Privacy Practices | Updated September 2024

Light Counseling is committed to responsibly treating and using protected personal/mental health information about you. This Privacy Policy / Practices Notice describes the personal information we collect and how/when we use or disclose that information.  It also describes your rights relating to your protected personal/mental health information.  This notice applies to all protected personal/mental health information as defined by federal regulations.

This privacy notice for Light Counseling Inc. (“we,” “us,” or “ours”), describes how and why we might collect, store, use, and/or share (“process”) your information when you use our services (“Services”), such as when you:

• Visit our website at https://lightcounseling.net or any website of ours that links to this privacy notice 

• Engage with us in other related ways, including sales, support, marketing, or events. 

Summary of Key Points

This summary provides key points from our privacy notice, but you can find out more details about any of these topics by clicking the link following each key point or by using our table of contents below to find the section you are looking for. 

What personal information do we process? When you visit, use, or navigate our Services, we may process personal information depending on how you interact with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. Learn more about the personal information you disclose to us. 

Do we process any sensitive personal information? We may process sensitive personal information when necessary with your consent or as otherwise permitted by applicable law. Learn more about the sensitive information we process. 

Do we receive any information from third parties? We may receive information from third parties for treatment and billing purpose.

How do we process your information? We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you for security and fraud prevention, and comply with law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent. We process your information only when we have a valid legal reason to do so. Learn more about how we process your information. 

In what situations and with which types of parties do we share personal information? We may share information in specific situations and with specific categories of third parties. Learn more about when and with whom we share your personal information. 

How do we keep your information safe? We have organizational and technical processes and procedures to protect your personal information. However, no electronic transmission over the internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our or our vendor’s security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Should such a breach occur in our systems, Light Counseling Inc. is required to notify you of such an incident. Learn more about how we keep your information safe. 

What are your rights? Depending on where you are located geographically, the applicable privacy law may mean you have certain rights regarding your personal information. Learn more about your privacy rights. 

How do you exercise your rights? The easiest way to exercise your rights is by submitting a data subject access request, or by contacting us. We will consider and act upon any request in accordance with applicable data protection laws. 

Want to learn more about what we do with any information we collect? Review the privacy notice in full. 

Table of Contents

Our Responsibility

What Information Do We Collect

Understanding Your Personal/Mental Health Information.

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment, and Service Operations

How Do We Process Your Information?

When And With Whom Do We Share Your Personal Information

How Long Do We Keep Your Information?

How Do We Keep Your Information Safe?

What Are Your Privacy Rights?

Do United States Residents Have Specific Privacy Rights?

Do We Make Updates To This Notice?

How Can You Contact Us About This Notice?

How Can You Review, Update, Or Delete The Data We Collect From You?

For More Information or to Report a Problem

Grievance Procedure

Our Responsibility

Light Counseling is required to: 

• Maintain the privacy of your personal information 

• Provide you with this notice as to our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to the information we collect and maintain about you 

• Abide by the terms of this notice 

• Notify you if we are unable to agree to a requested restriction 

• Accommodate reasonable requests you may have to communicate personal information by alternative means or alternative locations. 

We reserve the right to change our practices and to make the new provisions effective for all protected personal information we maintain.  Should our information practices change, we will mail a revised notice to the address you have supplied us, or if agreed, we will email the revised notice to you. 

We will not use or disclose your personal information without your authorization, except as described in this notice.  We will also discontinue using or disclosing your personal information after receiving a written revocation of the authorization according to the procedures included. 

What Information Do We Collect

Personal information you disclose to us. 

In Short: We collect personal information that you provide to us. 

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us when you register on the Services, express an interest in obtaining information about us or our products and Services, when you participate in activities on the Services, or otherwise when you contact us. 

Personal Information Provided by You. The personal information that we collect depends on the context of your interactions with us and the Services, the choices you make, and the products and features you use. The personal information we collect may include the following: 

• Names 

• Phone Numbers 

• Email Addresses 

• Mailing Addresses 

• Contact Preferences 

• Contact Or Authentication Data 

• Billing Addresses 

• Debit/Credit Card Numbers 

• Social Security Number 

• Protected Health Information 

• Fax Numbers 

• Account Number(S) 

• Medical Record Number(S) 

• Job Titles 

• Employment Information 

• Psychosocial And Medical History 

• Reasons For Treatment 

• Preferences 

• Health Insurance Beneficiary Information 

• Release Of Information 

• Other Identifying Numbers Or Codes 

• Service Feedback 

• Emergency Contact(S) 

• Other Healthcare Provider(S) 

Sensitive Information. When necessary, with your consent or as otherwise permitted by applicable law, we process the following categories of sensitive information:  

• Health Data 

• Financial Data 

• Information Revealing Race Or Ethnic Origin 

• Information Revealing Religious Or Philosophical Beliefs 

• Social Security Numbers Or Other Government Identifiers 

• Data About A Person’s Sex Life Or Sexual Orientation 

• Information That Triggers State Breach Notification Laws Or Industry Specific Laws (I.E., Hipaa, Etc.) 

