Who we are

Exploring Compassion ("we," "us," "our") is a psychotherapy practice led by Shalin Carter, with offices in Herndon, Virginia and Bethesda, Maryland, and online therapy for residents of Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, DC. We also offer clinical supervision, consultation, and the Active Allyship Cohort for therapists.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit exploringcompassion.com (the "Site"), book a consultation or appointment through our scheduling tool, or contact us, and how we use, share, and protect that information.

This policy covers the Site and our online scheduling only. If you become a client, the privacy of your health information is governed by our Notice of Privacy Practices under HIPAA, which we provide to you directly. See "Health information and HIPAA" below.

By using the Site, you agree to this policy. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

Information we collect

We collect only what we need to respond to you, schedule your appointments, and run the Site.

Information you give us directly

  • Contact and inquiry details. When you email us, call us, or submit a contact form on the Site, we receive your name, email address, phone number, and whatever you choose to tell us in your message.

  • Scheduling details. When you book a free consultation, session, or supervision appointment through our scheduling tool (Acuity Scheduling), we collect your name, email address, phone number, the appointment type, date, and time you select, your time zone, and your answers to any intake questions on the booking form.

  • Payment details. If you pay for a service online, your card information is collected and processed by our payment processor. We do not see or store your full card number.

  • Program enrollment. If you apply for or enroll in the Active Allyship Cohort or supervision, we collect the professional details you provide, such as your license status and practice setting.

Information collected automatically

When you visit the Site, our hosting platform (Squarespace) and any analytics tools we use collect standard technical data: your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, the pages you view, the time and date of your visit, how long you stay, and the site that referred you. This data is collected through cookies and similar technologies described below.

Information we do not collect through the Site

We do not ask you to share clinical or diagnostic information through the Site or the booking form. Please do not include sensitive health details in a contact form or booking note. Those conversations happen directly with your therapist in a secure setting.

How we use your information

We use the information we collect to:

  • Respond to your inquiry and schedule your free 10-minute consultation

  • Book, confirm, remind you of, reschedule, or cancel appointments

  • Send appointment confirmations and reminders by email or text message, if you opt in

  • Process payments for services you purchase online

  • Communicate with you about the Active Allyship Cohort, supervision, or consultation services you have asked about

  • Operate, maintain, and improve the Site, including understanding which pages are useful to visitors

  • Protect the Site against spam, fraud, and security threats

  • Comply with legal obligations

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use it for third-party advertising.

We will only send you marketing or newsletter emails if you have signed up for them, and every such email includes an unsubscribe link.

Third-party services we use

We rely on a small number of service providers to run the Site and scheduling. Each one receives only the information needed to do its job and is bound by its own privacy policy.

Squarespace

Acuity Scheduling (a Squarespace company)

Google Maps

Google Fonts

Squarespace Analytics

These providers may process your data on servers in the United States. If you are visiting from outside the U.S., your information will be transferred to and processed here.

Health information and HIPAA

Exploring Compassion is a healthcare provider, and we take the confidentiality of health information seriously.

Your therapy records are not held on this Site. Clinical notes, diagnoses, treatment plans, and billing records are kept in a secure electronic health record system, not on exploringcompassion.com or in our scheduling tool. The way we use and protect that protected health information (PHI) is explained in our Notice of Privacy Practices, which you receive when you begin services and can request at any time by emailing us.

Scheduling and PHI. Booking an appointment tells us your name, contact details, and appointment time. Our scheduling provider, Acuity Scheduling, is used under a Business Associate Agreement and with its HIPAA-enabled settings turned on, so that appointment information is handled in line with federal privacy requirements. [Confirm: Acuity's HIPAA features require the Powerhouse plan and a signed BAA. If the practice is on a lower plan, remove this sentence and keep intake questions to non-clinical scheduling information only.]

Email and text are not fully secure. Standard email and SMS are convenient, but they are not encrypted end to end. Please keep messages to scheduling and general questions, and save clinical details for your sessions. By choosing to email or text us, you accept the small risk that comes with those channels.

