Privacy Policy

1 Information We Collect

Information You Provide Voluntarily

When you interact with our Site or contact us, we may collect:

• Identity Information: Full name, date of birth (if provided)
• Contact Information: Email address, phone number, mailing address
• Inquiry Data: The contents of messages submitted through our contact form, including your stated reason for reaching out and service interests
• Appointment Information: Scheduling preferences, insurance carrier, preferred language

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Site, our hosting infrastructure may automatically record:

• IP address and general geographic location (city/region level)
• Browser type and version, operating system
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URL
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)

2 How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following legitimate business purposes:

• To respond to your inquiries and schedule free consultations
• To verify insurance eligibility and process billing through our billing partner
• To send appointment reminders, practice updates, and relevant wellness resources (you may opt out at any time)
• To improve the functionality, content, and accessibility of our website
• To comply with applicable federal and state laws, including HIPAA, New York Mental Hygiene Law, and New York Social Work regulations
• To protect the legal rights, property, and safety of The Joy In Living, LCSW, PLLC and the public

We will not use your information for automated decision-making, profiling, or targeted advertising.

3 HIPAA & Health Information

Your clinical records, session notes, diagnoses, treatment plans, and any other PHI are maintained in a secure, HIPAA-compliant electronic health records system and are subject to strict federal protections, including:

• Minimum Necessary Standard: We access and disclose only the minimum amount of PHI necessary for any given purpose.
• Authorization Requirements: We will not disclose your PHI to third parties without your written authorization, except as permitted or required by law.
• Mandatory Disclosures: We are required by law to disclose PHI in certain circumstances, including: mandatory reporting of child abuse or neglect; reports of harm to an identifiable third party; situations involving imminent risk of serious harm to you or others; and valid court orders or legal processes.
• Retention: Clinical records are retained for a minimum of 7 years from the date of last service, or for 3 years after a minor client turns 18, whichever is longer, in accordance with New York State law.

For full details regarding your rights related to your health information, please refer to our Notice of Privacy Practices or contact our office directly.

4 Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service Providers: With vetted, HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA)-covered third parties who assist us in operating our practice, such as our billing platform, scheduling software, and secure patient portal — all of whom are contractually bound to maintain the confidentiality of your information.
• Insurance & Billing: With your health insurance plan and billing intermediaries (e.g., Headway) solely for the purpose of processing claims and verifying benefits.
• Legal Obligations: When required by law, regulation, court order, subpoena, or governmental authority.
• Safety & Emergency: To prevent or lessen a serious and imminent threat to the health or safety of a person or the public, consistent with applicable law and professional ethical standards.
• Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or part of our practice assets, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the same privacy protections.
• With Your Consent: For any other purpose with your explicit written authorization, which you may revoke at any time.

5 Data Security

We implement administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, or disclosure, including:

• HTTPS encryption on our website (TLS/SSL)
• Password-protected, role-based access to clinical systems
• HIPAA-compliant electronic health records (EHR) and telehealth platforms
• Secure, encrypted communication for all clinical correspondence
• Regular staff training on privacy practices and data handling

No method of data transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially reasonable means to protect your information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. If you suspect a breach of your information, please contact us immediately at reception@thejoyinliving.com.

6 Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our website uses minimal, functional cookies strictly necessary for the operation of the Site. We do not use:

• Advertising or remarketing cookies
• Cross-site tracking technologies
• Third-party analytics platforms that collect personally identifiable information
• Social media tracking pixels

You may configure your browser to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. Note that some features of the Site may not function properly if cookies are disabled.

7 Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party platforms in connection with our practice and website. Each maintains its own privacy practices:

• Therapy Portal (therapyportal.com) — Secure HIPAA-compliant client portal for intake documents, telehealth, and appointment scheduling. Privacy Policy →
• Headway — Insurance verification and billing platform operating under a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement. Privacy Policy →
• Google Fonts (fonts.googleapis.com) — Typography delivery via Google's CDN. Google may receive your IP address when fonts load. Google Privacy Policy →
• GitHub Pages — Our website is hosted on GitHub Pages. GitHub may log access requests including IP addresses per their data practices. GitHub Privacy Statement →

Links to external websites on our Site are provided for informational purposes only. We do not control and are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites.

8 Your Rights

Rights Regarding Website Data

Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights regarding personal information collected through our website:

• Right to Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Right to Correction: Request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Right to Deletion: Request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations
• Right to Opt-Out: Opt out of non-essential communications at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe link in any email
• Right to Non-Discrimination: You will not receive different or inferior service for exercising any privacy right

Rights Regarding Your Health Information (HIPAA)

As a patient, you have additional rights under HIPAA including the right to: inspect and copy your medical records; request amendments; receive an accounting of disclosures; request restrictions on certain uses and disclosures; and receive communications through alternative means. These rights are detailed in our Notice of Privacy Practices.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us in writing at reception@thejoyinliving.com. We will respond within 30 days.

9 Children's Privacy

Our website is not directed to children under 13 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental or guardian consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately and we will delete such information promptly.

For minors aged 13–17 seeking or receiving therapy services, parental or guardian consent is required in accordance with applicable New York State law and professional ethical standards, except in circumstances where a minor may consent independently under law (e.g., certain substance use or emergency situations).

10 Telehealth Privacy

We offer telehealth services through a HIPAA-compliant video platform. By participating in telehealth sessions, you acknowledge:

• Telehealth sessions are encrypted end-to-end and are never recorded without your explicit written consent
• You are responsible for ensuring a private, secure location on your end during sessions
• Technology limitations may affect the quality or security of the connection despite our best efforts
• You have the right to withdraw from telehealth and request in-person services at any time

Telehealth services are currently available to clients located in New York State. Practicing across state lines is subject to applicable licensure laws.

11 Intellectual Property

All content on this website — including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, photographs, audio, video, page layouts, and code — is the exclusive property of The Joy In Living, LCSW, PLLC or its content suppliers and is protected by United States copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, or transmit any material from this Site without the prior express written consent of The Joy In Living, LCSW, PLLC, except as follows:

• Your computer may temporarily store copies of such materials in RAM incidental to your accessing and viewing those materials
• You may store files that are automatically cached by your web browser for display enhancement purposes
• You may print or download one copy of a reasonable number of pages of the Site for your own personal, non-commercial use

The Joy In Living name, logo, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks of The Joy In Living, LCSW, PLLC. You must not use such marks without our prior written permission.

12 Limitation of Liability & Disclaimer

The content on this website is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or the establishment of a therapist-client relationship. Reading this website or submitting a contact form does not create a professional relationship with The Joy In Living, LCSW, PLLC.

In no event shall The Joy In Living, LCSW, PLLC, its owners, officers, employees, or agents be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation, loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from your use of or reliance on this Site or its content.

This Site is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without any warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

This Privacy Policy and your use of this website shall be governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from this Policy shall be resolved in the courts of Westchester County, New York.

13 Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page. For significant changes affecting your rights, we will make reasonable efforts to notify existing clients directly.

Your continued use of the Site after the posting of any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

14 Contact Us & Privacy Complaints

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your rights, or have concerns about how your information is handled, please contact our Privacy Officer: