Cookie Policy

Table of Contents

1. What Are Cookies?
2. How We Use Cookies
3. Types of Cookies We Use
4. Third-Party Cookies
5. Cookie List
6. Manage Cookie Preferences
7. Your Privacy Rights
8. Do Not Track Signals
9. Consent and Withdrawal
10. Updates to This Policy
11. Contact Information
12. Additional Legal Policies

Cookies are small text files that websites place on your device (computer, tablet, smartphone, or other electronic device) when you visit them. Cookies are widely used to make websites work more efficiently, improve user experience, and provide information to website owners.

How Cookies Work:

• Storage: Cookies are stored locally on your device when you load a website in your browser
• Information: They contain small pieces of data such as user preferences, session identifiers, or website settings
• Duration: Cookies can be temporary (session cookies that expire when you close your browser) or persistent (stored for a set period or until manually deleted)
• Purpose: They help websites remember your preferences, keep you logged in, analyze website performance, and provide personalized content

Important: Cookies used on our main marketing website are separate from the secure systems we use for clinical services. Our clinical electronic health record system (Simple Practice) operates under separate, HIPAA-compliant security protocols.

We use cookies for several purposes to improve your experience on our website and to help us understand how visitors interact with our site.

Primary Uses:

• Essential Functionality: Enable core website features and ensure the site operates correctly
• Security: Protect against fraudulent activity, spam, and unauthorized access
• Preferences: Remember your settings, language preferences, and cookie consent choices
• Performance: Analyze website performance, identify errors, and improve load times
• Analytics: Understand how visitors use our website, which pages are most popular, and how users navigate the site
• Advertising Measurement: Measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and understand how visitors reach our website

Note: We do NOT use cookies to collect Protected Health Information (PHI) or to track clinical information. Marketing website cookies are used solely for website functionality, analytics, and advertising measurement.

Our website uses both first-party and third-party cookies. Below is an explanation of each type:

First-Party Cookies:

Set by: Bethesda Therapy directly
Purpose: Essential for website functionality and do not collect personally identifiable information
Examples:

• Session management cookies
• Cookie consent preference cookies
• Security and authentication cookies
• Website functionality cookies (e.g., language preferences)

Third-Party Cookies:

Set by: External service providers and partners
Purpose: Analytics, performance monitoring, and advertising measurement
Examples:

• Google Analytics (website traffic analysis)
• Google Ads (conversion tracking)
• Content delivery networks (CDNs)

Cookie Categories:

We categorize cookies based on their function:

1. Strictly Necessary Cookies

• Required: Yes, these cookies are essential for the website to function
• Purpose: Enable core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility
• Disabling: Cannot be disabled without severely affecting website functionality
• Data Collected: Session identifiers, security tokens, load balancing data

2. Functional Cookies

• Required: No, but enhance user experience
• Purpose: Remember user preferences and settings
• Examples: Language preferences, cookie consent choices, UI customizations
• Data Collected: Preference settings, customization choices

3. Performance and Analytics Cookies

• Required: No, used for website improvement
• Purpose: Collect information about how visitors use our website
• Services Used: Google Analytics
• Data Collected: Page views, session duration, bounce rates, traffic sources, anonymized user behavior
• Privacy: Information is aggregated and anonymized; individual users are not identified

4. Advertising and Conversion Tracking Cookies

• Required: No
• Purpose: Measure the effectiveness of our advertising campaigns and understand how visitors reach our website
• Services Used: Google Ads conversion tracking
• Data Collected: Whether you clicked an ad before visiting our site, pages visited after clicking an ad, conversion events (such as form submissions)
• Remarketing: We do not use remarketing or retargeting cookies to show you ads after you leave our website

We use select third-party services that may set cookies on your device when you visit our website.

Third-Party Services We Use:

• Google Analytics: Website traffic analysis and performance monitoring. Helps us understand how visitors find and use our website, which pages are most popular, and how we can improve the user experience.
• Google Ads: Conversion tracking to measure the effectiveness of our advertising. This helps us understand which ads lead visitors to contact us, so we can make informed decisions about our marketing.
• Content Delivery Networks (CDNs): Faster content delivery and improved website performance
• Security Services: Protection against malicious activity and fraud

Important Disclaimers:

• Third-Party Privacy Policies: Third-party services have their own privacy policies and cookie policies that govern their use of cookies and data collection. We are not responsible for third-party privacy practices.
• Data Sharing: We do not sell, rent, or trade information collected via cookies to third parties for their own marketing purposes
• Clinical Systems: Our clinical electronic health record and client portal operate under separate, HIPAA-compliant protocols and are not connected to marketing website cookies

Links to Third-Party Privacy Policies:

• Google Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy
• Google Analytics Opt-Out: Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on
• Google Ads Settings: Manage your Google ad preferences

Note: This list is automatically updated. Cookie names, durations, and purposes may change as we update our website and services.

