Stepping into the world of surrogacy is an incredibly generous and transformative decision. However, it also requires you to open up your life to medical and psychological professionals. It is completely natural to feel a bit vulnerable when preparing for your psychological evaluation. You might wonder: How much of my personal history will be shared? Who gets to see the final report? Can my private disclosures impact my everyday life?
Understanding where the boundaries of confidentiality lie is the best way to feel empowered and secure during this process. At ReACH Psychiatry, we believe in complete transparency.
Here is exactly how your privacy is protected, who receives what information, and how you maintain control over your personal data throughout your surrogacy journey
In standard therapy, what you say stays strictly between you and your clinician. Surrogacy psychological evaluations are slightly different because they involve a three-party dynamic: you (the surrogate), the intended parents (IPs), and the third-party stakeholders (the fertility clinic and the surrogacy agency).
Because the fertility clinic requires a psychological "clearance" to safely proceed with medical treatments, the evaluation is not entirely private. However, this does not mean everyone gets unrestricted access to your personal diary. Instead, confidentiality in this context means your highly sensitive personal details remain strictly protected, while only specific, relevant eligibility recommendations are shared with the professionals involved.
To protect your privacy, information is shared on a strict "need-to-know" basis. The vast majority of your raw interview answers, personal history, and test scores stay private.
Here is exactly what each party receives:
1. The Fertility Clinic & Reproductive Endocrinologist
2. The Surrogacy Agency
3. The Intended Parents (IPs)
Scenario: Clearance vs. Private Disclosure
To see how this works in real life, consider this example:
The Scenario: During her evaluation at ReACH Psychiatry, a prospective surrogate shares that she experienced a brief period of mild postpartum anxiety after her second pregnancy, which she successfully managed with short-term counseling. She also shares that she occasionally argues with her sibling about family scheduling.
What Remains Private: The specific details about her sibling arguments and the exact timeline of her past counseling stay strictly within ReACH Psychiatry's secure clinical record. The intended parents and the agency never hear about these personal details.
What Gets Shared: Because she successfully processed her past anxiety and possesses excellent coping mechanisms, the evaluator writes a Clearance Letter to the fertility clinic stating: "The candidate demonstrates excellent emotional resilience, a strong support system, and fully meets the psychological guidelines for gestational surrogacy. She is highly cleared to proceed."
No clinical information or clearance letters can leave our office without your explicit, informed authorization.
Whether we meet you in person or connect digitally, your medical data is protected by rigorous legal and clinical safeguards.
Medical Privacy Regulations
ReACH Psychiatry operates under strict compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). This federal law protects your protected health information (PHI) from unauthorized disclosure. Your assessment records are treated with the exact same level of legal protection as a major hospital medical record.
Because ReACH Psychiatry provides comprehensive psychological evaluations nationwide via telehealth, we utilize advanced digital security to protect your virtual evaluation:
While your privacy is our highest priority, federal and state laws establish specific boundaries where a clinician is legally obligated to break confidentiality. These exceptions apply to all medical and psychological fields, not just surrogacy:
Outside of these critical safety and legal boundaries, your information remains entirely sealed.
At ReACH Psychiatry, we maintain a strict boundary between clinical assessment findings and clearance recommendations. We recognize that everyone has a unique life story, past stressors, and personal challenges. Having a history of life hurdles does not automatically disqualify you from becoming a surrogate.
Our job is to evaluate your current stability, your healthy coping mechanisms, and your readiness for the unique emotional demands of surrogacy. We focus on building a supportive, transparent environment where you can speak honestly, confident that your private disclosures are respected, protected, and handled with the highest degree of professional integrity.
If you have questions about your privacy rights or want to learn more about what to expect during your upcoming screening, we are here to help.
Contact ReACH Psychiatry today to discuss your specific situation or to schedule your confidential surrogacy psychological evaluation.