(Last Updated: 5/25/18)

The Counselor's Coach Privacy Policy

Mari A. Lee, LMFT, CSAT-S DBA Growth Counseling Services is committed to protecting your privacy. As such we have outlined our privacy information and practices below and are making this information available via this website. At The Counselor's Coach and at Growth Counseling Services, Inc. ("we" and "us"), your right to privacy is a primary concern. This privacy policy explains how the information you provide to us during your use of www.thecounselorscoach.com (the "Site") is protected by us. 

1. INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE

You do not need to give us any personal information in order to use this Site, (hurray!) however we do suggest you read the Terms and Conditions and Disclaimer pages if you have time on your hands and want to be bored half to death. If you continue to use this site, then we are assuming you've read this important (albeit very boring) information, right? Right! And by continuing to use this site, you agree with our privacy policy, terms and conditions and disclaimers. If not, then you are welcome to exit this site now. 

We value people who visit our site and want each person to have a positive experience. Mari has provided a ton of free and informative information in her blogs because she loves supporting other small business owners in the world. And if you'd like to stay in touch, and decide to share your personal data with us by signing up for the mailing list, or purchasing a product or service, or setting up an appointment, or downloading a free form, we want you to know that we are using the information you give us to fulfill your request for goods or services in a way that you would expect us to use your information (so for example, emailing you your product or freebie form, or sending you an appointment confirmation, or responding to a blog comment). We won't use your information in some icky way that is not consistent with our privacy promises. No one likes it when a business does that and we honor our client's trust. 

Additionally, we do not specifically target to, market to, or otherwise attempt to sell to clients located outside of the United States, or clients who are located in the UK. Nor do we have an office in Europe (sure wish we did though!). We love our world neighbors and colleagues, and every person is welcome on this site. However, if you do choose to sign up for the mailing list, or purchase materials or comment on a blog, you are doing so by your own free will my friend! No one, not Mari, not any person or company related to Mari's business, and not the man on the moon, will ever try to get our non USA (or USA for that matter) peeps to sign up for or buy our stuff. If you sign up, understand that we are located in the US and if you don't want us to have your information, then don't buy anything, comment on any blog, or sign up for our list. Of course, you're still more than welcome to look at all of the cool free information in Mari's blogs if you are in the UK or out of the US, but if you sign up or purchase something, and again, you are welcome to do so, then you'll need to keep in mind that we are in the US when you leave your information and that we are not twisting your arm. Clear enough? 

There are lots of fun products and goodies on this site for therapists and others. If you choose to purchase a paid e-product, e-book, e-materials via this site, or download a freebie (so many great freebies!), or sign up for the free or paid services, well, guess what - your credit card information will be required for payment or for free download through Stripe which is the payment method linked up to Square Space. We need this information because as clever as we are, we don't have a magic wand to whisk it to you without charging you or knowing where to send you paid or free stuff. It would be great if SquareSpace was set up to not include credit card info for a freebie form, but, alas, it is and though we have been called perfectionistic control freaks from time-to-time, we have no control over what Stripe or SquareSpace does. So, rather than taking down all of the free private practice forms that we make available as a support for colleagues, we are alerting you here - so now you know!

And as an added support, Mari won't make you automatically opt in to her list in order to have access to the freebies she has provided, they are yours for the taking because she is cool that way. Do remember that we will need information from you in order for the freebie e-form to be sent to you (we don't have a crystal ball after all). And again, though we'd prefer only to collect your email for the freebies, Stripe via SquareSpace is not set up this way. And of course, you are always welcome to opt in to the mailing list IF you'd like to be included. Your choice (because that's how we roll).

Additionally, good to note that this Site may use forms in which you give contact information (including your name, address, telephone number, and email address) so you can request information or support from Mari, ask a coaching question, comment on a blog, or if you request to be included on Mari's mailing list, or to schedule an appointment. You are under no obligation to fill out any form, contact form, join the mailing list, or download e-products, or leave your information so that you can add a comment on a blog. If you'd like to wonderful! If not, no problem. 

If you do any of the above, then we think that it's important that you know the following...

Mari manages her own site, and she is one busy lady so we promise she's not sitting in a corner twisting her evil mustache thinking of ways to mishandle your information. If you choose to share your information through Square Space (the website platform), vCita (the calendar platform in scheduling an appointment), and via Stripe (the e-commerce platform when you pay for or download a free or paid product or service), HelloBar which is that pretty green bar at the top of the website asking if you would like to join our mailing list and reminding you to read this very long privacy policy, Sumo which is the little pop up window asking if you'd like to receive our newsletter with tips from Mari or info on products or services (and to respect our visitors we have timed it to not pop up right away because, like you, it is super annoying to us when the pop up box jumps in our face right away), and finally, drumroll please, we send out our newsletters (very rarely, maybe 3 per year) via MailChimp. We use these big companies and their platform support, along with millions of people, trusting that their big ol' team of tech people who understand what all of this means to make sure that they are complying with security laws when storing your data that you leave here.  We could choose not to use their services, however as you can well imagine, it would greatly reduce the on line ease of use on this site and convenience to visitors and customers using this site.

