Website Privacy Policy

Welcome to the Amanda Baker Counseling website. This privacy policy is meant to help you understand what data we collect, why we collect it, and what we do with it.

We may collect personal identification information (Name, email address, phone number, etc.) when you visit our website, register on the site, place an order, fill out a form, and in connection with other activities, services, features, or resources we make available on our site.

How we use your information:

Amanda Baker Counseling may use the information we collect in the following ways:

To personalize your experience
To improve our website
To process transactions
To send periodic emails

How we protect your information:
We adopt appropriate data collection, storage, and processing practices and security measures to protect against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure or destruction of your personal information and data stored on our site.

Cookies:
Our website uses 'cookies' to enhance user experience. Your web browser places cookies on your hard drive for record-keeping purposes and sometimes to track information about them. You may choose to set your web browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent.

Third-party websites:
Users may find advertising or other content on our site that link to the sites and services of our partners, suppliers, advertisers, sponsors, licensors and other third parties. We do not control the content or links that appear on these sites and are not responsible for the practices employed by websites linked to or from our site.

Changes to this privacy policy:
Amanda Baker Counseling has the discretion to update this privacy policy at any time. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We encourage users to frequently check this page for any changes to stay informed about how we are helping to protect the personal information we collect. By using this site, you signify your acceptance of this policy. If you do not agree to this policy, please do not use our site. Your continued use of the site following the posting of changes to this policy will be deemed your acceptance of those changes.

Contacting us:
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site, please contact us at:
 Amanda Baker Counseling
1653 Merriman Rd. Ste. 116
Akron, OH 44313
Ph: (330) 203-1844

NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES: THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW PSYCHOLOGICAL AND MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED, AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Our goal is to take appropriate steps to attempt to safeguard any medical or other personal information that is provided to us. The Privacy Rule under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires us to: (1) Maintain the privacy of medical information provided to us; (2) provide notice of our legal duties and privacy practices; and (3) abide by the terms of our Notice of Privacy Practices currently in effect.

OUR PLEDGE REGARDING HEALTH INFORMATION:

We understand that health information about you and your health care is personal. We are committed to protecting health information about you. We create a record of the care and services you receive from us. We need 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 will tell you about the ways in which we may use and disclose health information about you.
To help clarify these terms, here are some definitions:
“PHI”- refers to personal and identifiable health information about you in your health record.
“Treatment and Health Care Operations”: Treatment is when we provide, coordinate or manage your health care and other services related to your healthcare. An example of treatment would be when we consult with another health care provider, such as your physician or another psychologist, social worker or counselor.
“Health Care Operations” are activities that relate to the performance and operation of our agency. Examples of health care operations are quality assessment and improvement activities, business-related matters such as audits and administrative services, billing of service and payment activities, and case management and care coordination. Examples of payment activities include: (a)billing and collection activities and related data processing; (b) actions by a health plan or insurer to obtain information, or to determine or fulfill its responsibilities for coverage, and provision of benefits under its health plan or insurance agreement, determinations of eligibility or coverage, adjudication, or subrogation of health benefit claims including all health plans, Medicare, Medicaid, and other payers; (c)medical necessity and appropriateness of care reviews, utilization review activities.
“Disclosure” applies to activities out side of our agency such as releasing, transferring, or providing access to information about you to other parties.
We also describe your rights to the health information we keep about you, and describe certain obligations we have regarding the use and disclosure of your health information. We are required by law to:
Make sure that protected health information (“PHI”) that identifies you is kept private.
Give you this notice of my legal duties and privacy practices with respect to health information.
Follow the terms of the notice that is currently in effect.


We can change the terms of this Notice, and such changes will apply to all information we have about you. The new Notice will be available upon request, in our office, and on our website.

