[justbreathe1994]

Without going in to too much detail, my Ex-T abandoned me about three years ago because I had grown so attached and she didn't feel she could help me. She abandoned me by writing a letter stating that would be the last time I ever heard from her. No goodbye session, that was that. I was heartbroken. Well, I recently got curious as to whether she was obligated to give me copies of my records if I asked for them (like treatment progress notes, etc). I read that therapists are suppose to keep their client notes 7 years after termination or something like that. Another variable is I have been getting help from my current T and was seeing her at the time of my abandonment from ex-T, so I'm guessing ex-T gave current T her progress notes on me when I first started working with her and before ex-T left. Even still, is she obligated to give them to me as well or is she not obligated if she gave them to current T? I'm just curious.

The laws vary by state. As some therapist are not obligated by HIPAA, they are under state laws. Also, some states allow for more than HIPPA, so state law trumps HIPPA.

What the above poster said is true, but you should definitely ask your current T about this. She will probably know the laws really well and can let you know if she has your ex-T's notes. Good luck!

[luvnola]

A t doesn't have to release the notes to you if the t believes it could be harmful to you. Other than that, I suppose it depends where you are. Where I live, they must be released except in the event they'd cause harm. I'd ask current t if she has them and if she does she can share them with you.

I had a thread about a similar topic a few weeks ago. I did not end up making the request (did not even see that T again) but I got very helpful responses here to my question.
https://forums.psychcentral.com/psyc...s-clients.html