• Student Data 

Payment Data. We may collect data necessary to process your payment if you make purchases, such as your payment instrument number and the security code associated with your payment instrument. EasyPay Solutions, Inc stores all payment data. You may find their privacy notice link(s) here: https://easypaysolutions.com/privacy-policy/  

All personal information that you provide to us must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify us of any changes to such personal information. 

Understanding Your Personal/Mental Health Information

A record of your visit is made each time you meet with a member of our staff at Light Counseling. Typically, this record contains your service needs, plans for future services, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and plans for future care or treatment. This information is referred to as your Counseling Record and serves as a: 

1. Basis for planning your services and treatment. 
2. Means of communication among the professionals who contribute to your care 
3. Legal document describing the services you received 
4. Means by which you or a third-party payer can verify that services billed were actually provided 
5. A tool in educating professionals 
6. A source of data research 
7. A source of information for public health officials charged with improving the overall well-being and mental health of this state and the nation 
8. A source of data for planning and marketing 
9. A tool with which we can assess and continually work to improve the services we render and the outcomes we achieve 

Understanding what is in your record and how this information is used helps you to a) ensure its accuracy; b) better understand who, what, when and why others may access your information; and c) make more informed decisions when authorizing disclosures to others.  

Although your Counseling Record is the physical property of Light Counseling, the information belongs to you. You have the right to: 

1. Obtain a paper copy of this notice of information practices on request. 
2. Inspect and receive a copy of your Counseling Record as provided for in 45 CFR 164.524; 
3. Amend your record as provided in 45 CFR 164.528; 
4. Obtain an accounting of disclosures of your information as provided in 45 CFR 164.528; 
5. Request communications of your information by alternative means or at an alternative location; 
6. Request a restriction on certain uses and disclosures of your information as provided by  45 CFR 164.522; and
7. Revoke your authorization to use or disclose information except to the extent that action has already been taken.

Examples of Disclosures for Treatment, Payment, and Service Operations

1. We will use your personal information for treatment.
   For Example:  Information obtained by a Counselor or other member of your program team will be recorded in your record and used to determine the course of services/treatment that should work best for you.  Your provider will record his/her expectations, actions taken, and observations in your record.  That way, they will know how you respond to services/treatment.  We will also provide your subsequent service provider with copies of various reports that should assist him or her with your services/treatments. 

2. The Light Counseling will use your personal information for payment.
For Example: A bill may be sent to a third-party payer.  The information on or accompanying the bill may include information that identifies you and your diagnosis (if applicable) and treatment. 

3. Light Counseling will use your personal information for regular service operations.
For Example:  Members of the Light Counseling staff, risk or quality improvement manager, or members of the quality improvement team may use information in your record to assess the services and outcomes in your case and others like it.  This information will then be used to continually improve the quality and effectiveness of the care and services we provide. 

4. Other examples: 

• Business Associates:  There are some services provided in our organization through contact with business associates.  Examples include Collection Agencies, Auditors, etc.  When these services are contracted, we may disclose your personal information to our business associates so that they can perform the job we’ve asked them to do and bill you or your third-party payer for services rendered.  To protect your personal information, however, we require the business associate to appropriately safeguard your information. 
• Notification:  We may use or disclose your information to notify a family member, personal representative, or person responsible for your well-being, about services provided; your location, and general condition.  We may leave a message on your answering machine or voicemail as a means of communication.  We may mail you a postcard or written notice as a means of communication
• Communication with Family: Service Providers/Counselors, using their best judgment, may disclose to a family member, other relative, friend or any other person you designate, personal information relative to that person’s involvement in services provided to you or payment related to these services.
• Workers Compensation / Disability: We may disclose personal information to the extent authorized by and to the extent necessary to comply with laws relating to workers compensation or other similar programs established by law. 
• Public Health: As required by law, we may disclose your health information to public health or legal authorities charged with preventing or controlling disease, injury or disability. 
• Courts of Law OR Law Enforcement:  We may disclose health information for law enforcement purposes as required by law or in response to a valid subpoena. 

Federal law makes provisions for your personal/mental health information to be released to an appropriate oversight agency, public health authority or attorney, provided that a work force member or business associate believes in good faith that we have engaged in unlawful conduct or have otherwise violated professional or clinical standards and are potentially endangering one or more clients, workers or the public. 

How Do We Process Your Information?

