Legal Disclosures — NEW MERCIES COUNSELING

Legal & Privacy

New Mercies Counseling LLC
Alissa Zack, LICSW
4474 W. Calvary Rd. Rice Lake, MN 55803
(218) 481-9599 / alissa@newmerciesmn.com

Effective Date: [February 14, 2025]
Last Updated: [September 29, 2026]

Important Notice

This website provides general information about New Mercies Counseling LLC and mental health services offered by Alissa Zack, LICSW. The information on this website is for educational and informational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized mental health assessment, diagnosis, treatment, or professional advice.

Visiting this website, submitting a contact form, sending an email, or communicating with the practice does not by itself establish a therapist-client relationship.

Emergency and Crisis Information

This website, email, text messaging, and online contact forms are not monitored continuously and should not be used for emergencies or urgent mental health concerns.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.

If you are experiencing a mental health or emotional crisis and need immediate support, you may call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

Please do not use this website or its contact forms to communicate information about an immediate safety concern, suicidal thoughts, threats of harm, medication emergencies, or other urgent matters.

Messages are generally answered during Monday thru Wednesday. Response times may vary.

Confidentiality and Privacy

As a licensed independent clinical social worker (LICSW), I take the privacy and confidentiality of clients seriously.

Minnesota law requires social workers to protect confidential client information and generally prohibits disclosure of client information without appropriate informed consent, except when disclosure is permitted or required by law.

If you become a client, information obtained in the course of treatment will be handled in accordance with applicable federal and Minnesota privacy laws, professional standards, and the practice's policies.

Confidentiality has legal and ethical limits. Depending on the circumstances, information may be disclosed without your authorization when disclosure is required or permitted by law. These circumstances can include certain situations involving safety, abuse or neglect reporting, court orders, or other legally required disclosures.

The specific limits of confidentiality will be discussed with you as part of the informed-consent process before or at the beginning of services.

HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices

If this practice is a HIPAA-covered health care provider, the practice maintains a Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP)describing how protected health information may be used and disclosed and explaining your privacy rights.

[View our Notice of Privacy Practices →] https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZaY2k_O8kgLLSzEuQl7jlAwgzFAhJm6Q8q0YAmQ2row/edit?usp=sharing

You may also request a paper copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices by contacting:

Alissa Zack, LICSW
4474 W. Calvary Rd. Rice Lake, MN 55803
(218) 481-9599 / alissa@newmerciesmn.com

Federal HIPAA requirements generally require covered providers to make their Notice of Privacy Practices available on websites they maintain that provide information about their services.

Important: This website notice is not intended to replace the practice's formal HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.

Website Privacy

This website may collect limited information necessary to operate the website and respond to inquiries. Depending on how the website is configured, this may include information such as:

Your name
Email address
Telephone number
Information you voluntarily submit through a contact form
Technical information such as IP address, browser type, device information, or website usage information
Information collected through cookies or website analytics

Please avoid submitting sensitive or detailed mental health information through a general website contact form.

Website forms and ordinary email are not intended for communicating detailed clinical information or emergency information unless specifically identified by the practice as an appropriate secure communication method.

If the website uses third-party analytics, advertising, scheduling, forms, or other tracking technologies, those services should be reviewed separately for privacy and HIPAA compliance. HIPAA-covered entities have specific obligations concerning tracking technologies when protected health information is involved.

Contact Form

When contacting the practice through this website, please provide only the information necessary for us to respond to your inquiry.

Please do not include:

Detailed medical or mental health history
Information about current suicidal thoughts or plans
Information about threats or immediate safety concerns
Medication information unless specifically requested through a secure system
Sensitive information about another person
Other information that you would not want transmitted through a general website form

Submitting a contact form does not establish a therapist-client relationship and does not guarantee that the practice will be able to provide services.

By submitting the form, you understand that the practice will use the information you provide to respond to your inquiry and determine whether the practice may be an appropriate fit for your needs, subject to applicable privacy requirements.

Email and Electronic Communication

Email and electronic communication may involve privacy and security risks. The practice will use reasonable safeguards appropriate to the communication method being used.

Unless the practice has specifically provided a secure communication system, please avoid sending highly sensitive clinical information by ordinary email.

Clients will be informed about available communication methods and their associated privacy considerations during the intake and informed-consent process.

Telehealth

Telehealth services may be provided when clinically appropriate and permitted by applicable law.

Telehealth involves the use of electronic communication technologies and may involve risks associated with technology, internet connectivity, privacy, and security.

Before receiving telehealth services, clients will receive information regarding:

How telehealth appointments are conducted
The technology or platform used
Privacy and security considerations
What to do if technology fails
How to contact the practice if the connection is interrupted
Procedures for responding to emergencies during a telehealth session
Any applicable geographic or licensure requirements

Clients participating in telehealth should generally choose a private and reasonably secure location where they can speak confidentially.

If a telehealth connection is unexpectedly interrupted, the practice will follow the communication and emergency procedures established during the client's informed-consent process.

Telehealth services may not be appropriate for every person or every clinical situation. The clinician will determine whether telehealth is clinically appropriate based on the circumstances.

Licensure and Professional Information

Alissa Zack, LICSW is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker licensed in [Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, and Wyoming.

Professional services are provided within the scope of the clinician's education, training, experience, licensure, and applicable law.

Minnesota law requires social workers to accurately represent their license, education, training, experience, and professional qualifications and prohibits misleading or deceptive advertising.

Minnesota Board of Social Work

Minnesota Board of Social Work
335 Randolph Avenue, Suite 245
St. Paul, MN 55102
Phone: 612-617-2100
Toll-free: 888-234-1320
Email: social.work@state.mn.us

Clients have the right to information concerning the social worker's license status, education, training, experience, and the process for making a complaint to the Board.

No Guarantee of Results

Mental health treatment is individualized, and outcomes vary from person to person.

No statement on this website should be interpreted as a guarantee, promise, or representation that a particular treatment or service will produce a particular result.

Educational Content

Articles, blog posts, resources, videos, social media content, and other educational materials provided by New Mercies Counsleing are intended for general educational purposes.

Educational material should not be interpreted as individualized medical, psychological, psychiatric, or mental health advice and does not establish a therapist-client relationship.

Third-Party Websites and Resources

This website may contain links to third-party websites or resources. These links are provided for informational or convenience purposes.

New Mercies Counseling does not control and is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, security, availability, or policies of third-party websites.

Review the privacy policies and terms of any third-party website before submitting personal or health information.

Client Reviews and Testimonials

Because of the importance of protecting client privacy and confidentiality, New Mercies Counseling does not publicly identify clients or disclose whether an individual is or has been a client without appropriate authorization.

If the practice uses testimonials or reviews, they will be handled in accordance with applicable privacy, professional, and advertising requirements.

Changes to This Page

This Legal & Privacy page may be updated periodically to reflect changes in the practice, technology, applicable law, or privacy practices.

The Effective Date and Last Updated date at the top of this page indicate when this page was most recently revised.

Contact

Questions regarding this website, privacy practices, or services may be directed to: