Terms of Use and Privacy Policy

Terms Of Use

By using this site, you signify that you agree with and accept all terms, conditions in this Disclaimer for this site accessed through the domain addresses www.blaircounsel.wpengine.com and www.blaircounseling.com, or social media sites and/or any other direct or third party links. If you do not agree, please do not use the site. Please do not use messaging on social networking sites to contact Blair Counseling and Mediation or its employees. These sites are not secure and messages may not be read. Engaging on social networking sites could compromise your confidentiality.

No counseling or psychotherapy advice: 
The website does not provide specific psychotherapy advice. The site is intended only for use by consumers in search of general information of interest pertaining to marriage, relationships, counseling and related topics. Content is not intended to replace or serve as substitute for professional consultation or service. Observations and opinions on the website should not be misconstrued as specific advice.

No counselor-client relationship:
Use of this website does not constitute the establishment of a counselor-client relationship between any and all counselors employed by Blair Counseling and Mediation and a user and does not obligate Dan Blair or any employee to follow-up, contact, or accept as a patient any users of this Web site. If you are seeking advice, you should base any and all decisions on the judgment and advice of your personal counselor or physician who has evaluated you face-to-face.

Limitations of content:
The content of this website is general in nature and not intended or sufficient to dictate what constitutes reasonable, appropriate, or best care in a given situation. Site content does not presume to present an all-inclusive factual discussion of any topic but rather only introductory overviews based on opinions which are subject to limitation and to change at any time. Other counselors and psychotherapists may have differing opinions or use other methods of care that when properly applied achieve similar results.

There is no guarantee that this website will be error-free or omission-free.
This site may include contributions with technical inaccuracies, errors, or typographical errors that will be corrected as discovered. While website content is updated periodically at Dan Blair’s sole discretion in an attempt to keep current information available, that does not guarantee that articles, resources and information will to be up to date with respect to the latest therapeutic information, research or specific practices in marriage or relationship counseling or other topics. Dan Blair reserves the right to update or change information contained in this Web site at any time.

Liability:
All content is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including accuracy, timeliness, and completeness. In no event shall Dan Blair or his agents or employees be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, punitive, consequential or other damages whatsoever (including, but not limited to, liability for loss of use, data, or profits, or for personal injury of any sort), that may arise through decision or action of the user — without regard to the form of any action, including but not limited to contract, negligence or other tortious actions, arising out of or in connection with this website, any content on or accessed by use of the website, or any copying, display or other use hereof.

Indemnity:
You agree to hold Dan Blair and any employees or agents, harmless from and against any claims, actions or demands, liabilities and settlements including without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, resulting from, or alleged to result from, your violation of this Terms of Use.

Not for use by counselors as training:
The website is not intended nor of sufficient detail to teach other counselors about marriage or relationship therapy.

Not for use by attorneys:
Use of the website by attorneys is strictly prohibited. The website is not intended for use in legal proceedings of any sort or to help establish a medico-legal standard of care. Contents of the Site should not be deemed sufficient in detail, accuracy, or timeliness to be cited as legal evidence either for or against the opinions, decisions, or actions of any counselor, psychotherapist, or physician, including employees of Blair Counseling and Mediation.

Online Contact via Email:
Online contact via email is provided as a convenience. Forms are processed through a secure server to protect sensitive information. If you choose to use such forms, you ultimately assume all responsibility and liability for any breach of confidentiality, inappropriate disclosure of sensitive information, or loss of electronic data during and after transit over the Internet and any replies from Dan Blair, his employees or agents. There is no guarantee of response. Any reply to correspondence is intended to provide general information only.

Jurisdiction: These Terms of Use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States of America, and, more particularly, the laws of the State of Illinois. You expressly agree that exclusive jurisdiction for any dispute with Dan Blair, or in any way relating to your use of the Site, resides in the state and federal courts of McHenry County, Illinois.

Subject to change: This Terms of Use is subject to change without prior notice. Continued use of the Site signifies your full acceptance of the then-current Terms of Use.

Complete agreement: If any provision of these Terms of Use is found to be invalid by any court having competent jurisdiction as described in these Terms of Use, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms of Use, which shall remain in full force and effect.

If any of the above is not acceptable in full or if you do not fully understand any part of the foregoing Terms of Use, the use of this Site must be terminated immediately and all content disregarded.

