Effective date: 10/12/26

Last updated: 10/12/26

1. Who We Are and What This Policy Covers

Calm Waters Counseling (“Calm Waters,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is a mental health counseling and behavioral health practice located at 5223 W. Overland Road, Boise, Idaho 83705.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect information when you visit our website (the “Site”), use our contact forms, or contact us through the Site. It applies only to information collected through the Site.

It does not cover the health information we create or receive while providing care. If you become a client, your protected health information is governed by federal and state health privacy laws, including HIPAA, and by our Notice of Privacy Practices. You can request a copy of our Notice of Privacy Practices from our office at any time.

By using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

Information you give us. When you use a contact or appointment request form on the Site, we collect your first and last name, email address, phone number (optional), and the message you write. We also collect any information you send us by email, phone, text message, or fax after finding us through the Site.

Information collected automatically. When you visit the Site, our website host and security provider automatically record standard technical information. This may include your IP address, browser type and version, device and operating system, pages viewed, the page that referred you, and the date and time of your visit. Basic technical details, such as IP address and browser type, may also be recorded with each form submission to help us block spam.

Analytics and cookies. We use Google Analytics and a small number of cookies, described in Section 6.

3. Please Do Not Send Health Information Through the Site

Our website forms are for general questions and appointment requests. They are not a secure way to share medical, clinical, or other sensitive health information.

Please do not include details about your diagnosis, symptoms, treatment, medications, or insurance member numbers in a form or email. Share only what we need to contact you, such as your name, how to reach you, and the general kind of help you are looking for. Our office will talk with you about anything more sensitive by phone or through our intake process.

Submitting a form or contacting us through the Site does not make you a client or create a counseling relationship.

4. How We Use Information

We use information collected through the Site to:

• Respond to your questions and appointment requests
• Contact you by phone, email, or text message about your inquiry
• Help you understand our services, insurance options, and next steps
• Keep records of our communications
• Understand how visitors use the Site so we can improve it
• Protect the Site from spam, fraud, and unauthorized access
• Fix technical problems and keep the Site running
• Meet our legal obligations

5. How We Share Information

We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share it with other companies for their own marketing.

We share information only in these situations:

• Service providers. Companies that host the Site, protect it from attacks and spam, deliver our email, and provide analytics process information on our behalf. They may use it only to provide those services to us.
• Legal requirements. We may disclose information when required by law, such as in response to a subpoena or court order, or when needed to protect someone’s safety.
• Business changes. If our practice is merged, sold, or reorganized, information collected through the Site may transfer as part of that change, subject to this policy and applicable law.

6. Google Analytics, Cookies, and Embedded Services

A cookie is a small text file your browser stores on your device. The Site uses the following.

Google Analytics. We use Google Analytics, a service provided by Google LLC, to understand how visitors find and use the Site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information such as the pages you visit, how long you stay, the website that referred you, your general location (city or region), and your device and browser type. Google processes this information on our behalf, and we view it only in summary reports. We do not use Google Analytics for advertising or to identify individual visitors, and we do not send form entries to Google Analytics. Learn how Google uses this information at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites. You can stop Google Analytics from collecting your information by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on or by blocking cookies in your browser.

Necessary cookies. Our hosting, caching, and security systems may set cookies needed for the Site to work. They help us serve pages quickly, tell real visitors apart from automated traffic, and record that a security check was passed. They do not identify you personally and are not used to track you across other websites.

Services embedded on the Site. Some pages include tools run by other companies. When a page loads one of these tools, that company may receive your IP address and browser information and may set its own cookies, under its own privacy policy:

• Benefits checker (Insurance & Fees page): provided by Mentaya. Information you enter into the checker, such as insurance details, goes directly to Mentaya, not to us, and is governed by Mentaya’s privacy policy and terms.
• Map (Contact Us page): provided by Google Maps.
• Spam protection and email protection: provided by Cloudflare, including its Turnstile check on our forms. Turnstile may examine browser and device signals to tell people apart from bots.

Managing cookies. Most browsers let you view, block, and delete cookies. Blocking necessary cookies may prevent parts of the Site, including the contact forms, from working.

7. Phone Calls and Text Messages

If you give us your phone number through the Site, you agree that we may call or text you at that number to respond to your inquiry and schedule services. We will not use it for marketing, and agreeing to be contacted is not a condition of receiving services.

Message and data rates may apply. You can stop text messages at any time by replying STOP, or reply HELP for help. You can also tell us how you prefer to be contacted, and we will do our best to honor it.

We do not sell or share phone numbers or text messaging consent with third parties.

8. How Long We Keep Information

We keep information collected through the Site only as long as we need it to respond to you, keep business records, and meet legal requirements. Form submissions are stored in the Site’s database and may also be sent to our office by email. If you become a client, information you share becomes part of your client record and is kept as required by law and our Notice of Privacy Practices. Server logs, security logs, and analytics data are kept according to our service providers’ settings.

9. How We Protect Information

We use reasonable safeguards to protect information collected through the Site, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections, firewall and spam filtering, limited administrative access, and regular software updates.

No website or internet transmission is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee the security of information you send online. This is one reason we ask you not to send health information through the Site (Section 3).

10. Children and Minors

We provide services to children and teens, but the Site is meant to be used by adults, including parents and guardians. We do not knowingly collect personal information online from children under 13. A parent or guardian should contact us on behalf of a minor who is seeking services.

If you believe a child under 13 has sent us personal information through the Site, contact us and we will delete it.

11. Your Choices and Rights

You may ask us to tell you what information we have from your use of the Site, correct it, or delete it. Contact us using the information in Section 15. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We may keep information when the law requires it, or when it has become part of a client record.

Depending on where you live, state privacy laws may give you additional rights. We will honor those rights where they apply to us.

You can also block or delete cookies and opt out of Google Analytics as described in Section 6.

12. Emergencies

The Site, our contact forms, and our email are not monitored for emergencies. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For a mental health crisis or thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, available 24/7.

13. Links to Other Websites

The Site may link to websites we do not control. Their privacy practices are their own, so please review their privacy policies.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy as our practices, the Site, or the law change. We will post the updated policy here and change the “Last updated” date at the top.

15. Contact Us

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

Calm Waters Counseling 5223 W. Overland Road Boise, Idaho 83705

Phone: 208-331-4592 Email: [email protected]