Website Privacy Policy

Shannon Cahill Counseling, LLC ("the practice", "I", "me") operates the website at shannoncahillcounseling.com. This policy describes how information submitted through this website is collected, used, and protected.

Two different sets of rules

This website is not a patient portal. Information you send through the contact form or by email before becoming a client is treated as a general business enquiry. Once you become a client, your health information is protected health information (PHI) under HIPAA and New Jersey law, and is governed by the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices — a considerably stronger standard.

Please do not include detailed health information in the website contact form. Email and web forms are convenient but are not fully secure.

Information collected

Information you provide

• Your name, email address, and phone number if you submit the contact form
• Your preferred contact method and the content of your message
• Anything you choose to send by email, phone, or text message

Information collected automatically

• Standard server and analytics data such as pages viewed, approximate location (city or region level), device type, browser, and referring website
• Cookies or similar technologies used by analytics tools, where enabled. This site does not use advertising or cross-site tracking cookies.

How information is used

• To respond to your enquiry and arrange a consultation or appointment
• To provide and administer counseling services if you become a client
• To understand how the website is used so it can be improved
• To meet legal, regulatory, and professional obligations

Your information is never sold, rented, or traded. It is not used for advertising or shared with marketing companies.

Service providers

A small number of third-party services support the practice. Each processes only what it needs to do its job:

• Website hosting — serves the pages you are reading and keeps standard server logs.
• Form processing (email to scbusiness@myyahoo.com) — delivers contact form submissions to the practice email inbox.
• Analytics — where enabled, reports aggregate website usage. No health information is sent to analytics.
• Headway — handles insurance verification, scheduling, and billing. Headway operates under its own privacy policy and a business associate agreement.
• Telehealth and records platforms — used for sessions and clinical records under HIPAA business associate agreements.

How long information is kept

Website enquiries that do not become client relationships are retained only as long as needed to respond, and then deleted. Clinical records are retained for the period required by New Jersey law and professional standards, as described in the HIPAA Notice.

Your choices

• You can ask what information the practice holds about you and request that it be corrected or deleted, subject to record-retention requirements.
• You can opt out of analytics using your browser's privacy settings or a "Do Not Track" signal.
• You can ask to be contacted only by a specific method, and that preference will be honoured.

Minors' privacy

This website is intended for adults. The practice provides therapy to adolescents — not to younger children — and enquiries about a teenager should be made by a parent or legal guardian, who provides consent for treatment.

Security

Reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards are used to protect information, including encrypted connections (HTTPS) across the site. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, which is why sensitive details should not be sent through this website.

Links to other websites

This site links to external services such as Headway and crisis resources. Their privacy practices are their own, and this policy does not apply to them.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated to reflect changes in practice operations or law. The revision date at the top of the page will always show when it was last reviewed.

Contact

Questions about this policy can be directed to Shannon Cahill Counseling, LLC at scbusiness@myyahoo.com or (732) 510-0433.