Notice of Privacy Practices

Effective date: April 16, 2026

Matt Mueller, LPC, operating as The Anxiety Authority (the "Practice," "we," "us," or "our"), is required by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and its regulations to protect the privacy of your Protected Health Information (PHI) and to provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your PHI.

How we may use and disclose your PHI

Treatment

We may use your PHI to provide, coordinate, or manage your counseling services, including consultation with other healthcare providers directly involved in your care. Example: a psychiatrist prescribing medication you are also taking.

Payment

We may use and disclose PHI to obtain payment for services — for example, submitting claims through Headway or to your insurance carrier, verifying coverage, or collecting unpaid balances.

Healthcare operations

We may use and disclose PHI for operational purposes such as quality review, supervision, licensing board compliance, training, and general administration of the Practice.

Uses and disclosures that do not require your authorization

HIPAA and Texas law permit or require us to disclose PHI in certain circumstances without your authorization, including:

• When required by law (court order, subpoena, etc.)
• Public health activities (reporting diseases, adverse events)
• Victims of abuse, neglect, or domestic violence (per Texas reporting laws)
• Health oversight activities by licensing boards
• Serious threat to health or safety — to prevent or lessen an imminent threat to you or others
• Workers' compensation (if applicable)
• Law enforcement — in limited circumstances defined by law
• Coroners, medical examiners, funeral directors
• Specialized government functions (national security, military, etc.)

Psychotherapy notes

Psychotherapy notes (notes recording the contents of a counseling session) receive heightened protection under HIPAA. In most cases, your written authorization is required before these notes can be used or disclosed, except for certain limited purposes (your own treatment, supervision, defense of a legal claim, public health oversight, imminent threat, coroner, or when otherwise required by law).

Uses and disclosures that require your written authorization

Other uses and disclosures of your PHI — including marketing, sale of PHI, and most uses of psychotherapy notes — will be made only with your written authorization. You may revoke this authorization at any time in writing, except to the extent we have already acted in reliance on it.

Your rights

Right to inspect and copy

You have the right to inspect and obtain a copy of your PHI. Requests must be in writing. We will respond within 15 business days under Texas law. We may charge a reasonable, cost-based fee.

Right to request amendment

You may request in writing that we amend PHI we maintain about you. We may deny your request under certain circumstances, in which case you have the right to submit a statement of disagreement.

Right to an accounting of disclosures

You have the right to request a list of certain disclosures we have made of your PHI in the six years prior to your request. The first accounting in any 12-month period is free; additional requests may incur a reasonable fee.

Right to request restrictions

You have the right to request a restriction on how we use or disclose your PHI for treatment, payment, or operations. We are not required to agree, except that we must agree to restrict disclosure to a health plan for services you have paid for in full out of pocket.

Right to confidential communications

You may request that we communicate with you by alternative means or at alternative locations. For example, you may ask that we contact you only at a specific phone number or email address.

Right to a paper copy of this Notice

You may request a paper copy of this Notice at any time, even if you have agreed to receive it electronically.

Right to be notified of a breach

You have the right to be notified promptly in the event of a breach of your unsecured PHI.

Our duties

We are required by law to:

• Maintain the privacy and security of your PHI
• Provide you with this Notice of our legal duties and privacy practices
• Abide by the terms of the Notice currently in effect
• Notify you in the event of a breach involving your unsecured PHI

Changes to this Notice

We reserve the right to change the terms of this Notice and to make the new Notice provisions effective for all PHI we maintain. Any revised Notice will be posted on our website and available upon request at the Practice.

Complaints

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you may file a complaint with the Practice or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. You will not be retaliated against for filing a complaint.

• With the Practice: Matt Mueller, LPC — matt@theanxietyauthority.com — (737) 352-5698
• With the federal government: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Office for Civil Rights

Contact

Matt Mueller, LPC
302 Provines Dr, Austin, TX 78753
matt@theanxietyauthority.com — (737) 352-5698