Privacy Policy and Consumer Health Data Notice

1. Who we are

Friendly Counseling is a service of Valley Life Improvement Center ("we", "us"), 17415 Mayerling St., Granada Hills, California. Contact: info@friendlycounseling.org or (310) 359-3033.

2. What we collect

Account: your name, email, password (stored encrypted, we cannot read it) and, if you give it, your phone.

Your answers: what you tell us in the questionnaire and in messages about your life and wellbeing. Some of these answers are "consumer health data" under the laws of Washington, Nevada and other states. We collect them only with your separate consent, given when you create your account.

Sessions and payments: the times you book, whether a session happened, and payment records. Card numbers go directly to Square; we keep only the card brand and last 4 digits.

Technical: the date, IP address and browser when you accept these documents, kept as a record of your acceptance.

3. Why we use it

Only to match you with a counselor, let your counselor prepare and hold your sessions, send you reminders about your sessions, process payments, keep the service safe, and keep the records the law requires.

4. Who sees it

Your counselor and the staff who supervise counselors and run the service, only as needed for those purposes.

Companies that run parts of the service for us and may not use your data for anything else: Supabase (database), Vercel (hosting), Square (payments), Resend (email), and Daily (video rooms).

We do not sell or share your information for advertising, and we do not place advertising pixels or session-recording tools on the pages where you answer questions, book, pay or write messages.

We may disclose information when the law requires it, or to protect someone from serious and immediate harm (see the Informed Consent).

5. How long we keep it

While your account is open, and up to 3 years after your last session for our records, unless the law requires longer. Payment records are kept as tax law requires.

6. Your choices and rights

You can ask to see, correct, download or delete your information, or withdraw your consent to us keeping your health data, by writing to info@friendlycounseling.org. We answer within 45 days. Withdrawing consent means we can no longer offer you sessions. We will not treat you differently for using these rights.

If we refuse a request, you can appeal by replying to our answer; if you are in Washington you may also contact the Washington Attorney General.

7. Security

Data travels encrypted, access is limited to the people who need it, and every access by staff to someone else's account is recorded. No system is perfect: if a breach affects your information, we will tell you as the law requires.

8. Children

The service is only for adults 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone younger.

9. Changes

If we change this policy in a way that matters, we tell you inside the platform and ask for your consent again where the law requires it.