Available now
HIPAA for Mental Health Clinicians
3-hour self-study CE course
CE hours
3
Format
Self-study (reading)
Post-test
15 questions, 70% to pass
Price
$9
About this course
This course is for California BBS licensees and registrants: LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LEP, AMFT, ASW, and APCC. It is also written to be useful to counselors, therapists, and social workers in Texas, Oregon, and Washington. Its aim is simple. It helps you protect your clients' privacy with confidence, so that the rules feel like a steady part of good care rather than a source of worry. It covers the federal Privacy, Security, and Breach Notification Rules, psychotherapy notes, client access, duty to warn, telehealth and texting, 42 CFR Part 2, and what California, Texas, Oregon, and Washington law adds. Included in the $69 bundle, or $9 on its own.
CE credit is awarded after you complete the reading, pass the post-test at 70% or higher, and complete the evaluation.
Learning objectives
A sample of what you will be able to do after completing this course:
- Identify when a mental health clinician or practice is a HIPAA covered entity.
- Distinguish psychotherapy notes from the rest of the clinical record using the HIPAA definition.
- Describe the HIPAA right of access, including timelines, form and format, and fees.
- Describe the HIPAA permission to disclose PHI to avert a serious and imminent threat.
- Describe the core requirements of the HIPAA Security Rule, including the risk analysis.
- Describe the two HIPAA methods for de-identifying health information.
- Identify when a mental health practice is subject to 42 CFR Part 2.
- Describe how the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act adds to HIPAA for mental health clinicians.
- Describe the broad Texas definition of covered entity and its training requirement.
- Describe Oregon's health information privacy statutes at ORS 192.553 to 192.581 and how they relate to HIPAA.
- Describe how Washington's Uniform Health Care Information Act, RCW 70.02, adds to HIPAA.
Who this course is for
Target audience: California BBS licensees and registrants: LMFT, LCSW, LPCC, LEP, AMFT, ASW, and APCC.
Course schedule
Self-study. Self-paced reading with a post-test. No fixed calendar dates. Allow about 3 hours of CE time.
Provider approval period for John Oliver Ycaro, CAMFT CEPA Provider #10072759: June 15, 2026 through June 1, 2027 (renew as required to keep offering CE).
Instructor
John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC (also the course developer and CE provider). Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California (LPCC #9132). M.A. in Counseling, Palo Alto University. About 10 years of clinical experience in community mental health, the VA, and private practice. Expertise relevant to this course: clinical records, confidentiality, and privacy practices in community mental health, the VA, and private practice.
Under CAMFT CEPA rules, the named instructor meets instructor qualifications by current related licensure and a related master’s degree (and related practice experience). A current CV is kept in the provider’s CE records.
How it works
- Enroll through the secure Payhip checkout. You get the course right away.
- Read the self-study text at your own pace.
- Take the online post-test (70% to pass; retakes free) and confirm you did the work yourself.
- Complete a short course evaluation (required for CE credit).
- Receive your certificate by email within 1 business day after you pass and complete the evaluation.
Completion records are kept for at least 4 years.
Price
$9
Pay securely on Payhip. CE credit is awarded after you complete the reading, pass the post-test at 70% or higher, and complete the evaluation.
CE information
Course meets the qualifications for 3 hours of continuing education credit for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and/or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences.
John Oliver Ycaro is approved by the California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists to sponsor continuing education for LMFTs, LCSWs, LPCCs, and LEPs. John Oliver Ycaro maintains responsibility for this program/course and its content.
- CAMFT Provider #: 10072759
- Instructor: John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC
- Format: Self-study (reading), with an online post-test
- CE hours: 3
- Passing score: 70%
- Certificate: Emailed within 1 business day after you pass the post-test and complete the evaluation, as a PDF you can print or save
- Cost: $9
Licensed outside California? Check with your own board to confirm they accept this course.
Provider mailing address: 200 San Mateo Ave, Los Gatos, CA 95030
Policies
Refunds / cancellation
You can get a full refund within 3 days of purchase as long as you haven't started the post-test. After you start the post-test, or after 3 days, we’re not able to offer a refund.
Accommodations
If you need a disability accommodation (for example a screen-reader-friendly file, larger print, or extra time on the post-test), email oliverycaro@losgatosmentalhealthclinic.com. We respond within 5 business days. There is no charge for accommodations.
Grievances
If you have a concern about the course, email oliverycaro@losgatosmentalhealthclinic.com. You will get a written response within 14 days. If it is not resolved, you can contact CAMFT at cepa@camft.org.
Activities not for CE credit
CE credit is awarded after you complete the reading, pass the post-test at 70% or higher, and complete the evaluation.
About the instructor and provider
John Oliver Ycaro, LPCC, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor in California in private practice. He earned his M.A. in Counseling from Palo Alto University in 2017 and has about 10 years of experience in community mental health, the VA, and private practice.
Disclosure: John Oliver Ycaro is the instructor, course developer, and CE provider and earns income from course sales.