Privacy Policy

Effective date: October 2, 2026

This website is operated by Kate Pozo, MSW, LCSW (“I”, “me”, “my”), a therapy practice located in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. This Privacy Policy explains what information this website collects, how it is used, and the choices you have. It applies to this website only. It does not describe how information is handled in a therapeutic relationship — that is covered separately in the Notice of Privacy Practices you receive as a client.

Information I collect

Information you give me through the contact form. When you submit the consultation request form, the following is collected: first name, last name, email address, telephone number (optional), the option you select under “I’m interested in”, and the message you write. The form is delivered to me by email.

Please do not send clinical or health information through this form. The form is for scheduling and general enquiries only. Do not describe symptoms, diagnoses, treatment history, or any other sensitive health information in the message field. If you become a client, your clinical information is handled under the Notice of Privacy Practices and applicable law, not through this website.

Information collected automatically. Like most websites, the server records standard technical information when a page is requested: IP address, browser type and version, the page requested, the referring page, and the date and time. This is used for the site to function, to keep it secure, and to detect abuse.

Cookies

This website sets only the cookies required for it to work. These are technical cookies used by the website software: they remember a logged-in session for site administration, and record your cookie preferences. They are not used to build a profile of you.

This website does not use advertising cookies, and does not run Google Analytics, Yandex Metrica, Meta Pixel, or any other marketing or behavioural tracking service. No third-party analytics service receives your data from this site.

The contact form is protected against automated spam submissions. It may set a temporary technical cookie or store a technical token for that purpose in order to verify that the submission comes from a real browser.

You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The website will continue to work.

Third-party links and services

This website contains links to other services. When you follow such a link, you leave this website and the other service’s own privacy policy applies. These include:

• Google Maps — the studio address in the header opens a map in a new tab. It is an ordinary link; no map is embedded in this site.
• Instagram — the practice profile link.
• 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline — the crisis support link.

This website does not embed third-party content such as videos, social media feeds, or advertising units, and does not allow third parties to track you through embedded content.

Hosting

This website is hosted on a third-party hosting service, which stores the site and its server logs on its infrastructure. The hosting provider processes this data on my behalf and does not use it for its own purposes.

How I use your information

• to respond to your enquiry and arrange a consultation;
• to keep in contact with you about the matter you contacted me about;
• to keep the website secure and functioning, and to prevent spam and abuse;
• to comply with legal and professional obligations that apply to my practice.

I do not sell your personal information. I do not use it for advertising. I do not send marketing email.

Sharing

Your information is not shared with third parties except:

• Service providers who help run this website — the hosting provider and the email service that delivers form submissions. They act on my instructions and only for that purpose.
• Where required by law — for example, in response to a lawful request, a court order, or where disclosure is required or permitted by professional obligations or to prevent serious harm.

How long information is kept

Consultation enquiries are kept for as long as needed to handle the enquiry and for a reasonable period afterwards, and then deleted. Server logs are kept for a limited period and then removed automatically. If you become a client, the retention of your records is governed by the Notice of Privacy Practices and by the record-keeping requirements that apply to my practice.

Your choices and rights

You may contact me to:

• ask what personal information about you is held and receive a copy;
• ask for it to be corrected if it is inaccurate;
• ask for it to be deleted, where no legal or professional obligation requires it to be kept;
• withdraw consent you previously gave, or ask that your enquiry be closed.

Requests are answered within a reasonable period. Depending on where you live, you may have additional rights under the law of your state or country; those rights are respected.

Security

This website is served over an encrypted HTTPS connection. Access to the site’s administration is restricted and protected by authentication. Form submissions are delivered over an encrypted connection. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so absolute security cannot be promised.

Children

This website is intended for adults. It is not directed at children, and information from children is not knowingly collected through it. If you believe a child has submitted information through this website, contact me and it will be deleted.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated. The effective date at the top of the page shows when it was last changed. Material changes will be reflected on this page.

Contact

Questions about this policy, or requests about your information, can be sent to kate@steppingstonescva.com.