{"data":{"id":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1376","jurisdiction":"us-ok","citation":"Okla. Stat. tit. 59, § 59-1376","heading":"Confidential communications - Disclosure - Exceptions -","body":"Threats of patient to self or others - Patient in custody of\n\nDepartment of Corrections - Law enforcement purposes.\n\nAll communications between a licensed psychologist and the\n\nindividual with whom the psychologist engages in the practice of\n\npsychology are confidential. At the initiation of the professional\n\nrelationship the psychologist shall inform the patient of the\n\nfollowing limitations to the confidentiality of their\n\ncommunications. No psychologist, colleague, agent or employee of\n\nany psychologist, whether professional, clerical, academic or\n\ntherapeutic, shall disclose any information acquired or revealed in\n\nthe course of or in connection with the performance of the\n\npsychologist’s professional services, including the fact,\n\ncircumstances, findings or records of such services, except under\n\nthe following circumstances:\n\n1. Pursuant to the provisions of Section 2503 of Title 12 of\n\nthe Oklahoma Statutes or where otherwise provided by law;\n\n2. Upon express, written consent of the patient;\n\n3. Upon the need to disclose information to protect the rights\n\nand safety of self or others if:\n\na. the patient presents a clear and present danger to\n\nhimself and refuses explicitly or by behavior to\n\nvoluntarily accept further appropriate treatment. In\n\nsuch circumstances, where the psychologist has a\n\nreasonable basis to believe that a patient can be\n\ncommitted to a hospital pursuant to Section 5-401 of\n\nTitle 43A of the Oklahoma Statutes, the psychologist\n\nshall have a duty to seek commitment. The\n\npsychologist may also contact members of the patient’s\n\nfamily, or other individuals if in the opinion of the\n\npsychologist, such contact would assist in protecting\n\nthe safety of the patient,\n\nb. the patient has communicated to the psychologist an\n\nexplicit threat to kill or inflict serious bodily\n\ninjury upon a reasonably identified person and the\n\npatient has the apparent intent and ability to carry\n\nout the threat. In such circumstances the\n\npsychologist shall have a duty to take reasonable\n\nprecautions. A psychologist shall be deemed to have\n\ntaken reasonable precautions if the psychologist makes\n\nreasonable efforts to take one or more of the\n\nfollowing actions:\n\n(1) communicates a threat of death or serious bodily\n\ninjury to the reasonably identified person,\n\n(2) notifies an appropriate law enforcement agency in\n\nthe vicinity where the patient or any potential\n\nvictim resides,\n\n(3) arranges for the patient to be hospitalized\n\nvoluntarily, or\n\n(4) takes appropriate steps to initiate proceedings\n\nfor involuntary hospitalization pursuant to law,\n\nc. the patient has a history of physical violence which\n\nis known to the psychologist and the psychologist has\n\na reasonable basis to believe that there is a clear\n\nand imminent danger that the patient will attempt to\n\nkill or inflict serious bodily injury upon a\n\nreasonably identified person. In such circumstances\n\nthe psychologist shall have a duty to take reasonable\n\nprecaution. A psychologist shall be deemed to have\n\ntaken reasonable precautions if the psychologist makes\n\nreasonable efforts to take one or more of the\n\nfollowing actions:\n\n(1) communicates a threat of death or serious bodily\n\ninjury to the reasonably identified person,\n\n(2) notifies an appropriate law enforcement agency in\n\nthe vicinity where the patient or any potential\n\nvictim resides,\n\n(3) arranges for the patient to be hospitalized\n\nvoluntarily,\nn reasonable precautions if the psychologist makes\n\nreasonable efforts to take one or more of the\n\nfollowing actions:\n\n(1) communicates a threat of death or serious bodily\n\ninjury to the reasonably identified person,\n\n(2) notifies an appropriate law enforcement agency in\n\nthe vicinity where the patient or any potential\n\nvictim resides,\n\n(3) arranges for the patient to be hospitalized\n\nvoluntarily,\n\n(4) takes appropriate steps to initiate proceedings\n\nfor involuntary hospitalization pursuant to law,\n\nd. nothing contained in subparagraph b of this paragraph\n\nshall require a psychologist to take any action which,\n\nin the exercise of reasonable professional judgment,\n\nwould endanger the psychologist or increase the danger\n\nto a potential victim or victims, or\n\ne. the psychologist shall only disclose that information\n\nwhich is essential in order to protect the rights and\n\nsafety of others;\n\n4. In order to collect amounts owed by the patient for\n\nprofessional services rendered by the psychologist or employees of\n\nthe psychologist. Provided, the psychologist may only disclose the\n\nnature of services provided, the dates of services, the amount due\n\nfor services and other relevant financial information. If the\n\npatient raises as a defense to said action, a substantive assertion\n\nconcerning the competence of the psychologist or the quality of the\n\nservices provided, the psychologist may disclose whatever\n\ninformation is necessary to rebut such assertion;\n\n5. In any proceeding brought by the patient against the\n\npsychologist and in any malpractice, criminal or license revocation\n\nproceeding in which disclosure is necessary or relevant to the claim\n\nor defense of the psychologist;\n\n6. In such other situations as shall be defined by the rules\n\nand regulations of the Board; or\n\n7. When the patient is an inmate in the custody of the\n\nDepartment of Corrections or a private prison or facility under\n\ncontract with the Department of Corrections, and the release of the\n\ninformation is necessary:\n\na. to prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to\n\nthe health or safety of a person or the public, and it\n\nis to a person or persons reasonably able to prevent\n\nor lessen the threat, including the target of the\n\nthreat, or\n\nb. for law enforcement authorities to identify or\n\napprehend an individual where it appears from all the\n\ncircumstances that the individual has escaped from a\n\ncorrectional institution or from lawful custody.","path":["OK Code","Title 59"],"source_url":"https://www.oklegislature.gov/OK_Statutes/CompleteTitles/os59.pdf","current_through":"2026-08-14","vintage":"open-us-law v2026.08, retrieved 2026-09-14","retrieved_at":"2026-09-14T18:32:36Z","sha256":"78a132f057a97c718ff1619802693a3efca55c8eae1fd0184b77c2fe8e8e3889","source_id":"us-ok","stale":false,"prev":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1375","next":"us-ok/okla.-stat.-tit.-59-59-1377"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}