Policies, privacy,
and your rights.

Who we are

This notice applies to Kaleidoscope Counseling LLC, doing business as Kalido Therapy, operated by Maria Suarez, LCSW. We are a covered entity under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and are required by law to maintain the privacy of your protected health information (PHI), to provide you with this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices, and to notify you following a breach of your unsecured PHI.

How we may use and disclose your health information

We use and disclose your PHI for the following purposes without requiring your written authorization:

Treatment: To provide, coordinate, or manage your mental health care, including consultation with other healthcare providers involved in your treatment.

Payment: To bill and collect payment for services, including submission of claims to your insurance company.

Healthcare operations: For quality improvement, licensing, supervision of clinical staff, and other operational purposes.

As required by law: When federal, state, or local law requires disclosure, including mandatory reporting obligations.

Public health activities: To report diseases, injuries, or vital statistics as required by law.

Abuse, neglect, or domestic violence: To report suspected abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult to appropriate authorities as required by law in Hawaii, Arizona, Washington, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Health oversight activities: To support audits, investigations, and inspections by government agencies overseeing the healthcare system.

Judicial proceedings: In response to a court order or subpoena, subject to applicable legal protections.

Law enforcement: Under specific limited circumstances required by law.

Serious threats to health or safety: To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public.

Workers compensation: To comply with workers compensation laws.

Research: Under specific circumstances with appropriate protections in place.

Psychotherapy notes

Your psychotherapy notes the notes I take during our sessions that are kept separate from your general medical record receive special protection under HIPAA. In most circumstances I will need your specific written authorization before disclosing psychotherapy notes to anyone, including other healthcare providers. Exceptions include use in my own training or supervision, use in defending myself in legal proceedings you initiate, oversight of my compliance with HIPAA, and situations where disclosure is otherwise required by law.

Uses and disclosures requiring your written authorization

Any use or disclosure of your PHI not described above requires your written authorization. This includes marketing purposes and the sale of your PHI. You have the right to revoke any authorization at any time, except where we have already acted in reliance on it.

Your rights regarding your health information

Right to access: You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI. I will respond to requests within 30 days.

Right to amend: You have the right to request that I amend your PHI if you believe it is incorrect or incomplete.

Right to an accounting of disclosures: You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures I have made of your PHI.

Right to request restrictions: You have the right to request restrictions on how I use or disclose your PHI.

Right to confidential communications: You have the right to request that I communicate with you in a specific way or at a specific location.

Right to a paper copy of this notice: You have the right to receive a paper copy of this notice upon request.

Right to notification of a breach: You have the right to be notified if a breach of your unsecured PHI occurs.

Our duties

I am required by law to maintain the privacy of your PHI, to provide you with this notice, and to abide by its current terms. I reserve the right to change this notice and will post any revised version on this website. A copy is available upon request.

Everything you share in therapy is confidential. What you tell me stays between us. That is the foundation of the work. There are specific legal exceptions to confidentiality that I am required to disclose.

When I am required to break confidentiality

Mandatory reporting of child abuse or neglect: I am a mandated reporter in all five states where I am licensed. If I have reasonable cause to believe a child is being abused or neglected, I am required by law to report it to the appropriate authorities.

Mandatory reporting of vulnerable adult abuse: If I have reasonable cause to believe a vulnerable adult is being abused, neglected, or exploited, I am required to report it.

Imminent danger to self or others: If I believe you are in imminent danger of harming yourself or another person, I may be required or permitted to take protective action, which may include contacting emergency services, notifying potential victims, or seeking an involuntary evaluation. Requirements vary by state.

Court order: If a court orders me to disclose information, I am required to comply, subject to applicable legal protections.

Supervision: I may consult with supervisors or colleagues for professional purposes in a manner that protects your identity to the extent possible.

Kalido Therapy is a telehealth-only practice. All services are delivered via secure video platform. Before beginning treatment, clients are required to provide written informed consent for telehealth services.

What telehealth is

Telehealth involves the delivery of healthcare services using electronic communications including video conferencing. Sessions are conducted using a HIPAA-compliant platform. You must be physically located in Hawaii, Arizona, Washington, North Carolina, or South Carolina at the time of each session.

Benefits of telehealth

Access to care without travel

Ability to participate from a private and comfortable location

Reduced barriers for clients in rural or underserved areas

Continuity of care when in-person access is not available

Risks and limitations of telehealth

Technology limitations: Video or audio quality may be affected by internet connectivity. Sessions may need to be interrupted or rescheduled if a technical failure cannot be resolved.

Confidentiality risks: Electronic communication carries inherent risks to confidentiality. While I use HIPAA-compliant platforms and take all reasonable security precautions, no electronic system can be guaranteed to be fully secure.

Limitations of remote assessment: Some clinical observations that are possible in person may be limited or unavailable via telehealth.

Emergency situations: If you are in a mental health emergency during a telehealth session, I may have limited ability to dispatch assistance. You should identify local emergency resources before beginning telehealth treatment.

Location requirements: You are required to be in an approved state at the time of each session. If your location changes, you must notify me in advance.

Your responsibilities as a telehealth client

Be in a private location where you can speak freely

Use a device with a working camera and microphone

Notify me if you are not in an approved state at the time of a session

Have local emergency contact information available

Your right to a Good Faith Estimate

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate explaining how much your medical care will cost. Under the law, health care providers must give patients who do not have insurance, or who are not using their insurance, an estimate of the bill for medical services before those services are provided.