In Short: We process your information to provide, improve, and administer our Services, communicate with you for security and fraud prevention, and comply with the law. We may also process your information for other purposes with your consent. 

We process your personal information for a variety of reasons, depending on how you interact with our Services, including: 

• To facilitate account creation and authentication and otherwise manage client accounts. We may process your information so you can create and log in to your account, as well as keep your account in working order. 
• To deliver and facilitate the delivery of services to the client. We may process your information to provide you with the requested service. 
• To respond to client inquiries/offer support to clients. We may process your information to respond to your inquiries and solve any potential issues you might have with the requested service. 
• To send administrative information to you. We may process your information to send you details about our products and services, changes to our terms and policies, and other similar information. 
• To request feedback. We may process your information when necessary to request feedback and contact you about using our Services. 
• To send you marketing and promotional communications. We may process the personal information you send to us for our marketing purposes, if this is in accordance with your marketing preferences. You can opt out of our marketing emails at any time. For more information, see “WHAT ARE YOUR PRIVACY RIGHTS?” below. 
• To deliver targeted advertising to you. We may process your information to develop and display personalized content and advertising tailored to your interests, location, and more. Your consent will be obtained before receiving such information. 
• To protect our Services. We may process your information as part of our efforts to keep our Services safe and secure, including fraud monitoring and prevention. 
• To evaluate and improve our Services, products, marketing, and your experience. We may process your information when we believe it is necessary to identify usage trends, determine the effectiveness of our promotional campaigns, and to evaluate and improve our Services, products, marketing, and your experience. 
• To identify usage trends. We may process information about how you use our Services to better understand how they are being used so we can improve them. 
• To determine the effectiveness of our marketing and promotional campaigns. We may process your information to better understand how to provide marketing and promotional campaigns that are most relevant to you. 
• To comply with our legal obligations. We may process your information to comply with our legal obligations, respond to legal requests, and exercise, establish, or defend our legal rights. 

When And With Whom Do We Share Your Personal Information

In Short: We may share information in specific situations described in this section and/or with the following categories of third parties. 

Vendors, Consultants, and Other Third-Party Service Providers. We may share your data with third-party vendors, service providers, contractors, or agents (“third parties“) who perform services for us or on our behalf and require access to such information to do that work. We have contracts with our third parties, designed to help safeguard your personal information. This means they cannot do anything with your personal information unless we have instructed them to do it. They will also not share your personal information with any organization apart from us. They also commit to protecting the data they hold on our behalf and retaining it for the period we instruct. The categories of third parties we may share personal information with are as follows: 

• Payment Processors 

• Electronic Health/Medical Record System(s) (HIPAA Compliant) 

• Patient Experience/Relationship Management System(s) (HIPAA Compliant) 

• Online Form or Survey Tools (HIPAA Compliant) 

• Health Insurance Companies (HIPAA Compliant) 

• Healthcare Attorney (Consultation and Compliance – HIPAA Compliant) 

• Government Entities 

• Finance & Accounting Tools 

• Client Account Registration & Authentication Services 

• Communication & Collaboration Tools 

• Cloud Computing Services 

We also may need to share your personal information in the following situations: 

• Business Transfers. We may share or transfer your information in connection with, or during negotiations of, any merger, sale of company assets, financing, or acquisition of all or a portion of our business to another company.

How Long Do We Keep Your Information?

In Short: We keep your information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this privacy notice unless otherwise required by law. 

We will only keep your personal information for as long as it is necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy notice unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law (such as tax, accounting, or other legal requirements). 

When we have no ongoing legitimate business need to process your personal information, we will either delete or anonymize it. If this is not possible (for example, because your personal information has been stored in backup archives), we will securely store it and isolate it from any further processing until deletion is possible. 

How Do We Keep Your Information Safe?

In Short: We aim to protect your personal information through a system of organizational and technical security measures. 

We have implemented appropriate and reasonable technical and organizational security measures designed to protect the security of any personal information we process. However, despite our safeguards and efforts to secure your information, no electronic transmission over the Internet or information storage technology can be guaranteed to be 100% secure, so we cannot promise or guarantee that hackers, cybercriminals, or other unauthorized third parties will not be able to defeat our security and improperly collect, access, steal, or modify your information. Although we will do our best to protect your personal information, transmission of personal information to and from our Services is at your own risk. You should only access the Services within a secure environment. 

What Are Your Privacy Rights?

In Short:  You may review, change, or terminate your account at any time. 

Withdrawing your consent: If we are relying on your consent to process your personal information, which may be express and/or implied consent, depending on the applicable law, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us by using the contact details provided in the section “HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?” below. However, please note that this will not affect the lawfulness of the processing before its withdrawal nor, when applicable law allows, will it affect the processing of your personal information conducted in reliance on lawful processing grounds other than consent. 

