Texas Consumer
Notice.

1. Requesting your health care records

Records for counseling services you received from Poplar Belief Therapy are maintained by the practice in a HIPAA-compliant electronic health record system. You have the right to see them and to receive a copy.

How to request them. Send a written request by email, mail, or the client portal. Please include:

• Your full name, date of birth, and the phone number or email where we can reach you.
• The approximate dates of service.
• What you need (for example, the full record, a treatment summary, or a specific date range) and whether you want it sent to you or to someone else.
• If the records are going to a third party, a signed authorization naming that person or organization.

We will confirm your request, verify your identity, and respond within the time required by Texas and federal law. Texas law allows a reasonable fee for copies; we will tell you the amount before anything is charged. Records for a client under 18 are requested by a parent or legal guardian, within the limits Texas law places on a minor’s confidentiality.

Records from before this practice. If you or your child received counseling from Janika Williams in an earlier role, such as school counseling, those records belong to that school or employer and are kept under its policies. Requests for those records must go to that organization directly. We are glad to point you in the right direction if you are unsure where to send a request.

2. Contacting the licensing authority

Janika Williams is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Texas. Her license is issued by the Texas State Board of Examiners of Professional Counselors and regulated by the Texas Behavioral Health Executive Council (TBHEC), the state agency that oversees counselors, social workers, psychologists, and marriage and family therapists.

You can verify the status of her license, read the rules that govern the profession, or contact the Council directly:

3. Filing a consumer complaint

If you have a concern about the care you received, we would like to hear it first, and you can reach us using the contact information above. You also have the right to go directly to the state, without telling us, and doing so will never affect your care.

Complaints about a licensed counselor (professional conduct, ethics, or standards of care) are handled by the licensing board:

Consumer complaints under Texas Health & Safety Code §181.103, including concerns about how your health information was handled, may be filed with the Texas Attorney General:

Questions about the privacy of your health information can also be raised with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights, at hhs.gov/ocr/complaints.

Questions about this notice

This notice is posted to meet Texas Health & Safety Code §181.105 and is reviewed when the law or our practice changes. If any part of it is unclear, contact us and we will walk you through it.