Privacy Policy

 

Last Updated: June 13, 2025
Gentle Strength Counselling | Erica Steward, Registered Clinical Counsellor (RCC)

Gentle Strength Counselling ("we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information, in accordance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information when you engage with our services, including but not limited to:

• Visiting our website at https://www.gentlestrengthcounselling.ca/

• Completing our contact form or signing up for communications

• Participating in any other interactions with us, including service inquiries or purchases

The website and its content are owned by Erica Steward ("we," "our," or "us"). The terms “you” and “user” refer to any individual accessing or using the website.

​

Information Collected

Automatically Collected Information

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through website analytics tools. While this data does not directly identify you, it may include:

• IP address

• Browser type and version

• Device and operating system information

• Language preferences

• Referring URLs

• Device name and location

• Country of access

• Usage data such as pages visited, internal links clicked, scrolling behavior, search terms, and timestamps

This data is shared with Wix, our website hosting and analytics provider, and is used to understand traffic patterns, improve the user experience, and maintain the security and performance of our website.

Information You Provide to Us

We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide when you interact with our services. This may include:

• Full name

• Phone number

• Email address

Sensitive Information

With your explicit consent, or as permitted by law, we may collect and process limited sensitive personal information, such as:

• Details related to a mental health counselling inquiry

​

How Information is Collected

When you use our website, certain information may be collected automatically through various technologies. This allows us to:

• Understand how visitors use the site

• Improve functionality and performance

• Maintain site security

• Personalize your experience

We use the following technologies to collect this information:

• Cookies: Small data files stored on your device that often include a unique, anonymous identifier. Cookies help us remember your preferences and provide a smoother user experience.

• Log Files: These record information such as your IP address, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), pages visited, and date/time stamps. We use log files to analyze trends and monitor site performance. This data is not linked to personally identifiable information.

• Web Beacons, Tags, and Pixels: These are small electronic files used to track how you interact with our website—such as which pages you view or how far you scroll.

• Pixel Tags: Tiny images placed on our website or in emails that help us monitor engagement (e.g., email open rates) and support advertising efforts. Pixel tags may collect your IP address or browser details and can be used by third-party partners for relevant ad targeting.

• Email Confirmations: If you receive emails from us, we may track whether and when they are opened to help improve our communications.

• Other Tracking Technologies: From time to time, we may use other technologies to detect security threats, prevent fraud, or further enhance website performance.

 

How your Personal Information is Used

We collect and use personal information to provide, improve, and personalize our services, communicate with you, and fulfill legal and business obligations. Specifically, we may use your information for the following purposes:

• To Process Orders and Payments:
  We use information you provide when making a purchase—such as name, billing address, shipping address, payment details (via third-party processors like Stripe or PayPal), and contact information—to process your order, send confirmations, and deliver services.

• To Communicate with You:
  We may use your contact information to respond to inquiries, provide customer support, and send updates related to your use of our services. If you have opted in, we may also send promotional emails about our offerings, newsletters, or information we believe may be of interest to you.

• To Personalize Your Experience:
  We may use your information to tailor the content, features, and recommendations shown to you based on your preferences, location, or prior interactions with our website.

• To Improve Our Website and Services:
  We use data analytics (e.g., through Google Analytics and Wix) to understand website usage, optimize site performance, improve offerings, and assess the success of our marketing strategies.

• For Security and Risk Prevention:
  We may use device and IP information to detect potential fraud or security threats, monitor user activity, and investigate suspected violations of policies or legal requirements.

• For Legal and Regulatory Compliance:
  We may use or disclose personal information as required by applicable laws, court orders, or regulatory requirements.

• For Business Operations:
  In limited circumstances, your personal information may be used or transferred in connection with a business transaction, such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.

 

Sharing Your Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information. However, we may share your information with trusted third parties as needed to operate our services effectively and in alignment with this Privacy Policy. 

• Service Providers and Technology Partners:
  We may share data with third-party platforms such as:

  • Payment processors (e.g., PayPal, Stripe) to securely process transactions.

  • Website hosting and analytics providers (e.g., Wix and Google Analytics) to support site functionality and monitor performance.

• Legal Obligations and Investigations:
  We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, such as to comply with subpoenas, court orders, or government requests, or to protect our legal rights.

• Marketing and Promotional Activities:
  With your consent (or where permitted by law), we may share limited personal information with partners or platforms to deliver targeted advertisements or promotions about our services. You may opt out of these communications at any time.

• Business Transfers:
  In the event of a business restructuring, merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

• Other Authorized Purposes:
  We may also use or share your personal information in ways that you specifically authorize or as otherwise described at the time of collection.

Cross-Border Transfers:
Some of our service providers are located outside of Canada. Your personal information may be transferred to or accessed from jurisdictions outside of British Columbia, including the United States, where local laws may permit government access to data under certain circumstances.

 

Legal Bases for Processing Your Information

Under British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), we collect, use, and disclose your personal information in accordance with applicable legal bases, including:

• Consent:
  We typically rely on your express or implied consent to collect, use, or disclose personal information. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.

• Exceptions Where Consent May Not Be Required:
  In some situations, we may be permitted or required by law to process your information without consent. These include, but are not limited to:

  • When the information is clearly in your interest and consent cannot be obtained in a timely way.

  • For the purpose of an investigation or to detect or prevent fraud.

  • In relation to a business transaction, provided certain conditions are met.

  • When the information is part of a witness statement for an insurance claim.

  • To identify, locate, or communicate with next of kin of an injured, ill, or deceased individual.

  • When we suspect financial abuse and have reasonable grounds to investigate.

  • If obtaining consent would compromise the availability or accuracy of information necessary for legal compliance or breach investigation.

  • To comply with court orders, warrants, or subpoenas.

