Reaching for the Light

Consumers' Rights and Responsibilities

As a consumer, you have certain rights, as well as responsibilities, in therapy, regardless of the type of mental health professional you use or the setting in which therapy takes place. The following list of rights and responsibilities was based on work of the Colorado Mental Health Association.

Consumers' Rights

To ask questions at any time.
To specify or negotiate therapeutic goals and to renegotiate when necessary.
To be fully informed regarding fees for therapy and method of payment, including insurance reimbursement.
To be informed of rights in an understandable language/manner

.Qualifications

To be fully informed of the mental health professional's qualifications to practice, including training and qualifications, years of experience and licensing.
To know the mental health professional's therapeutic orientation.
To know the mental health professional's areas of specialization and limitations.

Office Procedures

To know a mental health professional's appointment policies and procedures.
To know if a mental health professional is available to see you, or if not, how long the wait will be.

Consultation

To be fully informed of the limits of confidentiality in the therapeutic setting.
To be fully informed of the extent of any records of therapy and their accessibility.
To refuse any intervention or treatment strategy.
To discuss any aspect of your therapy with others outside of the therapy situation, including consulting with another mental health professional.
To require the mental health professional to send a written report regarding services rendered to another qualified mental health professional or organization on your written authorization.

Ethical Issues

To give, or refuse to give your permission for the mental health professional to use aspects of your case for a presentation or publication.
To know the ethics code to which the mental health professional adheres.
To solicit help from the Ethics Committee of the appropriate professional group in the event of doubt or grievance regarding the mental health professional's conduct.
To terminate therapy at any time.

Your Responsibilities

To keep appointments as scheduled, and to give the mental health professional due notice if you need to cancel and reschedule.
To file insurance forms and pay bills in a timely manner, based on your agreement with the mental health professional.

Many of these rights are mandated by California law. Mental health professionals must disclose this information to their clients at the beginning of therapy. If you enter a psychiatric facility, California law requires that you be given a copy of a Patients' Rights Handbook which explains your rights. The telephone number of your local Patients' Rights Advocate should be listed in the handbook.

Under California law, it is strictly unethical - under any circumstances - for a mental health professional to engage in any kind of sexual relationship or erotic contact with a client. If this happens to you, immediately report the incident to any of the following: Medical Board of California, Physicians, Surgeons and Allied Health Professionals at 1-800-633-2322, or the Board of Registered Nursing at (916) 322-3350, or the Board of Behavioral Science Examiners at (916) 455-4933.