You have the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate for the total expected cost of any non-emergency healthcare services, including psychotherapy services.

Make sure your health care provider gives you a Good Faith Estimate in writing at least one business day before your medical service or item. You can also ask your health care provider for a Good Faith Estimate before you schedule a service.

If you receive a bill that is at least $400 more than your Good Faith Estimate, you can dispute the bill.

Make sure to save a copy or picture of your Good Faith Estimate.

How this applies to Kalido Therapy

If you are uninsured, self-pay, or not using insurance for our sessions, you will receive a written Good Faith Estimate before your first session and at any time you request one. The estimate will include the expected cost per session and the projected number and frequency of sessions based on your treatment needs.

Because the length and course of therapy cannot be predicted with certainty, the Good Faith Estimate is an estimate and not a guarantee. Actual charges may differ based on changes in your treatment needs.

Current session rates

Priority Access (30 min): $110 per session out of pocket only

Standard Therapy (53 min): $195 per session insurance accepted

Trauma Processing (90 min): $235 per session out of pocket only

For questions or to request a Good Faith Estimate: hello@kalidotherapy.com or 808-492-0288.

For more information about your right to a Good Faith Estimate, visit www.cms.gov/nosurprises or call 1-800-985-3059.

Under the HIPAA Privacy Rule amendments effective December 23, 2024, your protected health information related to reproductive health care has specific protections.

What is protected

Information related to reproductive health care including but not limited to pregnancy, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage, pregnancy loss, abortion care, and related services may not be used or disclosed to investigate, impose liability on, or identify any person for the act of seeking, obtaining, providing, or facilitating lawful reproductive health care.

What this means for your care

If I receive a request for your PHI that may relate to reproductive health care in connection with a health oversight activity, judicial or administrative proceeding, law enforcement purpose, or disclosure to a medical examiner, I am required by law to obtain a signed attestation from the requesting party confirming the information will not be used for a prohibited purpose before I can disclose it.

Perinatal and reproductive mental health clients

Kalido Therapy specializes in perinatal mental health. Information you share about your pregnancy, reproductive history, reproductive decisions, or related experiences is protected under this rule and will not be disclosed in connection with any investigation or legal proceeding related to your reproductive health decisions.

Kalido Therapy provides individual therapy services to teens 15 years of age and older.

Confidentiality for minors

A minor client’s therapy is their own. Information shared in individual sessions is confidential and will not be shared with parents or guardians without the minor’s consent, except as required by law. The exceptions to confidentiality that apply to adult clients apply equally to minor clients.

Parent and guardian involvement

Parents and guardians of minor clients are included in treatment through separate parent consultation sessions. These sessions are distinct from the minor’s individual therapy. Parents do not have access to the content of their child’s individual sessions. The scope of parental involvement will be discussed and agreed upon at the start of treatment.

Consent to treatment

In Hawaii, Arizona, Washington, North Carolina, and South Carolina, minors of certain ages may consent to mental health treatment without parental authorization in specific circumstances. The specific requirements vary by state and will be addressed in your intake documentation. In general, a parent or legal guardian will be involved in the consent process for clients under 18.

Access to your records

You have the right to inspect and receive a copy of your health records. Requests must be submitted in writing through the secure client portal. I will respond within 30 days.

Record retention

Health records are retained for a minimum of seven years from the date of last service, or for minor clients, seven years after the minor reaches the age of majority, whichever is longer.

Release of records to third parties

Records will only be released to third parties with your written authorization, except as otherwise described in this notice. Requests from attorneys, insurance companies, employers, or other third parties require a signed release form.

Forensic evaluations and legal documents

I do not provide forensic evaluations, custody recommendations, disability determinations, or letters for legal proceedings. If you need documentation for legal purposes, you will need a provider whose role is specifically forensic.

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, or if you have a complaint about how your health information has been used or disclosed, you have the right to file a complaint. Filing a complaint will not affect the quality of care you receive.

File a complaint with this practice

Contact Maria Suarez, LCSW at hello@kalidotherapy.com or 808-492-0288.

File a complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Website: www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints

Phone: 1-800-368-1019 (toll free) / 1-800-537-7697 (TDD)

Mail: 200 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20201

Complaints must be filed within 180 days of when you knew or should have known of the violation.

File a complaint with your state licensing board

Hawaii: Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Professional and Vocational Licensing Division

Arizona: Arizona Board of Behavioral Health Examiners azbbhe.us

Washington: Washington State Department of Health, Health Systems Quality Assurance

North Carolina: NC Social Work Certification and Licensure Board

South Carolina: SC Board of Social Work Examiners

This website

This website (kalidotherapy.com) is operated by Kaleidoscope Counseling LLC. The site is informational only. Using this website does not create a therapeutic relationship. Submitting a contact form does not create a therapeutic relationship.

Cookies and analytics

This website may use cookies and basic analytics tools to understand how visitors use the site. No personally identifiable health information is collected through the website.

Contact form submissions

Information submitted through the contact form is used solely to respond to your inquiry. Do not submit sensitive health information through the contact form. Internet communications carry inherent security risks.

Social media

To protect your confidentiality, I do not accept friend or follow requests from clients on personal social media accounts. Information shared publicly on social media is not confidential and should not be used to communicate clinical concerns.

Email communications

Email is not a secure method of communication and should not be used to share sensitive health information. All clinical communication should occur through the secure client portal.