Effective Date: September 21, 2026
Blue Heron Counseling, LLC ("Blue Heron Counseling," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information entrusted to us.
This Privacy Policy explains how information may be collected, used, disclosed, and protected when you visit www.blueheroncounselingllc.com.
Because Blue Heron Counseling provides mental health counseling services, certain information collected as part of an established counselor-client relationship may be considered Protected Health Information ("PHI") and may be subject to additional protections under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act ("HIPAA"), Florida law, and other applicable healthcare privacy laws.
Our handling of PHI is also described in our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices, which is separate from this general Website Privacy Policy.
Depending on how you interact with our website, we may collect the following categories of information.
This may include:
Please do not submit detailed medical, mental health, diagnostic, treatment, insurance, financial, or other sensitive healthcare information through a general website contact form unless the form is specifically identified as a secure method for communicating health information.
Like many websites, limited technical information may be collected when you visit the website, including:
This information may be used to maintain website security, understand general website performance, troubleshoot technical issues, and improve the visitor experience.
Information becomes subject to HIPAA when the applicable requirements for PHI are met.
Information collected or maintained as part of your counseling relationship may include information concerning:
PHI is handled according to applicable federal and state healthcare privacy requirements and our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
The HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices explains in greater detail:
Where applicable law provides greater confidentiality protections than HIPAA, Blue Heron Counseling will follow the applicable more protective requirement.
Blue Heron Counseling recognizes that mental health information is particularly sensitive.
Communications between a client and an appropriately licensed mental health counselor are subject to confidentiality protections under applicable Florida law, subject to legally recognized exceptions.
Clinical information will not be publicly disclosed or used for general advertising purposes merely because a person receives counseling services from Blue Heron Counseling.
Website information may be used to:
Information obtained during an established healthcare relationship may also be used as permitted by applicable healthcare privacy laws and as described in our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
Blue Heron Counseling provides counseling services throughout Florida through telehealth, including virtual video sessions and telephone sessions.
Telehealth communications may involve information protected by healthcare privacy laws.
Blue Heron Counseling takes reasonable administrative, physical, and technical measures to protect confidential information and seeks to use technologies and service providers appropriate for healthcare communications when required.
Clients should participate in telehealth sessions from a private location when possible and take reasonable precautions to prevent other individuals from overhearing or viewing confidential communications.
Additional telehealth privacy and informed consent information may be provided during the intake process.
General website contact forms are intended primarily for administrative communication.
Unless expressly identified as secure and appropriate for healthcare information, please do not use a general website form to provide:
Submitting a general website form does not create a counselor-client relationship.
Blue Heron Counseling recognizes that healthcare-related website activity may involve sensitive information.
Any website analytics or measurement technologies used by Blue Heron Counseling should be configured so that Protected Health Information is not intentionally disclosed to analytics or advertising providers that are not authorized to receive PHI.
Blue Heron Counseling does not intend to provide Google Analytics or other general-purpose advertising or analytics services with clinical information, treatment information, diagnoses, appointment details, or other Protected Health Information.
Analytics technologies should not be placed on authenticated patient portals or other areas of the website used for confidential healthcare communications unless the technology is specifically approved for that use and all applicable legal requirements have been satisfied.
The website may use cookies or similar technologies that help:
Cookies are small files placed on a user's device.
Visitors may be able to limit or disable cookies using their browser settings. Certain website functions may not operate correctly if cookies are disabled.
We do not intend to use cookies to create advertising profiles based upon an individual's mental health condition, counseling status, diagnosis, or treatment.
Mental health information is considered sensitive information for online advertising purposes.
Blue Heron Counseling does not intend to use an individual's counseling relationship, diagnosis, mental health condition, treatment information, or other sensitive healthcare information to create personalized advertising audiences.
We do not intend to upload client health information or clinical records to advertising platforms for personalized advertising.
Advertising and marketing technologies, if used, should be configured in accordance with applicable healthcare privacy laws and the applicable advertising platform's rules concerning sensitive health information.
Blue Heron Counseling may use outside companies to help operate portions of its business or website.
These providers may include:
Where a third-party provider receives PHI on behalf of Blue Heron Counseling and HIPAA requires a Business Associate Agreement ("BAA"), Blue Heron Counseling will seek to use an appropriate provider and agreement consistent with applicable requirements.
Third parties that operate independently may maintain their own privacy policies.
Blue Heron Counseling does not sell patient or client medical records or counseling information for advertising purposes.
We do not sell PHI for targeted advertising.
We do not intentionally share information regarding a person's diagnosis, treatment, therapy, counseling relationship, or mental health condition with advertising companies for the purpose of creating personalized advertising profiles.
Personal information may be disclosed when reasonably necessary:
Different and more restrictive rules may apply to PHI, psychotherapy information, counseling records, substance-use treatment information, or other specially protected information.
Those disclosures are governed by applicable law and our HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
Mental health counseling is generally confidential, but confidentiality is not absolute.
Information may sometimes be disclosed when permitted or required by law, which may include circumstances involving:
Specific confidentiality rules and exceptions are addressed in client intake documents and the HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
Blue Heron Counseling uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal and confidential information.
However, no website, computer system, electronic transmission, or internet communication can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Visitors should use caution when transmitting sensitive information electronically and should use secure communication methods provided by Blue Heron Counseling for clinical matters.
Standard email and SMS text messaging may not provide the same level of security as systems specifically designed for confidential healthcare communications.
Clients should avoid including highly sensitive clinical information in ordinary email or text messages unless instructed otherwise.
If Blue Heron Counseling offers appointment reminders or other electronic communications, clients may be provided with additional information regarding the privacy considerations associated with those communications.
Information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and as required by applicable professional, healthcare, tax, business, insurance, and legal record-retention requirements.
Clinical records are retained according to applicable Florida professional requirements and Blue Heron Counseling's record-retention policies.
Blue Heron Counseling may provide counseling services involving adolescents and minors when permitted by law.
The collection, use, and disclosure of information regarding minors may be subject to additional legal requirements involving parents, legal guardians, consent, confidentiality, and access to records.
The public website is not designed to knowingly collect sensitive health information directly from children through general website forms.
Parents or legal guardians seeking services for a minor should contact Blue Heron Counseling directly.
Our website may link to other websites or services.
Blue Heron Counseling is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of websites operated by other organizations.
Visitors should review the privacy policies of third-party websites before submitting personal information.
Depending upon the type of information involved and applicable law, you may have rights concerning your personal or health information.
HIPAA rights may include the right to:
These rights and any limitations are described more fully in Blue Heron Counseling's HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
You will not be denied services or retaliated against for making a good-faith privacy complaint or exercising a privacy right protected by law.
Information concerning formal HIPAA privacy complaints and the appropriate contact information is provided in Blue Heron Counseling's HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices.
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in technology, website practices, services, legal requirements, or privacy standards.
When changes are made, the updated Privacy Policy will be posted on this website with a revised effective date.
Questions concerning this Website Privacy Policy may be directed to:
Blue Heron Counseling, LLC
Website: www.blueheroncounselingllc.com
Phone: (850) 612-0509
For confidential clinical matters, clients should use the secure communication method provided by Blue Heron Counseling rather than a general website contact form.
If you are experiencing a medical or mental health emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. You may also call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.