And that would be a hassle for you. And well...let's just not add any more headaches to this on line rigamarole. 

However, if you are old school (no shame in your game if you are) and would like to purchase a product or a service, and prefer not to  transact or process through one of our chosen secure platforms that we use on our website, just shoot an email to mari@thecounselorscoach.com, and we will try to sort out an alternative method for you that feels best for you via a phone call. No promises on how we would do this , but we will try our best. 

You can learn more about the way SquareSpace, vCita, Stripe, HelloBar, Sumo and MailChimp store customer data information via their privacy policies located on their websites (because our privacy policy would be a mile long if we included all of their policies here too, but hey, feel free to read through all of that tiresome blah blah blah on their sites if you have the time to do so). We are providing their links to save you the trouble of searching around on Google, you're welcome:

Square Space Privacy Policy
vCita Calendar and Scheduling Privacy Policy
STRIPE E-commerce Privacy Policy
MailChimp Privacy Policy
Sumo
HelloBar

Other good info: We will not sell, share, trade or otherwise use any information you provide other than how you've requested we use your information because 1. That's just not cool, and 2. We'd have no idea how the heck to do that anyway, and 3. This is a teeny tiny business, with a busy woman at the helm, who is doing her best to keep up with and comply with all of the on line legal and ethical demands, and at the same time run a business, answer emails, provide helpful free information, meet with clients, drink eight 8 oz glasses of water a day, squeeze in at least 6 hours of sleep, do a few half hearted sit ups now and again, take a multi vitamin when remembered, cuddle her rescue pets in between projects, and try and have a little balance and fun once in awhile. So, we promise that fucking around with your information is the very last thing on Mari's mind. 

The information you give us is used only to send you the e-materials you have requested, to schedule an appointment if you wish to do so, to include you in a service (such as a webinar or workshop, or coaching group) that you've signed up for, to share information to our mailing list on occasion via a newsletter if you sign up for the mailing list, to return any email questions you may send via this website contact form, or to follow up on comments, requests and other messages that you submit to us through the website, or responses to blog comments if you leave a comment.

Bottom line: If you don't want Mari to contact you, no problem! She will not crash your party uninvited and will respect your boundaries. If you don't want to leave your information, again, no worries - just don't download the freebies, don't buy a product, don't comment on a blog, don't sign up for a service or support, ad don't opt in to the mailing list that would require your personal information. 

TIP:  To better safeguard your information, please do not include any credit card information in your electronic communication unless it is specifically required by us as part of Services or transaction fulfillment process sites, or our customer contact process (such as purchasing e-products, purchasing services, or downloading free forms). 

This Site and our Services may contain links to other websites. Please understand that we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such sites. We just don't have that kind of control (nor do we want it!). 

2. SECURITY

This Site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse or alteration of the information under our control. If our site allows you to enter sensitive information (such as a credit card number) on order forms, the site has encrypted the transmission of that information. 

We may also at times provide information about you to third parties who support and provide various services on our behalf, such as providers who process credit card payments (such as STRIPE if you purchase or download a product or service from this website, or vCita if you are scheduling an appointment). We will only share information about you that is necessary for the third party to provide the requested service or product. These companies are prohibited from sharing, buying, selling or using your personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes. That's a major no no. 

We follow accepted standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. However, in spite of our very best efforts, it is important to remember that no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is one hundred percent (100%) secure, however. Therefore, no website or company, including us, can guarantee its absolute security. We don't make promises we can't keep, but we'll do our very, very best with security measures.

3. GOOGLE ANALYTICS AND COOKIES

Good old cookies.. Here's a brief overview: What the heck is a cookie anyway? Cookies are small text files which are transferred from our websites, applications or services and stored on your device. We use cookies to help us provide you with a personalised service, and to help make our websites, applications and services better for you. Simply stated, the Internet's favorite tracking "food" are cookies. 

We may also use a very common tool used by millions of websites called “Google Analytics” that helps us better understand how people use our Site. If this is new information, please understand that it's not as scary as it may sound. Basically Google Analytics help us understand stuff such as how often users visit the Site, what pages they visit when they do so, and what blogs they visit most often. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit this Site, rather than your name or other identifying information.

Google Analytics plants a permanent cookie (not a real cookie, not a chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie, well shoot...now we're hungry) on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this Site. This cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google, Inc. The information generated by the cookie will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.

