Privacy Policy

Overview

This website is operated by Ryan DeCook, LCSW, a licensed clinical social worker in private practice. This privacy policy describes what information is collected when you use this website, how it is used, and how it is protected. If you have questions, contact ryan@decookmhs.com.

This policy applies to the public website at decookmhs.com. It does not govern the treatment relationship, clinical records, or health information collected after you become a client — those are covered by a separate Notice of Privacy Practices provided at intake, which reflects the requirements of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Information collected on this website

Contact form and consultation requests

When you submit a contact form or consultation request on this website, you provide information such as your name, email address, phone number, and any details you choose to include in your message. This information is used only to respond to your inquiry and determine whether we might be a good fit to work together. It is not shared with third parties for marketing purposes.

Because you have not yet established a formal treatment relationship at the point of submitting a contact form, these communications are not automatically protected under HIPAA. However, all inquiries are treated with discretion and handled by Ryan DeCook directly.

Email and phone contact

If you contact this practice by email at ryan@decookmhs.com or by phone at (408) 673-1906, the contents of that communication are used only to respond to your inquiry. Standard email is not a fully encrypted medium — if you have sensitive information to share, please discuss a more secure method once contact is established.

Health information and HIPAA

Once you become a client of this practice, your protected health information (PHI) is governed by HIPAA and the terms of the Notice of Privacy Practices you receive at intake. Clinical records, session notes, billing information, and treatment-related communications are handled through a HIPAA-compliant electronic health records and practice management platform.

Telehealth sessions are conducted using a HIPAA-compliant telehealth platform. You will receive information about the specific platform before your first appointment.

This website does not collect, store, or transmit protected health information. Do not include sensitive clinical or diagnostic information in a contact form submission.

Cookies and analytics

This website may use basic analytics tools to understand how visitors use the site — for example, which pages are viewed most often and how visitors arrive at the site. This information is aggregated and does not identify individual visitors. No behavioral advertising or cross-site tracking is used.

If analytics tracking is active, it may use browser cookies — small text files stored on your device. You can disable cookies in your browser settings; doing so will not prevent you from using this website.

No session recording, heatmapping, or similar visitor profiling is conducted on this website.

Third-party services

This website may link to or reference third-party services, including:

• Psychology Today: A therapist directory where this practice is listed. That site has its own privacy policy.
• Scheduling or intake platforms: If a scheduling or intake link is provided, it will direct you to a separate third-party platform with its own privacy terms. You will be informed before being redirected.
• Google Fonts: This website loads fonts from Google Fonts servers, which may log your IP address as part of serving the font files.

This practice does not control the data practices of third-party services and is not responsible for their privacy policies.

Children's privacy

This website and this practice serve adults aged 25 and older. This website does not knowingly collect information from individuals under the age of 18. If you believe a minor has submitted information through this website, contact this practice so it can be removed.

How information is protected

Reasonable administrative and technical measures are in place to protect information submitted through this website. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. If you have concerns about transmitting sensitive information, contact this practice by phone.

Your rights

If you have submitted a contact form inquiry or other personal information through this website and would like it deleted or corrected, you may request that by emailing ryan@decookmhs.com.

California residents may have additional rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). This practice does not sell personal information. To the extent CCPA applies, you may contact this practice to request information about what data has been collected and how it is used.

Changes to this policy

This privacy policy may be updated from time to time. The effective date at the top of this page reflects when it was last revised. Continued use of this website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Contact

Questions about this policy may be directed to:

Ryan DeCook, LCSW
ryan@decookmhs.com
(408) 673-1906
decookmhs.com