Privacy policy

Website Privacy Policy for oceaniccounseling.com
Effective date: November 9, 2026

Oceanic® Counseling Group LLC ("Oceanic®," "we," "us") values your privacy. This policy describes what information this website collects, how we use it, and the choices you have. It covers the website only. Health information you share with us as a client is protected health information under HIPAA and is governed by our Notice of Privacy Practices. Use of the website is also subject to our Terms of Use.

1. Information you give us

Forms. Our intake, contact, referral, records-request, document-upload, sponsorship and job-application forms are provided by Jotform Inc., a third-party form service, and are embedded on our pages. Information you type into a form (such as your name, phone number, email address, insurance details and, on intake and records forms, health-related information) is collected and stored by Jotform under a Business Associate Agreement with us, and is then handled by our staff inside our HIPAA-compliant practice systems. Jotform's own privacy policy and cookies apply while you are using a form. Nothing loads from Jotform until you open a page that contains a form.

Phone, email and text. If you call, email or text us, we keep the information needed to respond and, if you become a client, add it to your record.

2. Information collected automatically

This website does not use Google Analytics, advertising pixels, session-recording tools, or any other third-party tracking scripts, and it does not set cookies of its own. Our hosting provider keeps standard server logs (IP address, browser type, pages requested, time of request) for security and troubleshooting; we do not use them to identify or profile you. The self-check quizzes and Activity Zone tools run entirely in your browser: nothing you enter in them is stored on your device by us or transmitted to us. If you choose to save a drawing from Draw It Out, the image is saved only where you choose to put it.

3. How we use your information

• To respond to inquiries and appointment requests.
• To provide you with mental-health services and coordinate your care.
• To verify insurance and bill for services.
• To communicate with you about your care, through HIPAA-compliant tools.
• To keep the website secure and working.

We do not use your health information for marketing without your written authorization, and we do not sell or rent your information.

4. Text messages

With your consent, given on our intake paperwork or when you text us first, we send appointment reminders, scheduling messages and replies to your questions by text message through a HIPAA-compliant texting service. We do not send marketing texts. Message frequency varies with your appointments. Reply STOP to any message to opt out, or HELP for help; message and data rates may apply. Consent to receive texts is not a condition of receiving services.

No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Text-messaging opt-in data and consent are not shared with any third parties, except the business associates that deliver the messages for us.

Standard text messages can be read by anyone with access to your phone, so please keep detailed health information for your sessions or our secure client portal.

5. How we share information

We disclose information only:

• With your written authorization.
• To provide treatment, coordinate care, or submit billing through our secure systems.
• To service providers ("business associates") that handle information on our behalf. Every one of them has signed a business associate agreement and follows HIPAA. They fall into these categories: our electronic health record, client portal and telehealth platform; appointment-reminder and two-way texting service; business email and document storage; secure electronic fax; online intake and request forms; and billing and IT support.
• When required by law, for example in response to a court order or to prevent a serious threat to someone's safety.

We do not sell, rent or trade your information, and we do not share it with anyone for their own marketing.

6. Safeguards

We use administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect your information, including HIPAA-compliant record and messaging systems, encryption in transit and at rest, and access controls for staff and clinicians. We do not store health information on this website itself; all submissions are routed through secure platforms.

7. Children

This website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children online. Parents and guardians complete intake and consent paperwork for minor clients.

8. Links to other sites

Pages on this site may link to other websites, such as the sites of insurers, Jotform, or the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites.

9. Your rights

As a client you have rights over your health information, including the right to access and get a copy of your records, to request corrections, to request restrictions on certain uses or disclosures, and to file a complaint with us or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. These rights, and how to exercise them, are described in our Notice of Privacy Practices.

10. Contact

Oceanic® Counseling Group LLC
P.O. Box 16091, Myrtle Beach, SC 29587
Phone (843) 894-0000
Email admin@oceaniccounseling.com

11. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with a new effective date.