Your confidentiality is of the utmost important to us. Outside of the counseling room, our communications can include telephone, video chatting, texting, email, snail mail, and online scheduling. When communications are “secure”, it indicates that there are means in place, such as encryption, to keep things private. Front to back end encryption means that the sender and receiver are both operating on a secure channel. Ask your particular counselor about opportunities we have for you to participate in secure video chatting, email and texting. Telephone conversations are not able to be secured at this time, so keep this in mind when choosing to utilize these means of communication. It is Elbow Tree’s policy, in compliance with HIPAA, to not send a client’s PHI (protected health information) over unsecured channels. This would include any “personally identifiable” health data. If you, as a client, send your PHI to us, it will be unsecured unless we have pre-established a secure channel together.