Privacy Policy

Welcome to Ryan Shannon, LMHCA, MS, MA - Brain Heal Therapy ("Practice," "we," "our," or "us"). We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect information when you visit our website or contact our practice.

This Privacy Policy applies only to information collected through our website and related communications. It does not govern the collection, use, or disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI) during the provision of psychotherapy services. If you become a client, your PHI is governed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and our separate Notice of Privacy Practices, which will be provided before or at the start of services.

brainhealtherapy.com website is owned by Ryan Shannon, LMHCA, which is a data controller of your personal data.

We have adopted this Privacy Policy, which determines how we are processing the information collected by brainhealtherapy.com, which also provides the reasons why we must collect certain personal data about you. Therefore, you must read this Privacy Policy before using brainhealtherapy.com website.

We take care of your personal data and undertake to guarantee its confidentiality and security.

Personal information we collect:

When you visit the brainhealtherapy.com, we automatically collect certain information about your device, including information about your web browser, IP address, time zone, and some of the installed cookies on your device. Additionally, as you browse the Site, we collect information about the individual web pages or products you view, what websites or search terms referred you to the Site, and how you interact with the Site. We refer to this automatically-collected information as “Device Information.” Moreover, we might collect the personal data you provide to us (including but not limited to Name, Surname, Address, payment information, etc.) during registration to be able to fulfill the agreement.

Voluntary Information You Provide

When you contact us through our website, schedule a consultation, or communicate with us, you may voluntarily provide information such as:

• Name

• Email address

• Phone number

• Preferred contact method

• General reason for seeking therapy

• Any other information you choose to include

Please avoid submitting confidential medical information, psychotherapy details, Social Security numbers, insurance information, or other sensitive information through website contact forms or standard email unless specifically requested.

Submitting a contact form, voicemail, email, or scheduling request does not establish a therapist-client relationship. A therapeutic relationship begins only after appropriate intake procedures, mutual agreement to treatment, and completion of all required informed consent documents.

Why do we process your data?

Our top priority is customer data security, and, as such, we may process only minimal user data, only as much as it is absolutely necessary to maintain the website. Information collected automatically is used only to identify potential cases of abuse and establish statistical information regarding website usage. This statistical information is not otherwise aggregated in such a way that it would identify any particular user of the system.

You can visit the website without telling us who you are or revealing any information, by which someone could identify you as a specific, identifiable individual. If, however, you wish to use some of the website’s features, or you wish to receive our newsletter or provide other details by filling a form, you may provide personal data to us, such as your email, first name, last name, city of residence, organization, telephone number. You can choose not to provide us with your personal data, but then you may not be able to take advantage of some of the website’s features. For example, you won’t be able to receive our Newsletter or contact us directly from the website. Users who are uncertain about what information is mandatory are welcome to contact us via ryan@brainhealtherapy.com.

Your rights:

If you are a European resident, you have the following rights related to your personal data:

• The right to be informed.

• The right of access.

• The right to rectification.

• The right to erasure.

• The right to restrict processing.

• The right to data portability.

• The right to object.

• Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling.

If you would like to exercise this right, please contact us through the contact information below.

Additionally, if you are a European resident, we note that we are processing your information in order to fulfill contracts we might have with you (for example, if you make an order through the Site), or otherwise to pursue our legitimate business interests listed above. Additionally, please note that your information might be transferred outside of Europe, including Canada and the United States.

Cookies & Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve functionality and understand website usage. We use Google Analytics to collect aggregated, non-identifiable information about website traffic and visitor behavior. Google Analytics may collect information such as:

• Pages visited

• Time spent on pages

• Browser type

• Device information

• Approximate geographic location

• Referral sources

This information helps improve the website and evaluate its effectiveness. You may disable cookies through your browser settings; however, some website features may not function properly.

Google reCAPTCHA

To protect our website against spam and automated abuse, we use Google reCAPTCHA on certain forms. reCAPTCHA analyzes information such as your IP address, browser information, mouse movements, and other technical data to determine whether a visitor is human. Use of reCAPTCHA is subject to Google's Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

Third-Party Service Providers

We use carefully selected third-party vendors that assist in operating our practice. Depending on your interaction with us, your information may be processed by these providers. These may include:

• Sessions Health. Our electronic health record (EHR), secure client portal, intake forms, scheduling, documentation, and HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform.

• Stripe. Secure payment processing for therapy fees.

• Google Workspace. Business email, document storage, and secure administrative communications.

• Google Analytics. Website traffic analysis and performance monitoring.

These providers maintain their own privacy and security practices. Where required, we maintain appropriate Business Associate Agreements (BAAs) with vendors that create, receive, maintain, or transmit Protected Health Information on our behalf.

Links to other websites:

Our website may contain links to other websites that are not owned or controlled by us. Please be aware that we are not responsible for such other websites or third parties' privacy practices. We encourage you to be aware when you leave our website and read the privacy statements of each website that may collect personal information.

Information security:

We secure information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We keep reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect against unauthorized access, use, modification, and personal data disclosure in its control and custody. However, no data transmission over the Internet or wireless network can be guaranteed.

Data Retention

We retain website inquiries and other personal information only as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Respond to inquiries

• Operate our practice

• Comply with legal obligations

• Resolve disputes

• Enforce agreements

Clinical records are maintained according to applicable federal and Washington State record-retention requirements.

Legal disclosure:

We will disclose any information we collect, use or receive if required or permitted by law, such as to comply with a subpoena or similar legal process, and when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request. We may disclose information:

• To trusted vendors who assist with website operation or business administration

• As required by law

• To comply with subpoenas, court orders, or other legal processes

• To protect the rights, safety, or property of the Practice or others

• As otherwise permitted or required by applicable law

Protected Health Information is disclosed only in accordance with HIPAA, Washington law, and our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Telehealth Services

If you become a client, psychotherapy services are provided through HIPAA-compliant telehealth technology. Your treatment records, intake paperwork, secure messaging, scheduling information, and session documentation are maintained through Sessions Health and are governed by HIPAA rather than this Website Privacy Policy. At the time of each appointment, clients must be physically located within the State of Washington.

Communications

You may contact us through telephone, voicemail, email, or our website. Please note that: Standard email is not guaranteed to be secure. Website contact forms should not be used for emergencies. Sensitive or confidential information should not be transmitted through unsecured communication methods unless specifically requested. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, call 911 or go to your nearest emergency department.

Contact information:

If you would like to contact us to understand more about this Policy or wish to contact us concerning any matter relating to individual rights and your Personal Information, you may send an email to ryan@brainhealtherapy.com.