"With change, comes hope"
Last updated: September 2022
Disclaimer, Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions
DISCLAIMER
The information provided by Bright Lotus Counseling (“we,” “us” or “our”) on brightlotuscounseling.com (the “site”) is for general informational and educational purposes only. All information on the site is provided in good faith and is provided "as is"; however, we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, adequacy, validity, reliability, availability or completeness of any information on the site. The information on the site is not a substitute for professional treatment. Accordingly, before taking any actions based upon such site information, we encourage you to consult with the appropriate professionals. For immediate medical help, contact local emergency services such as 911.
Bright Lotus Counseling is licensed to provide counseling services only to residents within the state of Florida. If you are a resident of another state within the United States of America, or a country foreign to the U.S.A., we can try direct you to resources within your area that may be better equipped to provide services for your needs. I am legally and ethically unable to provide psychological advice, diagnoses, or assessments via email to people who are not my patients. If you have concerns you wish to discuss, you may wish to consider contacting a therapist who lives in your area and scheduling an appointment to discuss these matters with them.
Transmission of the information and materials contained on this website is not intended to create and does not constitute an agreement to create an therapist-client relationship with Bright Lotus Counseling or Merissa Goolsarran. By accessing and using this site, such use shall constitute your agreement that the materials contained herein are not medical or health advice, shall not be relied upon by you as such and that no therapist-client relationship has been created. The information contained in this website may not apply to your particular circumstances or your particular jurisdiction. Nothing found on this website is intended to be a substitute for professional therapeutic, psychological, psychiatric or medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
The information provided on this site is not intended to be complete, accurate, and/or relevant to your specific situation or circumstance. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this site. The use or reliance of any information contained on this site is solely at your own risk.
Third party links may be used on this site. We do not endorse or presume liability for third parties linked or suggested on this site. They are included for resource and informational purposes only. Any grievance with a third party must be addressed directly with that party. Opinions and other statements expressed by third parties (including guest posts) are theirs alone, not opinions of ours.
We take precautions to safeguard your personal information. This site uses an email service provided by a third party, called MailHippo, for secure email encryption and communication. This site does not manage MailHippo and cannot guarantee the security of their services. If you choose to schedule a session, you will be redirected to a third-party website called Grow Therapy, which manages scheduling, billing, and payment information (not managed by this site). Information on Grow Therapy is collected based off of what you voluntarily input.
Bright Lotus Counseling does not disclose any personal information to third parties without getting your permission in advance or without your initiation of such communication. Prior to your consent and after your consent, we may disclose (as regulated by law) user information only in the event of 1) suspicion of child or elder abuse; 2) harm to self or other(s); 3) court order.
In the unlikely event that we believe that the security of your personal information in our possession or control may have been compromised, we may seek to notify you of that development. If a notification is appropriate, we would endeavor to do so as promptly as possible under the circumstances, and, to the extent we have your e-mail address, we may notify you by e-mail. You consent to our use of e-mail as a means of such notification.
Even if we take every precaution to ensure that the content of the site is both current and accurate, errors can occur. Plus, given the changing nature of laws, rules and regulations, there may be delays, omissions or inaccuracies in the information contained on the site. We are not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information.
Under no circumstance shall we have any liability to you for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of the site or reliance on any information provided on the site.
This Privacy Policy describes how Bright Lotus Counseling (“we” or “us”) collects, uses, and shares your personal information when you use our website www.brightlotuscounseling.com (the “Site”).
Personal information we collect
PRIVACY POLICY
Your privacy is important to us. Generally, any information collected on this site will not be sold or shared with third parties. This site collects no personally identifying information (such as name and email address) through its website except when you specifically and knowingly provide the information (for example, sending an email to contact us or scheduling a session). Any information you provide is used solely for the stated purpose unless you agree in advance to additional use.
We take precautions to safeguard your personal information, but there may be risks with electronic communication. This site uses a secure email service provided by a third party, called MailHippo, for email encryption and communication (not managed by this site). If you choose to schedule a session, you will be redirected to a third-party website called Grow Therapy, which manages scheduling, billing, and payment information (also not managed by this site).
When you visit the Site, we may automatically collect certain information about your device, including information about your web browser, IP address, time zone, and some of the cookies that are installed on your device. Additionally, as you browse the Site, we collect information about the individual web pages or products that you view, what websites or search terms referred you to the Site, and information about how you interact with the Site. We refer to this automatically collected information as “Device Information”.
We collect Device Information using the following technologies:
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“Cookies” are data files that are placed on your device or computer and often include an anonymous unique identifier. For more information about cookies, and how to disable cookies, visit http://www.allaboutcookies.org.
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“Log files” track actions occurring on the Site, and collect data including your IP address, browser type, Internet service provider, referring/exit pages, and date/time stamps.
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“Web beacons”, “tags”, and “pixels” are electronic files used to record information about how you browse the Site.
We use Device Information for:
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Functionality: To recognize you on our website and recognize your previously selected preferences, including your preferred language and your location.
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Advertising: To collect information about your visit, the content you viewed, the links you followed, and information about your web browser, device, and IP address. We sometimes share limited aspects of this data with third parties for advertising purposes.
You can set your browser not to accept cookies, and the website above tells you how to remove cookies from your browser. Some of our website features may not function if you disable cookies. Please note that we do not alter our Site’s data collection and use practices when we see a Do Not Track signal from your browser.
We also collect data you provide to us directly. We refer to the data you provide as “Provided Information.” We collect and process data you provide when you:
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Register online, submit a form, or place an order for any of our products or services
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Voluntarily complete a customer survey or provide feedback on any of our message boards or via email
The Provided Information we collect may include:
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Personal identification information (name, email address, phone number, etc.)
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Billing information (billing address, shipping address, payment information, including credit card numbers, etc.)