  • When the information is created in a professional, employment, or business context and used for consistent purposes.

  • For literary, artistic, or journalistic purposes.

  • When the information is publicly available and defined as such under the regulations.

 

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including to meet legal, accounting, or regulatory requirements, or until you request its deletion.

• Order and Account Information
  When you place an order through the Site, we retain your order information for our records unless and until you request that we delete it, subject to any legal obligations we may have.

• General Retention Practices
  Personal data is retained for as long as is necessary to carry out legitimate business activities or legal obligations. Data collected for specific, time-limited purposes (such as law enforcement cooperation or trend analysis) is kept only as long as necessary for those purposes, after which it is securely deleted.

• Usage Data
  We may retain anonymized or aggregated usage data (such as website analytics) for internal analysis. This data is typically retained for shorter periods unless it is required for security purposes, functionality improvements, or legal obligations.

• Deletion Requests
  You may request the deletion of your data at any time. We will comply with such requests unless we are legally required to retain the information. Please note that we cannot control the retention policies of third-party services (e.g., payment processors, analytics providers). If you would like your data removed from those systems, you will need to contact those third parties directly. Upon request, we can provide a list of third parties with whom we have shared your data.

 

External Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or services for your convenience. Please be aware:

• We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or terms of these external sites.

• Any information you voluntarily share with third-party websites is subject to their privacy policies, not ours.

• We encourage you to read the privacy statements of every website you visit that collects personal information.

• You access third-party links at your own risk.

 

Your Rights

If you are located in the European Union, Canada, or other jurisdictions with applicable privacy laws, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access and Correction - You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you and to request corrections if that information is inaccurate or outdated.

• Data Portability - You may request a digital copy of the data we hold about you in a commonly used, machine-readable format. We will provide the first copy free of charge; additional requests may incur a reasonable fee.

• Withdraw Consent - You may withdraw your consent to our use of your personal information at any time. In some cases, withdrawing consent may limit your ability to use certain features or services.

• Request for Deletion - You have the right to request that we delete your personal data. We will comply with such requests unless we are legally required or otherwise entitled to retain your information (e.g., for legal claims, compliance, or freedom of expression).

• Confirm Data and Use - You may request confirmation of the personal data we hold, how it is used, and whether it has been disclosed to third parties.

• Transfer of Data - You may request that your data be transferred to another service provider or data controller, provided it does not impose an undue burden on us.

• Identity Verification - We may ask for verification of your identity before responding to requests regarding your data. This helps us protect your privacy and the security of your data.

• Complaints - If you are an EU resident and believe your rights have been violated, you may lodge a complaint with the appropriate data protection authority in your country of residence or where the alleged violation occurred. Residents outside the EU may have similar rights under their local laws.

 

Opt-Out Process

You have the right to opt out of receiving communications from us:

• Email Communications
  You may opt out of marketing emails at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of the email. We will process your request within a reasonable timeframe.

• Third-Party Marketing
  You may opt out of having your personal data shared for third-party marketing by contacting us directly at sitwithkara@gmail.com.

• Communication Preferences
  To update your communication preferences, correct or delete your personal information, or make a data access request, contact us at sitwithkara@gmail.com. Once your identity is verified, we will make the requested updates in a timely manner.

Please note: While we will act on your opt-out or deletion requests promptly, we may not be able to remove your information from the databases of third parties to whom your data has already been disclosed. We recommend contacting those parties directly for further action.

 

Safeguarding Your Information

We have implemented reasonable and appropriate technical and organizational measures to safeguard your personal information. However, no system of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. While we do our best to protect your information, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized parties (e.g., hackers or cybercriminals) will not be able to breach our security and misuse your data.

You are responsible for accessing our services in a secure environment. Any transmission of personal information is at your own risk.

 

Minors

We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from individuals under the age of 18, nor do we knowingly market to them. By using our services, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old or are the parent/guardian of a minor who has your consent to use our services.

If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a person under 18, we will promptly delete that information. If you believe we may have collected such data, please contact us at erica@gentlestrengthcounselling.ca.

 

Do Not Track (DNT) Settings

Most web browsers and mobile devices offer a "Do-Not-Track" (DNT) setting to signal your preference not to be tracked online. At this time, there is no consistent standard for recognizing or responding to DNT signals. Accordingly, we do not currently respond to DNT settings. If industry standards change, we will update this Privacy Policy accordingly.

 

Confidentiality

We are committed to keeping your confidential information secure. We may disclose such information only when legally required or when we believe in good faith that it is necessary to:

1. Protect our rights or property.

2. Ensure the safety of users or the public.

3. Investigate potential violations of our policies or terms of use.

 

Consent

We collect, use, and disclose personal information only with your consent, unless otherwise authorized or required by law. Consent may be expressed in writing, verbally, electronically, or implied through your use of our services.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual limitations. Upon receiving your request, we will inform you of any implications such as limited access to services. To withdraw consent, please contact us at erica@gentlestrengthcounselling.ca.

 

Security

We take the security of your information seriously. While we use reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards in compliance with applicable laws such as the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), we cannot guarantee absolute security due to the nature of the internet.

Your personal data is stored internally or through secure third-party systems. Only individuals with a legitimate need will have access to your information.

 

Anti-Spam

We comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). We do not send unsolicited emails or misleading messages. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link in any email or contacting us directly at erica@gentlestrengthcounselling.ca.

 

Policy Changes

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or for other operational reasons. Significant changes will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you.

Your continued use of the services indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

 

Online Privacy Policy Only

This Privacy Policy applies only to data collected through our website, not to offline activities unless otherwise stated.

 

Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints regarding our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise your rights under this policy, please contact:

Erica Steward
Email: erica@gentlestrengthcounselling.ca
Website: www.gentlestrengthcounselling.ca