Privacy Policy
Effective Date:
Last Updated:
本页面以英文发布。
1. Introduction
Welcome to the website of The Beverly Hills Marriage and Family Therapy INC. ("Practice," "we," "us," or "our"), founded and led by Dr. Samara Aldahwi, PsyD, MA, LMFT (California License #LMFT111855). Located in Beverly Hills, California, our practice provides high-level clinical psychotherapy, executive and individual counseling, couples and family therapy, trauma treatment, and specialized international mental health services.
We hold the privacy, discretion, and confidentiality of our website visitors, prospective clients, and active patients in the highest regard. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and safeguard personal information collected through our website, https://www.thebeverlyhillsmft.com/, as well as during general digital communications.
2. Scope of This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies specifically to information collected online via our website, digital inquiry forms, email exchanges, phone calls, and electronic messages initiated through or directed to our site.
3. Information We Collect
Depending on how you interact with our website, we may collect different types of information categorized below.
Personal Identification Information
- Full name
- Contact preferences
Contact Information
- Email address
- Telephone / mobile number
- Postal address (if provided for scheduling or billing)
Appointment and Inquiry Information
- Preferred days/times for appointments
- General inquiry topics (e.g., individual therapy, couples therapy, premarital counseling, teletherapy)
- Information submitted via our website contact forms or direct email/WhatsApp inquiries
Sensitive and Health-Related Information
- Any self-disclosed mental health symptoms, therapy history, or reasons for seeking care submitted through unencrypted contact forms or email communications.
- Note: We strongly advise visitors not to send highly sensitive medical or clinical details through unencrypted online contact forms.
Automatically Collected Website Information
- IP address and approximate geographical location
- Browser type, device characteristics, operating system, and language preferences
- Referring web page, exit pages, date/time stamps, and page browsing activity
Cookies and Tracking Technologies
- Basic session cookies necessary for website functionality and performance analytics.
4. How We Collect Information
We collect information through the following touchpoints:
- 1Direct Submissions: When you complete a contact or consultation request form, send us an email, request a telephone consultation, or contact us via telecommunication channels.
- 2Automated Technologies: As you navigate our website, automated technologies (such as web server logs, cookies, and scripts) may collect technical diagnostics about your device and browsing patterns.
- 3Third-Party Telehealth & Scheduling Portals: If you schedule or participate in virtual therapy, information is gathered through secured, HIPAA-compliant third-party telehealth and EHR (Electronic Health Record) platforms utilized by the Practice.
5. How We Use Your Information
We use the information collected via our website for professional, administrative, and clinical operational purposes, including:
- Responding to direct inquiries, appointment requests, and consultation bookings.
- Scheduling, confirming, and conducting initial consultations and ongoing therapy sessions.
- Verifying identity and delivering personalized psychotherapeutic care tailored to individual, couples, or family needs.
- Managing practice administration, client communications, and billing services.
- Operating, maintaining, troubleshooting, and improving the security and usability of our website.
- Fulfilling legal, regulatory, statutory, and clinical ethical requirements under California law.
6. Confidentiality of Therapy and Mental Health Information
As a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist practice in California, confidentiality is foundational to our work. All communications within formal therapy sessions—whether held in-person at our Beverly Hills office or virtually via telehealth—are strictly confidential under California state law and clinical ethics guidelines.
Confidential clinical communications are strictly protected and will not be disclosed to any third party without your explicit written authorization, except under rare statutory exceptions mandated by law, including:
- Clear and imminent danger of serious harm to yourself or others.
- Known or suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elder, or dependent adult.
- Valid judicial court orders or legally binding subpoenas issued by a court of competent jurisdiction.
7. HIPAA and Protected Health Information (PHI)
The Beverly Hills Marriage and Family Therapy INC. complies with applicable provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, and federal privacy regulations when handling Protected Health Information (PHI).
- Website Data vs. PHI: Information collected on our public website through contact forms does not automatically constitute a formal medical record. However, once you become an active patient, your health details are classified as PHI.
- Notice of Privacy Practices: Active patients receive our full HIPAA Notice of Privacy Practices detailing their rights regarding PHI inspection, amendment, disclosure logs, and restricted disclosures prior to their initial session.
- Covered Entity Disclaimer: Publishing this website Privacy Policy does not itself establish a doctor-patient relationship, nor does it replace our official clinical HIPAA disclosures provided upon intake.
