Notice of Privacy Practices

Hope Family Guidance
LaKettra Priestly, LCSW

Effective Date: 10/22/2026

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

Your Information and My Responsibilities

Your health record contains personal information about your health, treatment, and payment for services. Information that identifies you and relates to your health or healthcare is called protected health information, or PHI.

This notice explains how Hope Family Guidance may use and disclose your PHI, your privacy rights, and my responsibilities under applicable federal and Texas law.

I am required to protect your PHI, provide this notice, and follow the privacy practices described here. When Texas law or another applicable law provides greater privacy protections than HIPAA, I will follow the more protective requirements.

How Your Information May Be Used and Disclosed

Treatment

Your information may be used to assess your needs, develop a treatment plan, provide therapy, and coordinate care. Information may be shared with other treating professionals when permitted by law. Your authorization will be obtained when required.

Payment

Your information may be used or disclosed to obtain payment for services, verify insurance coverage, submit claims, respond to insurance reviews, or address billing matters, subject to applicable consent and confidentiality requirements.

Practice Operations

Your information may be used for activities necessary to operate the practice, such as maintaining records, reviewing service quality, and meeting professional or regulatory requirements.

Service providers supporting the practice, such as electronic health record, billing, or technology vendors, must have appropriate privacy agreements when required by law.

Uses and Disclosures Required or Permitted by Law

Your information may be disclosed without your written authorization in limited circumstances permitted or required by applicable law. These may include:

• Reporting suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
• Responding to qualifying medical emergencies.
• Addressing serious safety concerns when disclosure is legally permitted.
• Complying with legally valid court orders or other legal requirements.
• Responding to authorized health oversight activities.
• Meeting applicable public health reporting obligations.
• Providing information to government authorities when legally required.

A request from an attorney, law enforcement officer, or other third party does not automatically authorize the release of confidential therapy records. Applicable confidentiality requirements will be reviewed before information is disclosed.

Family Members and Others Involved in Your Care

Information may be shared with family members or others involved in your care when you authorize the disclosure or when applicable law otherwise permits it.

For minors and individuals with legally authorized representatives, access and disclosure depend on applicable law and the representative’s authority.

Uses and Disclosures Requiring Written Authorization

Your written authorization is generally required for disclosures that are not otherwise permitted or required by law.

Most uses and disclosures of separately maintained psychotherapy notes require specific written authorization. These notes are different from routine progress notes maintained in your treatment record.

Written authorization is also generally required for marketing uses and disclosures and any sale of PHI.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time. Revocation does not undo actions already taken in reliance on your authorization.

Additional Protections for Certain Substance Use Treatment Records

If the practice receives or maintains substance use disorder records protected by 42 CFR Part 2, additional confidentiality protections apply.

These records cannot be used or disclosed in civil, criminal, administrative, or legislative investigations or proceedings against you without your specific written consent or a qualifying court order and subpoena, as required by law.

Any permitted redisclosure must comply with applicable privacy requirements. If Part 2 records are used for fundraising communications, you will receive advance notice and an opportunity to choose whether to receive those communications.

Virtual Services and Electronic Communication

Hope Family Guidance provides therapy through a secure video platform. Electronic systems are also used to maintain records and support practice operations.

Reasonable administrative, physical, and technical safeguards are used to protect your information. However, electronic communication cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Your communication preferences and any required authorizations for email or text messaging are addressed separately. You may request a different method of communication.

Your Privacy Rights

Access Your Records

You may request to inspect or receive a paper or electronic copy of records used to make decisions about your care, subject to limited legal exceptions. Separately maintained psychotherapy notes are generally excluded from this access right.

Requests will be handled within applicable legal time limits. A reasonable, legally permitted fee may apply. If access is denied, you will receive an explanation and information about any available review rights.

Request a Correction

You may ask for a correction or amendment if you believe your information is inaccurate or incomplete. If your request is denied, you will receive a written explanation and information about submitting a statement of disagreement.

Request Limits on Information Sharing

You may request restrictions on how your information is used or disclosed. The practice is not required to accept every request.

If you pay for a service out of pocket in full and request that information about that service not be shared with your health plan for payment or healthcare operations, that request will be honored unless disclosure is required by law.

Request Confidential Communication

You may request contact through a particular phone number, email address, mailing address, or other reasonable method. Reasonable requests will be accommodated.

Request an Accounting of Disclosures

You may request a list of certain disclosures of your information made during the preceding six years. Some disclosures, including many made for treatment, payment, or practice operations, are excluded.

One accounting within a 12-month period is provided without charge. A reasonable fee may apply to additional requests.

Receive a Copy of This Notice

You may request a paper copy of this notice even if you previously agreed to receive it electronically.

Have an Authorized Representative Act for You

A person with legally recognized authority may exercise certain rights on your behalf. That person’s identity and authority will be verified before access is granted.

Receive Required Breach Notifications

You will be notified if a breach of your unsecured PHI requires notification under applicable law.

Privacy Questions and Records Requests

To ask questions about this notice, request records, exercise your privacy rights, or submit a privacy complaint, contact:

Privacy Contact: LaKettra Priestly, LCSW
Phone: 512-262-6020
Email: [email protected]

Written requests may also be submitted through the secure client portal.

Filing a Complaint

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may contact me at 512-262-6020 or [email protected].

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

File a Health Information Privacy Complaint

Phone: 1-800-368-1019

Professional conduct complaints may be submitted to the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council:

View BHEC Complaint Information

You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

Changes to This Notice

This notice may be revised as privacy practices or legal requirements change. Revisions may apply to information already maintained by the practice and information received in the future.

The current notice will be available on this website and upon request.