II. HOW I MAY USE AND DISCLOSE HEALTH INFORMATION ABOUT YOU:
The following categories describe different ways that Amanda Baker Counseling uses and discloses health information. For each category of uses or disclosures we will explain what we mean and try to give some examples. Not every use or disclosure in a category will be listed. However, all of the ways we are permitted to use and disclose information will fall within one of the categories.

For Treatment Payment, or Health Care Operations: Federal privacy rules (regulations) allow health care providers who have direct treatment relationship with the patient/client to use or disclose the patient/client’s personal health information without the patient’s written authorization, to carry out the health care provider’s own treatment, payment or health care operations. We may also disclose your protected health information for the treatment activities of any health care provider. This too can be done without your written authorization. For example, if a clinician were to consult with another licensed health care provider about your condition, we would be permitted to use and disclose your personal health information, which is otherwise confidential, in order to assist the clinician in diagnosis and treatment of your mental health condition. Amanda Baker Counseling may use or disclose PHI for purpose out side of treatment and health care operations with your appropriate authorization. An “authorization” is written and beyond the general consent that permits only specific disclosures. If we are asked for information for purposes outside of treatment and health care operations, we will will obtain and authorization from you before releasing this information.
Disclosures for treatment purposes are not limited to the minimum necessary standard. Because therapists and other health care providers need access to the full record and/or full and complete information in order to provide quality care. The word “treatment” includes, among other things, the coordination and management of health care providers with a third party, consultations between health care providers and referrals of a patient for health care from one health care provider to another.

III. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION: Psychotherapy Notes
We do keep “psychotherapy notes” as that term is defined in 45 CFR § 164.501, and any use or disclosure of such notes requires your Authorization unless the use or disclosure is: a. For our use in treating you; b. For our use in training or supervising mental health practitioners to help them improve their skills in group, joint, family, or individual counseling or therapy; c. For our use in defense in legal proceedings instituted by you; d. For use by the Secretary of Health and Human Services to investigate my compliance with HIPAA; e. Required by law and the use or disclosure is limited to the requirements of such law; f. Required by law for certain health oversight activities pertaining to the originator of the psychotherapy notes; g. Required by a coroner who is performing duties authorized by law; h. Required to help avert a serious threat to the health and safety of others; i. Marketing Purposes. As psychotherapists, we will not use or disclose your PHI for marketing purposes. As psychotherapists, we will not sell your PHI in the regular course of business.

IV. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES DO NOT REQUIRE YOUR AUTHORIZATION: Subject to certain limitations in the law, we 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.

Child Abuse: If, in our professional capacity, we know or suspect that a child under 18 years of age or a mentally retarded, developmentally disabled, or physically impaired child under 21 years of age has suffered or faces a threat of suffering any physical or mental wound, injury, disability or condition of a nature that indicates abuser or neglect, we are required by law to immediately report that knowledge or suspicion to the Ohio public Children Services Agency , or a municipal or county peace officer.
Adult and Domestic Abuse: If in our professional capacity, we have reasonable cause to believe that an adult is being abused, neglected or exploited, who resides in Ohio and is unable to provider for his or her own care and protection because of the infirmities of aging or physical or mental impairment, we are require by law to immediately report such belief to the County Department of Job and Family Services.
Animal Abuse: If in our professional capacity, we become aware of animal abuse or neglect through observation or through a credible statement made by a client during session or other client interaction, we are required by law to immediately reports such belief to a law enforcement officer, humane society agent or animal control professional.
If your counselor believes that you pose a clear and substantial risk of imminent serious harm to yourself or another person, we may disclosure your relevant confidential information to public authorities, the potential victim, other professionals, and/or your family in order to protect against such harm. If you communicate an explicit threat of inflicting imminent and serious physical harm, or causing the death of one of more clearly identifiable victims, and we believe you have the intent to and ability to carry out the threat, then we are required by law to take of the following actions in a timely manner: 1). Take steps to hospitalized you on an emergency basis, 2). establish and undertake a treatment plan calculated to eliminate the possibility that you will carry out the threat, and initiate arrangements for a second opinion risk assessment with another mental health professional, 3). communicate to a law enforcement agency and if feasible, to the potential victim(s), or victim’s parent or guardian if a minor, all of the following information: a) the nature of the threat, b) your identity, and c) the identity of the potential victim(s).
For health oversight activities, including audits and investigations.
For Lawsuits, Judicial or Administrative Proceedings: If you are involved in a court proceeding and a request is made for information about your evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment and the records thereof, such information is privileged under state law and we will not release the information without written authorization from you or your legally-appointed representative or a court order. The privilege does not apply when you are being evaluated for a third party or where the evaluation is court ordered. You will be informed in advance if this is the case.
For law enforcement purposes, including reporting crimes occurring on our premises.
To coroners or medical examiners, when such individuals are performing duties authorized by law.
For research purposes, including studying and comparing the mental health of patients who received one form of therapy versus those who received another form of therapy for the same condition.
For specialized government functions, including, ensuring the proper execution of military missions or national security activities; protecting the President of the United States; conducting intelligence or counter-intelligence operations; or, helping to ensure the safety of those working within or housed in correctional institutions. We may use or disclose PHI of individuals who are Armed Forces personnel for activities deemed necessary by appropriate military comment authorities or for the purpose of a determination by the Department of Veterans Affairs of eligibility for benefits or to foreign military authority if you are a member of the foreign miliary services.
For workers’ compensation purposes. Although our preference is to obtain an Authorization from you, we may provide your PHI in order to comply with workers’ compensation laws. If you file a worker’s compensation claim, we may be required to give your mental health information to relevant parties and officials.
Appointment reminders and health related benefits or services. We may use and disclose your PHI to contact you to remind you that you have an appointment with us. We may also use and disclose your PHI to tell you about treatment alternatives, or other health care services or benefits that we offer.

V. CERTAIN USES AND DISCLOSURES REQUIRE YOU TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO OBJECT. In regards to disclosures to family, friends, or others. We 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.