8. California Privacy Rights and Applicable Privacy Laws
Because our practice is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California, we adhere to applicable California data protection statutes:
- California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA): Protects the confidentiality of individually identifiable medical and clinical information created, maintained, or processed within California.
- California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) / California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA): California residents possess specific privacy rights regarding personal information. To the extent health and medical data are governed by HIPAA or the CMIA, they are generally exempt from CCPA/CPRA individual data requests; however, our practice maintains rigorous standards aligning with core California privacy rights, including rights to know, access, correct, and delete non-exempt personal data.
10. Third-Party Services and External Links
Our website may contain links to external third-party platforms, directories (such as Psychology Today or professional associations), or embed third-party widgets.
- We are not responsible for the privacy practices, tracking technologies, or content of external third-party websites.
- When navigating away from https://www.thebeverlyhillsmft.com/, we encourage you to review the privacy notices of each external site you visit.
11. Website Analytics and Advertising Technologies
To ensure our website functions efficiently, we may utilize privacy-conscious website analytics tools (such as Google Analytics or platform-native analytics provided by our host).
- These tools collect aggregated, non-identifiable operational data (such as browser type, time spent on pages, and geographic region).
- We do not utilize targeted behavioral advertising pixels or tracking tools that cross-contaminate clinical inquiry data with commercial ad networks.
13. Telehealth and Electronic Communications
Dr. Samara Aldahwi offers secure teletherapy services for California clients and eligible international patients.
- HIPAA-Compliant Platforms: Telehealth video sessions are conducted using encrypted, HIPAA-compliant platforms (such as Zoom for Healthcare or designated secure EHR portals).
- Email & SMS Risk Acknowledgment: Standard email and SMS text messaging are unencrypted communication channels. While convenient for scheduling, electronic communications carry inherent privacy risks. Clients are advised not to transmit detailed clinical or therapeutic narratives via unencrypted email or text.
14. Data Storage, Retention, and Security
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate for a clinical therapy practice to protect personal and health data:
- Data Encryption: Web forms, secure portals, and telehealth sessions utilize SSL/TLS encryption in transit.
- Access Controls: Information is strictly restricted to authorized practice personnel bound by confidentiality agreements.
- Retention Standards: General website inquiries are retained only as long as necessary to fulfill the request. Clinical records for active patients are retained in compliance with California Board of Behavioral Sciences regulations and state record retention mandates (typically a minimum of 7 years for adults, or until minor clients reach age 25).
Note on Absolute Security: While we implement rigorous security measures, no electronic transmission over the internet or storage system can be guaranteed 100% secure.
15. Your Privacy Rights and Choices
Depending on your jurisdiction and status as a website visitor or active patient, you have the right to:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you.
- Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Request deletion of non-clinical, non-statutory personal data.
- Opt-out of non-essential digital communications.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact Dr. Samara Aldahwi using the contact details provided in Section 20.
16. Children's Privacy
Our website is designed for adult audiences, parents, and legal guardians. We do not knowingly collect personal information online directly from children under the age of 13 through our public website contact forms. Therapy services provided to minors require explicit written consent from a parent or legal guardian in compliance with California law.
17. International Visitors and Patients
Dr. Samara Aldahwi provides specialized cross-cultural and international mental health services. If you are visiting our website or reaching out from outside the United States (including Europe or the Middle East):
- Be aware that your information will be transferred to, processed, and stored in the United States, where data protection laws may differ from those in your home country.
- By submitting your information via our website, you consent to the transfer and processing of your data in the United States in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
18. Data Breach and Security Notifications
In the unlikely event of a security breach involving unauthorized access to or acquisition of unencrypted personal or health information, The Beverly Hills Marriage and Family Therapy INC. will notify affected individuals and relevant state or federal regulatory bodies (such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the California Attorney General's Office) in strict accordance with statutory HIPAA Breach Notification Rule requirements and California breach notification laws.
19. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to update or modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in legal requirements, technology, or practice operations.
- Updates will be posted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date at the top.
- Continued use of our website following any posted modifications signifies your acknowledgment and acceptance of the revised terms.
20. Contact Information
If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact us directly:
- Practice Name:
- The Beverly Hills Marriage and Family Therapy INC.
- Clinical Director:
- Dr. Samara Aldahwi, PsyD, MA, LMFT (CA License #LMFT111855)
- Office Address:
- 9615 Brighton Way, Suite 219, Beverly Hills, CA 90210
- Telephone:
- (424) 421-9577