As part of our commitment to maintaining your privacy and complying with legal requirements, please review the following policies regarding the retention and destruction of psychological records.
Retention Period
In accordance with Wisconsin state regulations, psychological records are retained for a minimum of seven (7) years from the date of your last session. For minor clients, records are kept until the client turns 18 years old, plus an additional 7 years, or 7 years from the last session – whichever is later.
Storage of Records
The UWM Psychology Clinic maintains both paper records (from before March 2020) and electronic records. All records are stored in compliance with HIPAA regulations to ensure the confidentiality and security of your protected health information during the required retention period.
Destruction of Records
After the applicable retention period has ended, your records will be securely destroyed using methods that prevent recovery or reconstruction of the information. You will not receive separate notice prior to the time of destruction; this serves as your official notification.
Destruction Schedule
Records will be destroyed on the following timeline:
| Last Session Year | Destruction Date |
|---|---|
| 2018 | December 2025 |
| 2019 | December 2026 |
| 2020 | December 2027 |
| 2021 | December 2028 |
| 2022 | December 2029 |
| 2023 | December 2030 |
| 2024 | December 2031 |
| 2025 | December 2032 |
| 2026 | December 2033 |
| 2027 | December 2034 |
| and so on... |
Once records are destroyed, we will no longer be able to access or share them. If you would like a copy of your medical records for yourself or another provider, please call us 414-229-5521 so we can send you a release of information form.