Privacy Policy & Notice of Privacy Practices
Transparent Data Protection & HIPAA Compliance for Outpatient Telehealth
At Authentic Arch Counseling, your right to absolute privacy is the foundation of our therapeutic alliance. You cannot step out of survival mode or show up unedited if you are worried about the security of your story.
This document outlines how we collect, protect, and handle your data. It is divided into two parts: how this marketing website handles basic digital data, and how your Protected Health Information (PHI) is rigorously safeguarded under federal HIPAA guidelines.
Website Privacy (Marketing & Logistics)
This section applies strictly to individuals browsing www.authenticarchcounseling.com (https://www.authenticarchcounseling.com).
Information Collection: We collect minimal, anonymized metadata (such as your browser type, state location, and pages visited) through standard website cookies to ensure our site functions smoothly on desktop and mobile devices. We never sell, rent, or monetize your user data.
General Contact Form Data: When you submit a message through our general contact form, we collect your name, email address, and whatever brief note you provide. Please note that standard website forms and standard emails are not fully secure, encrypted communication channels. Do not include sensitive clinical details or deep personal histories here. This data is utilized strictly to handle basic administrative routing and coordinate your initial inquiry.
HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices (Your Clinical Record)
This notice describes how medical and mental health information about you may be used and disclosed, and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.
Once you transition from a website visitor to an active applicant or client, all of your information enters our secure, HIPAA-compliant Electronic Health Record (EHR) system. This data is designated as Protected Health Information (PHI) and is protected by strict federal and state laws across Massachusetts, Maine, and Washington.
Our Legal Duty to Protect Your Chart
Philip A. Bower, LICSW, is legally required to maintain the privacy of your Protected Health Information, provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and abide by the terms of the notice currently in effect.
The Strict Limits of Confidentiality
We will never disclose your clinical information, session notes, or billing history to any third party without your explicit, signed Release of Information (ROI) form, except in the following limited circumstances required by law or safety:
Coordination of Care: We may use or disclose your PHI to manage your outpatient care, such as processing billing and verifying platform eligibility through our partner network, Tava Health.
Safety Containment (Duty to Protect): If we have reason to believe you are in imminent danger of harming yourself or another person, we may disclose minimal necessary information to emergency services or support networks to secure real-time human safety.
Mandated Abuse Reporting: We are legally mandated to report any suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of children, elderly individuals, or vulnerable adults to appropriate protective state agencies.
Judicial Proceedings: In extremely rare circumstances, your records may be subject to a legal subpoena issued by a judge. However, as outlined in our practice parameters, our scope is strictly clinical, and we actively resist involvement in legal disputes.
Your Rights Regarding Your Mental Health Records
Under HIPAA, you hold the following explicit rights regarding the data contained within your clinical chart:
Right to Inspect and Copy: You have the right to review and obtain a digital copy of your clinical record, session history, and billing invoices through your secure client portal.
Right to Amend: If you believe information in your chart is factually incorrect or incomplete, you may submit a written request to append a corrective statement to your record.
Right to an Accounting of Disclosures: You have the right to request a list of any legally mandated disclosures we have made of your PHI outside of standard care coordination or billing.
Right to Request Restrictions: You may request that we limit certain uses or disclosures of your information, though we are not legally required to agree to restrictions that compromise care safety or statutory billing compliance.
The Practical Framework: Scope, Fees & Access
We believe that professional therapy requires absolute transparency around logistics, fees, and boundaries. Clear, predictable structures build clinical self-trust and clarity, allowing us to focus entirely on your growth. Because Authentic Arch Counseling operates across multiple states and partner networks, your care parameters and billing options depend on how you access our practice.
Telehealth Focus: All sessions are conducted via a secure, HIPAA-compliant video platform. You must be physically located in Massachusetts, Maine, or Washington at the exact time of your session.
Practice Scope: This is an outpatient practice for individual adults only. We do not provide child/adolescent therapy, couples counseling, family mediation, or emergency/crisis services.
Evaluations Policy: Our work is strictly clinical and therapeutic. We do not offer standalone psychological testing, forensic evaluations, or documentation for court proceedings, custody disputes, disability claims, FMLA leave, or third-party lifestyle assessments.
Direct Private Pay Rates: Initial Intake Assessment is $250. Standard Individual Sessions are $200 (53-minute duration).
Insurance & Funding Pathways: We do not accept or bill health insurance networks directly under the Authentic Arch practice name. However, you can utilize your standard in-network insurance benefits strictly when booking and billing through our approved outside platform partners, such as Tava Health. If you choose direct private pay but carry out-of-network benefits, we can provide a monthly clinical statement (a "Superbill") for potential partial reimbursement. We also coordinate with programs like Atreyu Therapy Cottage, Pineapple Support, and Tau Mental Health (Coming Fall 2026) to provide specialized access pathways for eligible individuals.
Coverage & Access Verification: Eligibility, documentation requirements, and actual out-of-pocket session fees vary significantly by platform, state, and your specific insurance policy. We cannot guarantee network coverage or immediate platform availability. It is always your responsibility to verify your out-of-network or platform benefits with your insurance carrier prior to requesting care.
Secure Container, Grounded Growth
When your data is fully protected and your boundaries are explicitly respected, your nervous system can finally settle. Let's build a safe space for your story when you are ready.
Administrative Notice: Submitting an inquiry via Cal.com is an administrative request to check scheduling availability and cross-state licensing compliance. It does not establish an active clinical relationship. A formal therapeutic contract is established only after clinical fit is mutually confirmed and your intake portal documentation is completed. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency or acute crisis, please call 911 or call/text 988 immediately.