Effective Date: 2026-05-11
Last Updated: 2026-05-11
This Privacy Policy explains how Dr. Chase Espinoza, Psy.D., a California licensed psychologist (PSY29339) operating in Orange County, California (“we,” “us,” “our,” or “Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc.”), collects, uses, discloses, and protects information when you visit DrChasePsychology.com (the “Site”) or interact with Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. by web form, email, telephone, or text message.
This policy is written in plain language and is designed to be read alongside the federal Notice of Privacy Practices that you receive at the time of intake. The Notice of Privacy Practices governs your Protected Health Information (“PHI”) as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). This Privacy Policy governs Site activity, marketing measurement, and pre-clinical inquiries that may occur before any clinician-patient relationship is established.
1. Scope
This Privacy Policy applies to:
- Visitors to the Site.
- Individuals who submit a web form, request a free consultation, or otherwise contact Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. through the Site.
- Individuals who call, text, or email Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc.’s published business numbers and addresses.
- Individuals whose information is provided to Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. by a referring party (employer, attorney, school, or family member) for the purpose of scheduling an evaluation.
This Privacy Policy does not modify or replace the Notice of Privacy Practices that governs PHI held by Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. as a HIPAA-covered entity. Where this policy and the Notice of Privacy Practices conflict with respect to PHI, the Notice of Privacy Practices controls.
2. Information We Collect
We collect only the information we reasonably need to respond to an inquiry, qualify a referral against our cash-pay evaluation scope, schedule a consultation, or measure the effectiveness of our marketing.
Information you provide directly:
- Name, email address, telephone number.
- The reason you are reaching out, including the type of evaluation requested (for example, adult ADHD testing, adult autism assessment, fitness-for-duty evaluation, learning disability evaluation).
- Payment posture (cash-pay versus insurance), preferred timeline, and the party that referred you.
- Any additional context you choose to include in the message field of the Site’s intake form or in subsequent correspondence.
Information collected automatically when you visit the Site:
- IP address, approximate geographic region derived from IP address, device type, browser type, operating system, and referring URL.
- Pages viewed, time on page, and click activity.
- Cookies and similar technologies used for Site functionality and aggregate marketing measurement (see Section 5).
Information from third parties:
- If you arrive at the Site through a paid advertisement on Google or Meta, we receive aggregate, anonymized campaign-level information about how you found us. Personally identifiable information from those platforms is not received unless you provide it directly to Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. through a form, call, or message.
We do not knowingly collect PHI through the Site’s general contact or intake forms. The pre-qualification fields on the Site are limited to scheduling and routing data. Detailed clinical information is gathered separately under the Notice of Privacy Practices once a clinician-patient relationship is initiated.
3. How We Use Information
We use the information described above only for the following purposes:
- To respond to your inquiry, determine whether your needs align with Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc.’s evaluation scope, and propose next steps.
- To schedule a consultation, intake call, or evaluation.
- To send appointment reminders, intake instructions, and follow-up messages by email or text (when you have opted in).
- To maintain the security, integrity, and functionality of the Site.
- To measure and improve the performance of our marketing, on an aggregate and de-identified basis. PHI is never used for marketing measurement.
- To comply with applicable law and to respond to lawful requests from regulators or courts.
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your personal information with advertising platforms for the purpose of targeted advertising in a way that would identify you as an individual.
4. How We Share Information
We share information only with the following categories of recipients, and only to the extent necessary for the purposes described above:
- Business associates under HIPAA Business Associate Agreements (“BAAs”). The Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. uses HIPAA-compliant Google Workspace, RingCentral (call and text messaging), and Keragon (intake workflow automation), each operating under a signed BAA. These vendors process information on Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc.’s behalf and are contractually limited in how they may use that information.
- Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. management. SimplePractice is used for clinical scheduling and records under its own BAA. Information you submit to schedule an evaluation may be entered into SimplePractice by Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc.
- Service providers assisting Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. with site hosting, security, and marketing measurement, each bound by written confidentiality and data protection obligations and, where applicable, a BAA.
- Legal authorities when required by law, subpoena, court order, or to protect the rights, property, or safety of Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc., our patients, or others.
- In the event of a sale or transfer of Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc., where information would transfer subject to this Privacy Policy and applicable law.
