact the Office of the Texas Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division.
You can file a complaint online at:https://www.texasattorneygeneral.gov/consumer-protection/file-consumer-complaint
This process is independent of the practice and allows consumers to raise concerns related to services provided in Texas.
These disclosures are provided in accordance with Texas House Bill 4224 and Texas Health & Safety Code §181.105
If you would like to contact the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (BHEC), which oversees behavioral health licensing boards in Texas, you may do so using the information below:
Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council
Website: https://www.bhec.texas.gov
Contact Page: https://www.bhec.texas.gov/contact-us
The Council can provide information about licensure, regulations, and the complaint process.
NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES (updated: 12/1/25)
THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW HEALTH INFORMATION MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.
TPCWS understands that your health information and your health care are personal. TPCWS is committed to protecting your health information. TPCWS creates a record of the care and services you receive from TPCWS. TPCWS needs this record to provide you with quality care and to comply with certain legal requirements. This notice applies to all of the records of your care generated by this mental health care practice. This notice explains how TPCWS may use and disclose your health information. It will also describe your rights to the health information TPCWS keeps about you, and describe certain obligations TPCWS has regarding the use and disclosure of your health information.
TPCWS is required by law to:
Make sure that any protected health information (“PHI”) that identifies you remains private.
Give you this notice of my legal duties and privacy practices regarding health information.
Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.
TPCWS can change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information TPCWS has about you. The new Notice will be available upon request and on TPCWS’ website.
LAWSUITS AND DISPUTES
If you are involved in a lawsuit, TPCWS may disclose health information in response to a court or administrative order.
TPCWS may also disclose health information about your child in response to a subpoena, discovery request, or other lawful process by someone else involved in the dispute, but only if efforts have been made to tell you about the request or to obtain an order protecting the information requested.
If TPCWS is required to attend court, the counselor’s hourly rate will be applied to all time necessary to prepare, travel time, and time in court.
CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION.
Subject to certain limitations in the law, your counselor can use and disclose your PHI without your Authorization for the following reasons:
When disclosure is required by state or federal law, and the use or disclosure complies with and is limited to the relevant requirements of such law.
For public health activities, including reporting suspected child, elder, or dependent adult abuse, or preventing or reducing a serious threat to anyone’s health or safety.
For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
For judicial and administrative proceedings, including responding to a court or administrative order, although my preference is to obtain an Authorization from you before doing so.
For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on my premises.
To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.
CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT.
Disclosures to family, friends, or others. I may provide your PHI to a family member, friend, or other person that you indicate is involved in your care or the payment for your health care, unless you object in whole or in part. The opportunity to consent may be obtained retroactively in emergency situations.
YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR PHI:
Under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), you have certain rights regarding the use and disclosure of your protected health information.
The Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI. You have the right to ask your counselor not to use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. Your counselor is not required to agree to your request, and may say “no” if they believe it would affect your health care.
The Right to Request Restrictions for Out-of-Pocket Expenses Paid for In Full. You have the right to request restrictions on disclosures of your PHI to health plans for payment or health care operations purposes if the PHI pertains solely to a health care item or a health care service that you have paid for out-of-pocket in full.
The Right to Choose How Your Counselor Sends PHI to You. You have the right to ask me to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address, and I will agree to all reasonable requests.
The Right to See and Get Copies of Your PHI. Other than “psychotherapy notes,” you have the right to get an electronic or paper copy of your medical record and other information that your counselor has about you. Your counselor will provide you with a copy of your record, or a summary of it, if you agree to receive a summary, within 30 days of receiving your written request, and your counselor may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee for doing so.
The Right to Correct or Update Your PHI. If you believe that there is a mistake in your PHI, or that a piece of important information is missing from your PHI, you have the right to request that your counselor correct the existing information or add the missing information. Your counselor may say “no” to your request, but will tell you why in writing within 60 days of receiving your request.
The Right to Get a Paper or Electronic Copy of this Notice. You have the right to request a paper copy of this Notice, and you have the right to get a copy of this notice by e-mail. And, even if you have agreed to receive this Notice via e-mail, you also have the right to request a paper copy of it.
EFFECTIVE DATE OF THIS NOTICE
This notice went into effect on 12/1/25