Privacy Policy

1. Overview

Little Haven Psychological Services (“LHPS,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and recognizes that information related to psychological services may be personal, sensitive, and confidential. This Privacy Policy explains how we process personal data when you visit our website, create an account, request or receive services, communicate with us, submit forms or documents, make or record payments, or use our client portal.

We process personal data in accordance with applicable Philippine laws, including Republic Act No. 10173, or the Data Privacy Act of 2012, its Implementing Rules and Regulations, and other laws and professional obligations applicable to psychological and mental health services.

2. Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with LHPS, we may collect:

Account and identity information

• Full name, date of birth, age, gender, civil status, and client code;
• Email address, mobile number, address, and emergency-contact information;
• Username, password credentials in protected form, account status, and login-related records;
• For minors, parent or legal guardian information and proof of authority when necessary.

Appointment and service information

• Requested service, branch, appointment date and time, preferred therapist, and appointment status;
• Reason for consultation, referral details, intake responses, screening information, and uploaded documents;
• Attendance, rescheduling, cancellation, follow-up, and service-history information.

Clinical and wellness information

• Information shared during counseling, psychotherapy, psychological assessment, or related services;
• Clinical notes, assessment responses and results, treatment or care recommendations, and referral records;
• Client-entered journal entries, mood check-ins, concerns, progress updates, and other wellness-related entries.

Payment and transaction information

• Amount, payment option, payment method, transaction or reference number, and payment status;
• Payment screenshots or supporting documents that you voluntarily upload;
• Adjustment, refund, verification, and audit records.

Communications and technical information

• Messages, inquiries, email correspondence, reminders, and notification history;
• Internet Protocol address, browser, device type, session information, timestamps, logs, and security events;
• Cookie preferences and limited website-usage information.

3. How We Collect Information

We may collect information:

• Directly from you when you register, book, complete forms, upload documents, communicate with us, or receive services;
• From a parent, guardian, authorized representative, referring professional, school, employer, or institution, when legally and professionally appropriate;
• From LHPS personnel who document appointments, payments, service delivery, and clinical records;
• Automatically through website sessions, server logs, cookies, and security tools.

4. Why We Process Information

We process personal data only for legitimate and necessary purposes, which may include:

• Creating and maintaining your client account;
• Evaluating service requests and coordinating appointments;
• Providing counseling, psychotherapy, psychological assessment, referral, and related services;
• Maintaining accurate clinical, appointment, payment, and administrative records;
• Communicating confirmations, reminders, follow-up messages, service updates, and important notices;
• Coordinating care among authorized LHPS professionals and personnel;
• Processing and verifying payments and addressing billing concerns;
• Protecting clients, personnel, systems, and records from fraud, misuse, unauthorized access, and security threats;
• Complying with legal, regulatory, ethical, professional, accounting, and reporting obligations;
• Improving the safety, reliability, and usability of our website and services.

Depending on the circumstances, processing may be based on your consent, performance of a service agreement, compliance with a legal obligation, protection of vital interests, or another lawful basis permitted by law.

5. Clinical and Sensitive Records

Psychological, mental health, medical, assessment, journal, and mood-related information may constitute sensitive personal information. LHPS limits access to personnel who need the information for authorized clinical, operational, legal, or security purposes.

Clinical confidentiality is subject to lawful and professionally recognized exceptions. Information may be disclosed when you authorize it, when required by law or lawful order, when necessary to protect you or another person from a serious and imminent threat, for appropriate care coordination, or in other circumstances allowed by applicable law and professional standards.

6. Minors and Guardians

A parent, legal guardian, or properly authorized representative may be required to provide consent and information for a minor. LHPS may verify the representative’s identity and authority. The minor’s privacy, welfare, developmental needs, assent, and applicable confidentiality rights will be considered in accordance with law and professional practice.

7. Sharing and Service Providers

LHPS does not sell or trade personal data. We may disclose limited information to:

• Authorized LHPS psychologists, psychometricians, therapists, secretaries, and other personnel involved in service delivery or clinic operations;
• Technology and operational providers supporting hosting, email, messaging, calendar scheduling, file storage, security, backups, and similar functions;
• Payment channels or financial-service providers when needed to verify or process a transaction;
• Referring or receiving professionals, schools, institutions, guardians, or representatives when authorized or legally permitted;
• Government agencies, courts, regulators, law-enforcement authorities, or other persons when disclosure is required or permitted by law.

Service providers are expected to process information only for authorized purposes and to apply appropriate confidentiality and security safeguards.

8. Data Security

We use reasonable organizational, physical, and technical safeguards designed to protect personal data. These may include role-based access, authentication controls, database and server protections, secure communications, access logs, backups, confidentiality obligations, and procedures for reviewing suspected security incidents.

No website, transmission method, or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for notifying LHPS promptly if you suspect unauthorized account use.

9. Retention and Secure Disposal

We retain records only for as long as reasonably necessary for clinical care, continuity of service, legal and professional obligations, dispute resolution, security, accounting, and legitimate operational purposes. Retention periods may differ depending on the record type, the client’s age, the nature of the service, and applicable law.

When information is no longer required, LHPS will take reasonable steps to securely delete, anonymize, destroy, or otherwise dispose of it, subject to lawful retention requirements and technical limitations of backup systems.

10. Your Privacy Rights

Subject to applicable law and valid limitations, you may have the right to:

• Be informed about how your personal data is processed;
• Request reasonable access to your personal data;
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Object to certain processing or withdraw consent when processing is based on consent;
• Request erasure or blocking when legally appropriate;
• Request data portability when applicable;
• Be indemnified for damages arising from a violation of your data-privacy rights;
• File a complaint with the National Privacy Commission.

Some requests may be limited by clinical-record rules, confidentiality obligations owed to another person, legal-retention duties, ongoing claims, security requirements, or other lawful grounds. We may need to verify your identity and authority before acting on a request.

11. Cookies and Technical Data

Our website may use essential cookies or local browser storage to support sessions, security, forms, preferences, and basic site functions. Optional analytics technologies will be used only when enabled and applicable.

You may manage available preferences through the Data Privacy & Cookie Notice or through your browser settings. Disabling essential site storage may affect login, booking, or other website functions.

12. Third-Party Services and Links

The website may use or link to third-party services, including communication, calendar, map, social-media, or payment services. Their own privacy notices may apply when you interact directly with them. LHPS is not responsible for an independent third party’s privacy practices, but we aim to select service providers appropriate to our operations.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in law, professional requirements, services, technology, or clinic practices. The updated version will be posted on this page with a revised “Last updated” date. Material changes may also be communicated through the website, client portal, email, or another appropriate channel.