Website visit data is not PHI. Technical information collected when you browse the Site, such as pages viewed, is not linked to your health records. Even so, we have chosen not to run advertising pixels or retargeting trackers on the Site, because we believe visiting a therapist's website should not follow you around the internet.

Cookies and tracking

The Site uses a small number of cookies, which are tiny text files stored in your browser.

Analytics

  • Tell us which pages visitors use so we can improve the Site. Squarespace Analytics runs by default; any additional analytics tool is listed in the table above.

  • Yes. Decline analytics cookies in the Site's cookie banner, or block them in your browser settings.

Scheduling

  • Let the Acuity booking tool remember your selections while you book

  • Blocking these may prevent you from completing a booking.

  • We do not use advertising or retargeting cookies.

Most browsers let you refuse cookies or delete them. Visit your browser's help pages to learn how. Some browsers send a "Do Not Track" or Global Privacy Control signal; where our platform supports it, we honor that signal for analytics cookies.

When we share information

We share personal information only in these situations:

  • With service providers listed above, so they can host the Site, run scheduling, process payments, and deliver email on our behalf. They may not use your information for their own purposes.

  • When the law requires it, such as in response to a valid subpoena, court order, or legal process, or to protect the safety of a person.

  • With your consent, when you ask us to share information with someone else.

  • If the practice changes hands, personal information may be transferred to a successor, who will be bound by this policy.

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information, and we do not share it with advertisers or data brokers.

How long we keep information and how we protect it

Retention. We keep contact and scheduling information for as long as needed to provide the service you asked about and to meet our legal and professional recordkeeping obligations. Inquiries that do not lead to services are deleted within [12 months]. Appointment records for clients are retained as part of the clinical record, under the timelines in our Notice of Privacy Practices and state law. Website analytics data is retained by our platform for up to [26 months] and is not tied to your name.

Security. The Site is served over HTTPS, so data between your browser and the Site is encrypted. Our hosting and scheduling providers maintain industry-standard safeguards, and access to the information you share with us is limited to the people who need it to respond to you. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security, but we work to protect your information with care.

Your rights and choices

You can:

  • Ask what we have. Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you from the Site and scheduling tool.

  • Correct it. Ask us to fix information that is inaccurate or out of date.

  • Delete it. Ask us to delete your information, except where we must keep it for legal, professional, or security reasons. Clinical records are subject to separate retention rules.

  • Opt out. Unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in any message, and turn off appointment reminders in your booking confirmation or by contacting us.

  • Manage cookies. Change your choices in the Site's cookie banner or your browser at any time.

Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under state privacy laws, including the right to appeal a decision we make about your request. To exercise any of these rights, email us at the address below. We will respond within 45 days and will not treat you differently for making a request.

For rights related to your health records, please refer to our Notice of Privacy Practices.

Children's privacy

The Site is intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from anyone under 18. If a parent or guardian believes a minor has submitted information through the Site, please contact us and we will delete it. Services for minors, where offered, are arranged directly with a parent or guardian.

Links to other websites

The Site contains links to other websites, such as Google Maps directions and professional resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites. Please review their policies before sharing information with them.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time as our practice, tools, or the law changes. When we do, we will post the new version here and update the effective date at the top. If a change materially affects how we use information you have already given us, we will let you know by email or a notice on the Site.

Contact us

Questions about this policy, or requests about your information, can be sent to:

Exploring Compassion Email: Hello@ExploringCompassion.com Phone: 202-573-7356

Herndon office: 443B Carlisle Dr, Suite 203, Herndon, VA 20170 Bethesda office: 7801 Norfolk Ave, Suite 208, Bethesda, MD 20814

This policy was prepared as a template for a therapy practice and is not legal advice. Have an attorney familiar with HIPAA and Virginia, Maryland, and DC privacy law review it before publishing.

Privacy Policy