Opting out of marketing and promotional communications: You can unsubscribe from our marketing and promotional communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the emails that we send, replying “STOP” or “UNSUBSCRIBE” to the SMS messages that we send, or by contacting us using the details provided in the section “HOW CAN YOU CONTACT US ABOUT THIS NOTICE?” below. You will then be removed from the marketing lists. However, we may still communicate with you — for example, to send you service-related messages that are necessary for the administration and use of your account, to respond to service requests, or for other non-marketing purposes. 

Account Information 

If you would at any time like to review or change the information in your account or terminate your account, you can: 

• Contact us using the contact information provided. 

• Log in to your account settings and update your client account. 

Upon your request to terminate your account, we will deactivate or delete it and the information in it from our active databases. However, we may retain some information in our files to prevent fraud, troubleshoot problems, assist with investigations, enforce our legal terms, and/or comply with applicable legal requirements. If you have questions or comments about your privacy rights, you may email us at info@lightcounseling.net. 

Do United States Residents Have Specific Privacy Rights?

What categories of personal information do we collect? 

We have collected the following categories of personal information in the past twelve (12) months: 

We will use and retain the collected personal information as needed to provide the Services or for: 

• Category A – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category B – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category C – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category D – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category F – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category G – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category H – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category I – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category J – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

• Category K – Information is required to be retained in accordance with state and federal laws. Information may be retained past this timeframe if needed. 

We may also collect other personal information outside of these categories through instances where you interact with us in person, online, or by phone or mail in the context of: 

• Receiving help through our customer support channels. 

• Participation in customer surveys or contests; and 

• Facilitation in the delivery of our Services and to respond to your inquiries.  

Will your information be shared with anyone else? 

We may disclose your personal information with our service providers pursuant to a written contract between us and each service provider. Learn more about how we disclose personal information to in the section, “WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?“ 

We may use your personal information for our own business purposes, such as conducting internal research for technological development and demonstration. This is not considered to be “selling” your personal information. 

We have not sold or shared any personal information to third parties for business or commercial purposes. We have disclosed the following categories of personal information to third parties for a business or commercial purpose: 

• Category A. Identifiers 

• Category B. Personal Information as defined in the California Customer Records law 

• Category C. Characteristics of protected classifications under state or federal law 

• Category F. Internet or other electronic network activity information 

• Category G. Audio, electronic, visual, and similar information 

• Category H. Professional or employment-related information 

• Category I. Education information 

• Category J. Inferences drawn from collected personal information 

• Category K. Sensitive personal information 

The categories of third parties to whom we disclosed personal information for a business or commercial purpose can be found under “WHEN AND WITH WHOM DO WE SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?“ 

Do We Make Updates To This Notice?

In Short: Yes, we will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws. 

We may update this privacy notice from time to time. The updated version will be indicated by an updated “Revised” date and will be effective as soon as it is accessible. If we make material changes to this privacy notice, we may notify you either by prominently posting a notice of such changes or by directly sending you a notification. We encourage you to review this privacy notice frequently to be informed of how we are protecting your information. 

How Can You Contact Us About This Notice?

If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may email us at info@lightcounseling.net or contact us by post at: 

Light Counseling Inc.
20564 Timberlake Rd STE B, Lynchburg, VA 24502, USA 

How Can You Review, Update, Or Delete The Data We Collect From You?

Based on the applicable laws of your country, you may have the right to request access to the personal information we collect from you, change that information, or delete it. To request to review, update, or delete your personal information, please send us an email to info@lightcounseling.net. 

For More Information or to Report a Problem

If you have questions and would like additional information, you may contact Light Counseling. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you can file a complaint with Light Counseling or with the Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  There will be no retaliation for filing a complaint with either Light Counseling or the Office of Civil Rights. The address for the Office of Civil Rights is listed below: 

 Office of Civil Rights 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 

200 Independence Ave.  SW 

Washington, DC 20201 

Grievance Procedure

If you have any questions relating to your rights as a client of Light Counseling, or if you have concerns about your relationship with Light Counseling, the following steps may be taken: 

1. Discuss your concerns with the provider you have been working with. 
2. If this does not result in a satisfactory resolution, write a letter documenting your concerns to the Business Director, Clinical Director, and/or Compliance Officer at Light Counseling and mail it to: Light Counseling, 1075 Light Boulevard, Forest, VA 24551. 
3. You will be notified that your letter has been received and an investigation will be conducted.
4. The Owner or their legal representative will make an independent judgment and has the authority to alter aspects of your relationship with the agency.
5. Within an agreed-upon time, you will be notified that your complaint has been handled. Within boundaries permitted by law, you will be informed of the resolution of your complaint.