We use the information received from Google Analytics only to improve services on this Site. We do not combine the information collected through the use of Google Analytics with personally identifiable information.

How to disable cookies: You may be able to configure your browser, application or service to restrict cookies or block all cookies on our website if you wish. You are welcome to do this, but please do understand that if you disable cookies you may find this affects your ability to use certain parts of our website, applications or services.

Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this Site is restricted by the Google Privacy Policy http://www.google.com/policies/privacy. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this Site by disabling the Google Analytics cookie on your browser.

For more information about cookies and instructions on how to adjust your browser settings to accept, delete or reject cookies, see the www.allaboutcookies.org website which will give you more information on this topic. We want you to be fully informed and use our site in a way that feels best for you - 'cause that's how we roll and how we want to be treated as well when we visit other websites. 

4. COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION OF CHILDREN UNDER AGE 13

We are committed to protecting the online privacy of children. In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (”COPPA”), we will not knowingly collect any personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen (13) without first obtaining parental consent. Prior to providing any personally identifiable information (your name, email address, address, phone number etc.), children under the age of thirteen (13) must have a parent or legal guardian complete and return (by email or regular mail) a Parental Consent Form to mari@growthcounselingservices.com or

Mari A. Lee, LMFT
PO Box 11
Glendora, California 91740

The consent form states that the child’s “Parent” or “Legal Guardian”, by his or her signature, consents to the collection and transfer of the child’s personally identifiable information. Consent may be revoked by completing a “Revocation of Parental Consent Form” and sending it to the email or physical mailing address above. In compliance with COPPA, We are sensitive about children consulting with parents or guardians before furnishing personal information or ordering anything online.

It is also our intention to adhere to the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) Guidelines on Internet advertising with its special sensitivities regarding solicitations to children under thirteen (13). We encourage parents/guardians to supervise and join their children in exploring cyberspace.

5. TRANSFER OF DATA ABROAD

If you are visiting this Site from a country other than the country in which our servers are located (for example the US) glad you are here and welcome! It is important that you understand that your communications with us may result in the transfer of information across international boundaries. By visiting this Site and communicating electronically with us, you consent to such transfers. 

6. COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

We cooperate with government and law enforcement officials and private parties to enforce and comply with the law.

We will disclose any information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to respond to claims and legal process (including without limitation subpoenas), to protect our property and rights or the property and rights of a third party, to protect the safety of the public or any person, or to prevent or stop activity we consider to be illegal or unethical. We will also share your information to the extent necessary to comply with ICANN's rules, regulations and policies.

To the extent we are legally permitted to do so, we will take reasonable steps to notify you in the event that we are required to provide your personal information to third parties as part of legal process.

7. CHANGES IN OUR PRACTICES

Almost at the end of this giant, freaking information bomb, good job in hanging in there!

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes to this Privacy Policy to our website home page at the bottom in bold print, and any other places we deem appropriate, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it. 

If we make material changes to this Policy, we will notify you here, by email, or usually by means of a notice on our home page, at least thirty (30) days prior to the implementation of the changes. You are welcome to check back on our home page anytime for updates. 

8. CORRECTING, UPDATING AND REMOVING PERSONAL INFORMATION

You may alter, update or deactivate your account information or opt out of receiving communications from us at any time and we really do mean that, no hard feelings! You may send an email to mari@thecounselorscoach.com or you may send mail to:

Mari A. Lee, LMFT
PO Box 11
Glendora, CA 91740
We will respond to your request for access or to modify or deactivate your information within thirty (30) days.

Complaints and Requests: By now it should be clear that we really care about your privacy and do our very best to protect your information should you submit it. However, if you have questions about this notice or want to talk about a problem without filing a formal complaint, please contact Mari A. Lee, LMFT at mari@growthcounselingservices.com. Mari is caring and ethical, and she will be happy to discuss and work out any concerns you have to the very best of her ability. Our customer trust is important to us as is confidentiality, respect and boundaries, so just give us a nudge if you're concerned about something. 

Transfer of Business Assets: As part of our business strategy, we might acquire, buy or merge with other businesses or assets. In such transactions, customer information generally is one of the transferred business assets. Also, in the event that we or substantially all of our assets are acquired, both personally identifiable and non-personally identifiable information will be one of the transferred assets. As of this update, I don't have any plans to do this, but just in case, it's always a good idea to give everyone a heads up. 

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this Site or under our Services, your dealings with this Site or our Services please contact us by email at mari@thecounselorscoachl.com, or regular mail at the following address, we are happy to be of support:

Mari A. Lee, LMFT
PO Box 11
Glendora, CA. 91741