Vanessa H Staton, LPA Privacy Policy

1. What Information Do I Collect?

I collect personal information that you voluntarily provide me when we meet (in-person or virtually) when we interact about your mental health services (and when we communicate with your consent by phone, email, and/or text). No personal information is collected on my website. The phone numbers collected for SMS consent will not be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes. All personal information you provide must be true, complete, and accurate, and you must notify me of any changes to such personal information.

2. How Do I Process Your Information?

I process your information to provide, improve, and administer mental health services, communicate with you for security and fraud prevention, and comply with the law.

3. When and with Whom Do I Share Your Personal Information?

Your confidentiality is protected, and I do not share your personal information without your consent except under certain circumstances:

To bill for your services

To help with public health and safety issues

To comply with the law

To work with a medical examiner 

To address workers' compensation, law enforcement, and other government requests

To respond to a lawsuit or legal action

4. How Long Do I Keep Your Information? 

The NC Practice Act requires that records be kept for 7 years from the date of the last provision of psychological services.

5. How Do I Keep Your Information Safe?

I have implemented appropriate and reasonable technical and organizational security measures to protect the security of any personal information I collect and use (including HIPAA-compliant emails, phone calls, text messages, and virtual meetings). I ask that you only access my services within a secure environment.

6. Do I Collect Information from Minors?

I do not work with or collect data from anyone under the age of 18 years.

7. What Are Your Privacy Rights?

I am ethically bound to keep your personal information confidential by the American Psychological Association Code of Ethics. I am legally bound to keep your personal information confidential by the NC Psychology Practice Act. You can withdraw your consent at any time by telling me when we have in-person or virtual appointments, emailing me at vanessa@vanessahstaton.net, sending a text, or calling my phone and using the words STOP or OPT-OUT. Your decision to OPT-OUT will not impact your mental health services with me.

8. Controls for Do-Not-Track Features

Most web browsers, some mobile operating systems, and mobile applications include a Do-Not-Track ('DNT') feature or setting you can activate to signal your privacy preference and not have data about your online browsing activities monitored and collected. At this stage, no uniform technology standard for recognizing and implementing DBT signals has been finalized. As such, my website does not respond to DNT browser signals or any mechanism that automatically communicates your choice not to be tracked online. If a standard for online tracking is adopted that I must follow in the future, I will inform you about that practice in a revised version of this privacy policy.

9. Do United States Residents Have Specific Privacy Rights?

You have the right to request access to and receive details about the personal information I maintain about you and how I have used it, correct inaccuracies, and get a copy. You have the right to withdraw your consent.  I do not collect the following information without you providing it to me: name, address, telephone number, unique personal identifier, online identifier, IP address, or email address.
I do not collect the following information without you providing it: gender, age, date of birth, race and ethnicity, national origin, marital status, and other demographic data. I do not collect any financial or payment information without you providing it to me. I do not collect fingerprints or voiceprints. I do not make any images or audio, video, or call recordings without your written permission and consent. I do not collect any professional or employment information about you unless you provide it. I do not collect any educational information about you unless you provide it. I will not disclose, sell, or share any personal information about you to third parties for any business or commercial purposes other than the disclosures necessary to provide mental health services to you and the disclosures you have authorized or provided consent. I do not do any marketing, so your personal information will not be used to advertise or sell in any way.

Your Rights

Right to know whether or not we are processing your personal data

Right to access your personal data

Right to correct inaccuracies in your personal data

Right to obtain a copy of the personal data you have shared with me

Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

Right to OPT-OUT of the use of your personal data for various forms of communication (phone, email, text) without any negative consequences

How to Exercise Your Rights

To exercise these rights, you can email me at vanessa@vanessahstaton.net, call me at (704) 364-1106, or submit a request to me in person. 

10. Do I Make Updates to This Notice?

Yes, I will update this notice as necessary to stay compliant with relevant laws. The update will be indicated by an updated "Revised" date at the top of this privacy notice. 

11. How Can You Contact Me About This Notice?

If you have questions or comments about this notice, you may contact me in the following ways: