Privacy | Generational Healing

Notice of Privacy Practices

This Notice describes how medical/mental health information about you may be used and disclosed and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Who We Are / Scope

This Notice applies to Generational Healing and Wellness Therapy and Consulting, LLC, d/b/a GHW Therapy, including its workforce members and any business associates acting on our behalf under written agreements.

Our Privacy Official (Contact for Privacy Questions/Requests)

Privacy Official: Jericha Peterson, LISW-CP
Phone: (803) 900-8841 • Email: info@ghwtherapy.com
Mailing Address: 6729 Two Notch Rd., Ste 130M #219, Columbia, SC 29223

Our Legal Duties

We are required by federal and South Carolina law to:

Maintain the privacy and security of your Protected Health Information (PHI).
Provide you with this Notice of Privacy Practices.
Follow the terms of the Notice currently in effect.
Notify you of a breach of your unsecured PHI, as required by law.

“PHI” is information that identifies you and relates to your past, present, or future physical/mental health or payment for care.

Your Rights

You may exercise the rights below by sending a written request to the Privacy Official.

Access/Copy. You may inspect or obtain a paper/electronic copy of your record. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee as permitted by law. In limited cases we may deny access; you’ll receive a written reason and information on how to request a review.

Amend. You may request a correction if you believe your record is incomplete or inaccurate. We may deny requests in certain situations but will explain our decision and let you add a statement of disagreement.

Confidential Communications. You can ask us to contact you in a specific way (e.g., at a different address/phone or via our secure portal). We will accommodate reasonable requests.

Restrictions. You may ask us to restrict uses/disclosures of your PHI. We’re not required to agree, except: if you pay out-of-pocket in full for a service, you may require us not to disclose that service’s PHI to your health plan for payment/operations, unless disclosure is required by law.

Accounting of Disclosures. You may request a list (up to six years) of certain disclosures we made, excluding those for treatment, payment, operations, and disclosures you authorized. One accounting per 12 months is free; reasonable fees may apply for additional requests.

Paper/Electronic Copy of this Notice. You can request a copy at any time. We also post the current Notice at www.ghwtherapypractice.com.

Personal Representative & Minors (SC). You may designate a representative; we will verify authority. Under South Carolina law, in certain situations minors may consent to specific services; when so, the minor may control access to those related records unless law says otherwise.

Complaints. You can complain to us, the South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners, or HHS/OCR (see contacts below). We will not retaliate for filing a complaint.

Your Choices (When You Have a Say)

Involvement in Care/Notification. With your permission (or unless you object), we may share limited information with family/friends involved in your care or for disaster relief. If you are unable to agree/object, we may share if, in our professional judgment, it’s in your best interests.
Fundraising/Marketing. We do not use PHI for fundraising. If this ever changes, you have the right to opt out.
Special Practice Note: We never market or sell personal information/PHI.

Our Uses and Disclosures Without Your Written Authorization

Treatment. To provide, coordinate, or manage your care, including consultation and supervision (we limit identifying details when possible).

Payment. To bill/collect payment from you or your health plan (e.g., dates of service, diagnosis/treatment codes).

Health Care Operations. For quality improvement, training, accreditation, audits, customer service, legal, and administrative purposes.

Public Health & Safety.

To prevent/lessen a serious and imminent threat to health/safety, consistent with law and ethics.
Mandatory reporting (SC): Suspected child or vulnerable adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
Product recalls, adverse events, communicable disease reporting as applicable.

Health Oversight. For audits, inspections, or investigations by authorized government agencies.

Judicial/Administrative Proceedings. In response to a court order or certain lawful processes (we disclose only what is required).

Law Enforcement. Limited disclosures as permitted by law (e.g., to locate a missing person).

Decedents. To medical examiners/coroners to identify a deceased person or determine cause of death.

Organ/Tissue Donation. To organ procurement organizations as permitted by law.

Workers’ Compensation. To comply with workers’ compensation or similar programs.

Specialized Government Functions. For certain national security or protective services as authorized by law.

Limited Data & De-identified Information. We may use/disclose de-identified information or a limited data set (with safeguards) for permitted purposes.

Uses and Disclosures That Require Your Written Authorization

We will obtain your written authorization before:

Using/disclosing psychotherapy notes (as defined by HIPAA), except for limited treatment, training, or defense-in-legal-action purposes permitted by law.
Using PHI for marketing communications that involve financial remuneration to us.
Any sale of PHI.
Any other use/disclosure not described in this Notice.

You may revoke an authorization in writing at any time, except to the extent we already relied on it.

Stronger Protections Under State/Federal Law

Where state or federal law provides greater privacy protections than HIPAA, we follow the stricter law. Examples include:

Substance Use Disorder Records (42 CFR Part 2).
We will never share federally protected SUD treatment records without your written permission unless expressly allowed by Part 2 or other applicable law.
Certain categories that may receive additional protections under state law (e.g., HIV status, genetic information, some mental health records). We adhere to these stricter limits when applicable.

Business Associates

We may share PHI with vendors (e.g., EHR, billing, telehealth platforms) who perform services for us. They must protect your PHI through written Business Associate Agreements and HIPAA-compliant safeguards.

Research / Medical Examiner / Organ Donation

Research. If we participate in research, we will either obtain your authorization or use only de-identified/limited data under an Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval and applicable safeguards.
Medical Examiner/Funeral Director. We may disclose PHI to carry out their legally authorized duties.
Organ/Tissue Donation. As permitted by law to organ procurement organizations.

Organized Health Care Arrangement (OHCA)

We are not currently part of an OHCA issuing a joint notice. If we join an OHCA in the future, we will update this Notice to describe the arrangement, the other entities involved, their service locations, and how PHI is shared for treatment, payment, and operations within the OHCA.

Our Responsibilities (Summary)

Safeguard PHI and follow this Notice.
Disclose only the minimum necessary information for each permitted purpose.
Provide breach notifications when required.
Not use/disclose PHI in ways not described here without your authorization.

Privacy Official: Jericha Peterson, LISW-CP
Phone: (803) 900-8841 • Email: info@ghwtherapy.com
Address: 6729 Two Notch Rd., Ste 130M #219, Columbia, SC 29223

South Carolina Board of Social Work Examiners
110 Centerview Drive, Columbia, SC 29210
PO Box 11329, Columbia, SC 29211-1329
Phone: (803) 896-4665 • Website: https://llr.sc.gov/social

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services — Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
Phone: 1-877-696-6775 • Website: https://www.hhs.gov/ocr

We will not retaliate against you for filing a complaint.

Changes to This Notice

We may change this Notice at any time. The revised Notice will apply to PHI we already have and to information we receive in the future. The current Notice is posted at www.ghwtherapypractice.com and available upon request. Effective Date: 08/22/2025.