Privacy Policy

E-Mail/Comments from Website: The e-mail form is processed through a secure server and requires your e-mail address for me to be able to respond. Your email to me usually remains on your computer or mobile device, or the one that you use, and confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Dan Blair or his employees cannot guarantee a response back to you and cannot guarantee confidentiality of any response because it is your responsibility to safeguard any sensitive information to and from our office. If you use a computer at your place of employment, be aware that many employers monitor e-mail and can access your information from that computer.

Comments on the Blog:
Any comments you make on the blogs are public and all confidentiality is waived by placing your comments there. I am not responsible for any adverse effects that your comments might have on you personally, on your employment, your relationships or in any other way.

HIPAA NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES 

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION.  PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY. 

 Effective date: April 14, 2003

 Blair Counseling and Mediation has been and will always be totally committed to maintaining clients’ confidentiality. We will only release healthcare information about you in accordance with federal and state laws and ethics of the counseling profession.

This notice describes our policies related to the use and disclosure of your healthcare information.

Uses and disclosures of your health information for the purposes of providing services.  Providing treatment services, collecting payment and conducting healthcare operations are necessary activities for quality care.  State and federal laws allows us to use and disclose your health information for these purposes.

TREATMENT We may need to use or disclose health information about you to provide, manage or coordinate your care or related services, which could include consultants and potential referral sources.

PAYMENT Information needed to verify insurance coverage and/or benefits with your insurance carrier, to process your claims as well as information needed for billing and collection purposes.  We may bill the person in your family who pays for your insurance.

HEALTHCARE OPERATIONS We may need to use information about you to review our treatment procedures and business activity. Information may be used for certification, compliance and licensing activities.

Other uses or disclosures of your information which does not require your consent: There are some instances where we may be required to use and disclose information without your consent.  For example, but not limited to: Information you and/or your child or children report about physical or sexual abuse: then by Illinois State Law, we are obligated to report this to the Department of Children and Family Services. If you provide information that informs us that you are in danger of harming yourself or others.  Information to remind you of /or to reschedule appointments or treatment alternatives. Information shared with law enforcement if a crime is committed on our premises or against our staff or as required by law such as a subpoena or court order.

Clinical records, psychotherapy notes and other disclosures require a separate signed release of information. You have a right to or will receive notification of a breach of any unsecured personal health information. You have a right to restrict any disclosure of personal health information where you have paid for services out-of-pocket and in full. 

CLIENT RIGHTS 

Right to request how we contact you

It is our normal practice to communicate with you at your home address and phone numbers you gave us when you scheduled your appointment, about health matters, appointments etc.  Sometimes we may leave messages on your voicemail.  You have the right to request that our office communicate with you in a different way.  E-mail, text messages and social networking sites are not confidential and I may not be able to respond, especially to emergencies.

Right to release your medical records

You may consent in writing to release your records to others.  You have the right to revoke this authorization, in writing, at any time. However, a revocation is not valid to the extent that we acted in reliance on such authorization.

Right to inspect and copy your medical and billing records.

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your information contained in our medical records.  To request access to your billing or health information, contact the office manager.  Under limited circumstance we may deny your request to inspect and copy.  If you ask for a copy of any information, we may charge a reasonable fee for the costs of copying, mailing and supplies.

Right to add information or amend your medical records.

If you feel that information contained in your medical record is incorrect or incomplete, you may ask us to add information to amend the record.  We will make a decision on your request with 60 days, or some cases within 90 days.  Under certain circumstance, we may deny your request to add or amend information.  If we deny your request, you have a right to file a statement that you disagree. Your statement and our response will be added to your record. To request an amendment, you must contact the office manager.  We will require you to submit your request in writing and to provide an explanation concerning the reason for your request.

Right to an accounting of disclosures.

You may request an accounting of any disclosures, if any, we have made related to your medical information, except for information we used for treatment, payment, or health care operational purposes or that we shared with you or your family, or information that you gave us specific consent to release.  It also excludes information we were required to release. To receive information regarding disclosure made for a specific time period no longer than six years, please submit your request in writing to Dan Blair.  We will notify you of the cost involved in preparing this list.

Right to request restrictions on uses and disclosures of your health information.

You have the right to ask for restrictions on certain uses and disclosures of your health information. This request must be in writing and submitted to our office manager. However, we are not required to agree to such a request.

Right to complain.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact us personally, and discuss your concerns.  If you are not satisfied with the outcome, you may file a written complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. An individual will not be retaliated against for filing such a complaint.

Right to receive changes in policy.

You have the right to receive any future policy changes secondary to changes in state and federal laws. This can be obtained from the office manager.