You have the right to accept or reject cookies. You can manage your cookie preferences through your web browser settings or by using the cookie banner that appears when you first visit our website.

Browser Cookie Settings:

You can control cookies through your web browser settings. Most browsers allow you to:

• View and delete cookies currently stored on your device
• Block all cookies or only third-party cookies
• Clear cookies when you close your browser
• Receive notifications when websites set cookies

Browser-Specific Instructions:

• Google Chrome: Manage cookies in Chrome
• Safari: Manage cookies in Safari
• Firefox: Manage cookies in Firefox
• Microsoft Edge: Manage cookies in Edge

If you are using a browser not listed above, please consult your browser’s official support documentation.

Impact of Blocking Cookies:

Important: Blocking or deleting cookies may affect your experience on our website. If you block strictly necessary cookies, certain features may not function properly, including:

• Form submissions
• Website navigation
• Security features
• Preference settings

Performance, analytics, and advertising cookies are not essential for website functionality, and blocking them will not prevent you from using our website.

Depending on your location, you may have specific rights regarding cookies and online tracking under applicable privacy laws.

General Rights:

• Right to Consent: Choose whether to accept or reject non-essential cookies
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Change your cookie preferences at any time
• Right to Access: Request information about the cookies we use and how they collect data
• Right to Deletion: Delete cookies stored on your device through your browser settings

State-Specific Rights:

Virginia Residents (VCDPA):

Under the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, you have the right to:

• Opt out of the processing of personal data for targeted advertising
• Opt out of the sale of personal data
• Opt out of profiling in furtherance of decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects

Note: We do NOT sell personal data collected via cookies. We use Google Ads conversion tracking to measure ad effectiveness, but we do not use cookies for targeted advertising, remarketing, or profiling.

Maryland and DC Residents:

Residents of Maryland and the District of Columbia have rights under applicable state privacy laws and HIPAA (for health-related information). For questions about your rights, contact us at hello@wearebethesdatherapy.com.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in the Contact Information section below.

“Do Not Track” (DNT) is a privacy preference that users can set in certain web browsers. Some browsers transmit DNT signals to websites, indicating that users do not want their online activity tracked.

Our DNT Policy:

• Current Status: We do not currently respond to DNT signals because there is no uniform industry standard for how websites should interpret and respond to DNT signals
• Alternative: You can manage your cookie preferences using your browser’s cookie controls or the cookie banner on our website
• Future Changes: If industry standards for DNT are established, we will evaluate our practices and update this policy accordingly

For more information about Do Not Track, visit www.allaboutdnt.com.

By continuing to use our website after being presented with our cookie consent banner, you consent to our use of cookies as described in this Cookie Policy.

How Consent Works:

• Initial Visit: When you first visit our website, you will see a cookie consent banner
• Your Choices: You can accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences
• Stored Preference: Your choice is stored in a cookie so we remember your preference on future visits
• Strictly Necessary Cookies: These are exempt from consent requirements because they are essential for website functionality

Withdrawing Consent:

You can withdraw or modify your consent at any time by:

• Clearing your cookies through your browser settings and revisiting our website
• Deleting cookies through your browser settings
• Contacting us at hello@wearebethesdatherapy.com

Effect of Withdrawal: If you withdraw consent for non-essential cookies, those cookies will no longer be set on your device, but website functionality may be limited.

We reserve the right to modify this Cookie Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or business operations.

• Effective Date: Changes become effective immediately upon posting to this page
• Last Updated Date: We will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this policy
• Notification: For material changes, we may update our cookie consent banner to inform you of the changes
• Your Acceptance: Continued use of our website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Cookie Policy

We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us:

• Email: hello@wearebethesdatherapy.com
• Phone: (240) 389-0027
• Business Name: Bethesda Therapy LLC

We will respond to your inquiry in accordance with applicable law.

Please also review our related policies to understand how we protect your privacy and govern your use of our services:

• Privacy Policy – How we collect, use, and protect your personal information
• Terms of Service – Legal agreement governing your use of our website
• No Surprises Act Notice – Your rights to cost transparency and Good Faith Estimates

Together, these policies form a comprehensive framework for how we handle your information and provide our services.