How long do therapists keep records

In addition, laws change over time. The information in this article should not be used as a substitute for obtaining personal legal advice and consultation prior to making decisions regarding individual circumstances.

PracticeUpdate September 30, Do you know what your state law requires regarding client record retention? Cite this. Legal and Regulatory Affairs Staff.

Pointers for psychologists on client record retention. As such, APA offers further guidance for psychologists in considering good record keeping practices: 6. He also provided telephone consultation services to AAMFT members regarding legal and ethical issues confronting practitioners of diverse licensure nationwide. Additionally, he wrote articles regarding legal and ethical issues for their Family Therapy Magazine and presented at workshops on a variety of legal issues.

He represented CAMFT before the regulatory board the Board of Behavioral Sciences and was a tireless advocate for due process and fairness for licensees and applicants. Richard is an acknowledged expert on matters pertaining to the interrelationship between law and the practice of marriage and family therapy and psychotherapy.

For many years, he taught Law and Ethics courses for a number of colleges and universities in their marriage and family therapy degree programs. While at CAMFT, he provided telephone consultation services with thousands of therapists in California and elsewhere for over twenty years.

He is highly regarded for his judgment, his expertise, his direct style, and his clarity. Richard has been the driving force for many of the changes and additions to the laws of the State of California that affect MFTs. In , he was primarily responsible for achieving passage of the "Freedom of Choice Law" that required insurance companies to pay for psychotherapy services performed by MFTs.

Passage of that law allowed MFTs to earn a living, allowed them to better compete in the marketplace, and strengthened the profession in California by leading to a great increase in the number of licensees and CAMFT membership.

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In order to create an account, you must first order a course from our broad selection. Once you have made a selection, click the "Order Course" button. You will then be directed to create a new account. Need more information? View a complete list of Clinical Updates. Our Record Keeping online course is offered for 6 CE credits.

Most therapists wonder not only how long they should keep their records, but what should they keep after the time when they are allowed to eliminate, destroy, or shred the records.

How long should I keep the records? The length of time obviously varies among states and type of license. More info at California Law for Records Retention. Note that the record retention period may be different for adults vs. Should I keep the records longer than the minimum required period? Generally, there are no legal requirements to maintain any records beyond the required time.

However, therapists must take into consideration the context of therapy and the potential need for records in the future, as well as the potential risk of maintaining outdated or obsolete records for long periods of time. What should I keep after the mandated time? If you have decided that there is no clinical, legal, or other reason to keep records after the mandated period of time, then, unless it is required otherwise, there is no mandate to keep any records, not even names, summary, or dates of service.

Free updated Record Keeping Guidelines. Skip to content New Customer? Search for:. CE Courses by Subject. Required Courses. View by CE Credit Hours. Author Name. July 4th SALE! There is often no statute of limitations in this venue. Your documentation of care provided can frequently help your attorney get the board complaint dismissed. If you carefully consider the options listed above, and obtain advice from your personal attorney, malpractice company and licensure board, you will be well-positioned to make a reasonable decision that fits your particular practice.

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