VI. YOU HAVE THE FOLLOWING RIGHTS WITH RESPECT TO YOUR PHI:

The Right to Treatment— You have the right to ethical treatment without discrimination regarding race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability status, age, or any other protected category.
The Right to Confidentiality— You have the right to have your health care information protected. If you pay for a service or health care item out-of-pocket in full, you can ask us not to share that information for the purpose of payment or our operations with your health insurer. We will agree to such unless a law requires us to share that information.
The Right to Request Limits on Uses and Disclosures of Your PHI. You have the right to ask me not to use or disclose certain PHI for treatment, payment, or health care operations purposes. We are not required to agree to your request, and we may say “no” if we believe it would affect your health care.
The Right to Choose How We Send PHI to You. You have the right to ask us to contact you in a specific way (for example, home or office phone) or to send mail to a different address, and we will agree to all reasonable requests. You have the right to receive confidential communications by Alternative Means and at Alternative Locations. You have the right to request and receive communication through alternative means and alternative locations. (For example, you may not want a family member to know that you are a client here.) We may require written requests. Upon your request, we will send any communications to an alternate address.
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 we have about you. We 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 we may charge a reasonable, cost based fee for doing so. At your request, we will discuss with you the details of the request process after the request is received in writing. Your designated record set is a group of records we maintain that includes Medical records and billing records about you, or enrollment, claims adjudication, and case or medical management records systems, as applicable. You have the right of access in order to inspect and obtain a copy of your personal health information contained in your designated record set, except from (a) psychotherapy notes, (b) information compiled in reasonable anticipation of, or for us in, a civil, criminal, or administrative action or proceeding and (c) health information maintained by to the extent to which the provision of access to you would be prohibited by law. We require written requests for your PHI. We must provide with you access to your personal health information in the form or format requested by you if it is readily producible in such form or format, or, if not, in a readable hard copy form or such other form or format. We may provide with a summary of the personal health information requested in lieu of providing access to the personal health information or may provide and explanation of the personal health information to which access has been provided if it may be harmful to your treatment and care, if you agree in advance to such a summary or explanation and agree to the fees imposed for such summary or explanation. We will provide you with access as requested in a timely manner, including arranging with you a convenient time and place to inspect or obtain copies of your personal health information or mailing a copy to you at your request. We will discuss the scope, the format, and other aspects of your request for access as necessary to facilitate timely access. If you request a copy of your personal health information or agree to a summary or explanation of such information, we may charge a reasonable cost-based fee for copying, postage, if you request a mailing, and the costs of preparing and explanation or summary as agreed upon in advance. Section 13405(e) provides that when a counselor uses or maintains an electronic health records with respect to Protected Health Information, you have a right to obtain from the counselor a copy of such information in an electronic format and you may direct the counselor to transmit such copy direction to the individual’s designee, provided that any such choice is clear, conspicuous, and specific. We reserve the right to deny you access to copies of certain personal health information as permitted or required by law.
The Right to Get a List of the Disclosures We Have Made. You have the right to request a list of instances in which we have disclosed your PHI for purposes other than treatment, payment, or health care operations, or for which you provided me with an Authorization. We will respond to your request for an accounting of disclosures within 60 days of receiving your request. The list we will give you will include disclosures made in the last six years unless you request a shorter time. We will provide the list to you at no charge, but if you make more than one request in the same year, we will charge you a reasonable cost based fee for each additional request.
The Right to an Accounting: You generally have the right to receive an accounting of disclosures of PHI for which you have neither provided consent nor authorization (as described in Section III of this Notice). On your request, we will discuss with you the details of the accounting process.
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 we correct the existing information or add the missing information. On your request, we will discuss with your the details of the amendment process. We may say “no” to your request, but we will tell you why in writing within 60 days of receiving your request.
The Right to a Paper Copy: You have the right to obtain a paper copy of this Notice from us upon request, even if you have agree to receive the notice electronically. Unless, you decline a copy, you will receive a copy of this notice.
The Right to Choose Someone to Act for You— If someone is your legal guardian, that person can exercise your rights to and make choices about your health information; we will make sure the person has this authority and can act for you before we take any action.
The Right to Choose—You have the right to decide not to receive services with us. If you wish, your therapist will provided you with names of other qualified professionals.
The Right to Terminate— You have the right terminate therapeutic services with me at any time without any legal or financial obligations other than those already accrued. You ask that you discuss you decision with me in session before terminating or a least contact me by phone letting me know you are terminating services.
Right to Release Information with Written Consent— With your written consent, any part of your record can be released to any persona or agency you designate. Together, we will discuss whether or not we think releasing the information in question to that person or agency might be harmful to you.
Right to Notice: You have the right to be notified following a breach of unsecured Protected Health Information.
The Final Rule modifies 164.522 as per HITECH Act Section 13405(a) indicating that individuals have a new right to restrict certain disclosures of Protected Health Information to a health plan where the individual pays out of pocket in full for the healthcare item or service.

Therapist’s Duties:

We are required by law to maintain the privacy of PHI and to provide you with a notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to PHI. We reserve the right to change the privacy policies and practices described in this notice. Unless we notify you of such changes, however, we are required to abide by the terms currently in effect. If we revise our policies and procedures, we will provide you with notice by mail, if we have your current address. Any changes will be posted on our web site. You may request a copy of our current policy at any time.


VI. Complaints:

If you are concerned that we have violated your privacy rights, or you disagree with a decision we made about access to your records, you may contact the State of Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage and Family Therapist Board at (614)466-5465. You may also send a written complaint to the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The portal for filing a complaint can be found at the following web address: https://www.hhs.gov/civil-rights/filing-a-complaint/complaintprocess/index.html

VII: Effective Date
This notice will go into effect on August 18, 2025.
Date last updated: August 18, 2025.