Policy Regarding E-mails, Cell Phones, Computers and Faxes

If you wish to communicate with Craig Tucker, LCSW electronically, please only use my secure voice mail or the secure messaging service on this website (the landing page after you log in).  The secure messaging service is a 256 bit encrypted peer to peer messaging service that is much more secure than SMS/Text, E-mail, or e-Fax.  It is very important to be aware that computers and unencrypted e-mail, texts, and e-faxes communication can be relatively easily accessed by unauthorized people and hence can compromise the privacy and confidentiality of such communication.

E-mails, texts, and e-faxes, in particular, are vulnerable to such unauthorized access due to the fact that servers or communication companies may have unlimited and direct access to all e-mails, texts and e-faxes that go through them. While data on Craig Tucker, LCSW’s laptop is encrypted, e-mails and e-fax are not. It is always a possibility that e-faxes, texts, and email can be sent erroneously to the wrong address and computers. Craig Tucker, LCSW’s laptop is equipped with a firewall, a virus protection and a password, and he backs up all confidential information from his computer on a regular basis onto an encrypted hard-drive. If you communicate confidential or private information via unencrypted e-mail, texts or e-fax or via phone messages, Mr. Tucker will assume that you have made an informed decision. Mr. Tucker will view it as your agreement to take the risk that such communication may be intercepted, and he will honor your desire to communicate on such matters. Nevertheless, Craig Tucker, LCSW will only give detailed responses to you using the secure messaging service on his website at www.craigtuckerlcsw.com.

If you communicate with Craig Tucker, LCSW through e-mail or SMS/text messaging, It is highly recommended that you use personal email and SMS/MMS addresses only. Do not use addresses associated with work accounts. Individuals who have access to your email and SMS/MMS accounts will also have access to the following information about your care with Mr. Tucker:

• Information related to the scheduling of meetings or other appointment dates and times (not to include the type of session or purpose of our meeting).
• Information related to appointment billing and payment amounts due (not to include any financial or claims-related identifiers including, but not limited to, credit card numbers, insurance plan numbers, diagnosis codes, or procedure codes.)
• Notices of communication on the secure message board from this site. All on-line communication with Mr. Tucker should be done on his secure message board rather than through email or text. When Mr. Tucker replies you will receive an email that will only state the following “You have received a new message from craigtuckerlcsw, follow this link to view it: https://www.craigtuckerlcsw.com/wordpress/pm/”

When making appointments, you may refuse email and SMS notices and reminders and still book appointments. However if you refuse notifications, you will need to regularly check the message board for any general notices from Mr. Tucker. If reminders and notifications are refused, you can still see upcoming appointments, and book, cancel, and reschedule appointments through the website. Please notify Craig Tucker, LCSW if you decide to avoid or limit, in any way, the use of e-mail, texts, cell phones calls, phone messages, or e-faxes. Please do not use texts, e-mail, voice mail, or faxes for emergencies.