We do not share information with advertisers, data brokers, or unrelated third parties.
Mobile Opt in, SMS Consent, and phone numbers collected for SMS communication purposes will not be shared with any third party and affiliates for marketing purposes.
5. Cookies, Analytics, and Marketing Measurement
The Site uses cookies and similar technologies to support Site functionality and to measure the effectiveness of advertising in a privacy-preserving way.
- Analytics. We use Google Analytics 4 to understand aggregate Site activity. PHI is not transmitted to Google Analytics. IP addresses are anonymized where supported.
- Conversion measurement. When you submit a form or initiate a call, conversion events are sent server-side to Google (Enhanced Conversions) and Meta (Conversion API). PHI is filtered server-side before any data is transmitted. Identifiers used for conversion measurement are hashed before transmission and are used only to match aggregate conversion outcomes.
- No browser-pixel PHI leakage. The Site is configured so that intake form values, URL parameters, and page content visible to advertising pixels do not contain PHI.
- Cookie controls. You may disable cookies in your browser settings. Disabling cookies may reduce Site functionality.
You have the right to opt out of cross-context behavioral advertising under applicable California law (see Section 7).
6. SMS and Text Messaging
The Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. may send and receive text messages through RingCentral, operating under a Business Associate Agreement.
- Opt-in. You opt in to SMS communication by texting Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc.’s published business number first. Submitting a web form does not enroll you in SMS.
- Purpose. Text messages relate to scheduling, intake instructions, appointment reminders, and routine practice communication. Text messages are not used for clinical treatment or for marketing to third parties.
- Frequency. Message frequency varies based on your inquiry and appointment activity. Typical volume is fewer than ten messages per month.
- Message and data rates. Standard message and data rates from your wireless carrier may apply.
- Opt-out. You may opt out of SMS at any time by replying STOP to any message. You may request assistance by replying HELP.
- Carrier liability. Wireless carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages.
- PHI in SMS. We minimize PHI in text messages. Where PHI is unavoidable for scheduling or care coordination, transmission occurs under the BAA-covered RingCentral environment.
See also the Call Recording and SMS Disclosure page for additional detail on AI-assisted text handling.
7. Your Rights
Under HIPAA, you have the right to access, amend, and receive an accounting of disclosures of your PHI; to request restrictions on uses and disclosures; to request confidential communications; and to receive a copy of the Notice of Privacy Practices. These rights are detailed in the Notice of Privacy Practices provided at intake.
Under the California Consumer Privacy Act and the California Privacy Rights Act (“CCPA/CPRA”), California residents have the right to:
- Know what personal information we have collected about you.
- Request deletion of personal information, subject to legal and clinical record-retention requirements.
- Correct inaccurate personal information.
- Opt out of the sale or sharing of personal information. We do not sell or share personal information in the manner contemplated by CCPA/CPRA.
- Limit the use of sensitive personal information.
- Be free from discrimination for exercising your rights.
To exercise any of these rights, contact Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. using the information in Section 11. We will respond within the timeframes required by applicable law. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling a request.
8. Children
The Espinoza Psychological Services, Inc. provides evaluation services to individuals age 8 and older. The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect information from children under 13 through the Site. If you believe a child has provided information through the Site, contact us and we will take appropriate steps to delete that information.
9. Data Retention
We retain information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy or as required by law.
- Web form inquiries that do not result in a clinician-patient relationship are retained for up to twenty-four months for marketing measurement and audit, then deleted or de-identified.
- Clinical records held under HIPAA are retained per California professional record-retention requirements applicable to licensed psychologists.
- Marketing measurement data is retained in aggregate, de-identified form.
10. Data Security
We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. These safeguards include encryption in transit, encryption at rest where supported by the vendor, role-based access control, BAA-covered processing, and routine review of access. No system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “Last Updated” date at the top of this page indicates when it was most recently revised. Material changes will be communicated by a notice on the Site for a reasonable period after the change takes effect.
12. Contact
To exercise any right described in this policy, ask a question, or report a concern:
Dr. Chase Espinoza, Psy.D.
Licensed Psychologist, PSY29339
Email: DrChase@DrChasePsych.com
Telephone: (please use the number published on the Site contact page)
Mailing address: (Orange County, California — provided on request)