When we talk about “Personal Information” in this Privacy Policy, we are talking both about Device Information and Provided Information.
How we use your Personal Information
We use the Provided Information that we collect generally to fulfill any orders placed through the Site (including processing your payment information, delivering products and/or services, and providing you with invoices and/or order confirmations). Additionally, we use Provided Information to:
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Communicate with you;
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Screen our orders for potential risk or fraud; and
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When in line with the preferences you have shared with us, provide you with information or advertising relating to our products or services.
We use the Device Information that we collect to help us screen for potential risk and fraud (in particular, your IP address), and more generally to improve and optimize our Site (for example, by generating analytics about how our customers browse and interact with the Site, and to assess the success of our marketing and advertising campaigns).
How we share your Personal Information
We share your Personal Information with third parties to help us use your Personal Information, as described above. For example, we use Google Analytics to help us understand how our visitors use the Site - you can read more about how Google uses your Personal Information here: https://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/privacy/. You can also opt-out of Google Analytics here: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
The types of third parties with whom we might share elements of your Personal Information include:
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Payment processors engaged by us to securely store and handle payments information, such as credit or debit card information
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Providers of email management and distribution tools
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Providers of security and fraud prevention tools and services,
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Providers of data aggregation and analytics software services that allow us to effectively monitor and optimize our site
We may also share your Personal Information to comply with applicable laws and regulations, to respond to a subpoena, search warrant or other lawful request for information we receive, or to otherwise protect our rights.
How we store your data
We securely store your data online.
We use commercially reasonable security measures to protect against unauthorized access to or unauthorized alteration, disclosure or destruction of information stored on our servers. Of course, no computer network or data transmission on the internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure and so you submit your information at your own risk.
We will maintain your Personal Information for our records unless and until you ask us to delete this information.
Behavioral advertising
As described above, we use your Personal Information to provide you with targeted advertisements or marketing communications we believe may be of interest to you. For more information about how targeted advertising works, you can visit the Network Advertising Initiative’s (“NAI”) educational page at http://www.networkadvertising.org/understanding-online-advertising/how-does-it-work.
You can opt out of targeted advertising by using the links below:
Additionally, you can opt out of some of these services by visiting the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out portal at http://optout.aboutads.info/.
Your data protection rights
European Residents
If you are a European resident, you have the right to access personal information we hold about you and to ask that your personal information be corrected, updated, withdrawn, or deleted. Under certain conditions, you may also have the right to restrict or object to our processing of your data, and to request that we transfer your Personal Information to another organization. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the contact information below. You also have the right to complain to your local data protection supervisory authority.
You can contact them at: https://edpb.europa.eu/about-edpb/board/members_en.
Additionally, if you are a European resident, we note that we are processing your information to fulfill contracts we might have with you (for example if you make an order through the Site), or otherwise to pursue our legitimate business interests listed above. Please note that your information will be transferred outside of Europe, including to Canada and the United States.
California Residents
Pursuant to California Civil Code Section 1798.83, we do disclose to third parties for direct marketing purposes. If you are a California resident and would like to know this, please contact us via the information provided below.
Children under 18 years of age may request removal of content or information posted on our website. To request removal, use the information below to contact us with a statement that you reside in California.
You have the right under the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) and other privacy laws to know the following for free:
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The categories of personal information we have collected about you;
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The categories of sources from which the personal information is collected;
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The business or commercial purpose for collecting or selling personal information;
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The categories of third parties with whom we share personal information, if any;
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The personal information we have collected about you; and
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The categories of personal information that we disclosed about you for a business purpose.
You may opt-out of these disclosures. If you exercise your right to opt-out, we will refrain from disclosing your personal information, unless you later provide clear authorization for the disclosure of your personal information. Please send an email to us if you do not want your information disclosed to third parties.
Please note that we are not required to retain any personal information about you that was collected for a one-time or single transaction if, in the ordinary course of business, such information is not retained; or provide again any data that, in the ordinary course of business, is not considered personal information; or provide this more than twice in a 12-month period.
Third Party Websites
Our privacy policy applies only to our website. We are not responsible for the data collection, privacy practices or policies of any third-party site to which we may provide a link or that may link to our site. We encourage you to read the privacy statement and terms of use of other sites.
Changes
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect, for example, changes to our practices or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons.
Complaints
Please contact us if you have any complaints about how we use your Personal Information so we can resolve the issue whenever possible. Residents of the European Union also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local data protection regulator, such as the Information Commissioner’s Office in the UK.
Contact us
For more information about our privacy practices, if you have questions, or if you would like to exercise your data protection rights, please do not hesitate to contact us.
merissa@brightlotuscounseling.com
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
These Terms and Conditions govern your use of this website and provide information about our website. When you use this website, you agree to these terms and conditions, as set forth below.
You may not use this website and may not accept these terms and conditions if you are not of legal age to form a binding contract with Bright Lotus Counseling, or you are a person who is barred or otherwise legally prohibited from receiving or using this website under the laws of the country in which you are a resident or from which you access or use the website.
Agreement between Website User and www.brightlotuscounseling.com
The www.brightlotuscounseling.com website (the "Site") is composed of various web pages. This Site is offered to you conditioned on your acceptance without modification of the terms, conditions, and notices contained herein (the "Terms"). Your use of this Site constitutes your agreement to all such Terms. Please read these terms carefully.
The information contained on this website is primarily intended for Florida residents.
Privacy
Your use of this Site is subject to Bright Lotus Counseling's Privacy Policy. Please review our Privacy Policy, which also governs the Site and informs users of our data collection practices.
Electronic Communications
Visiting this Site or sending emails to Bright Lotus Counseling constitutes electronic communications. You consent to receive electronic communications and you agree that all agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that we provide to you electronically, via email and on the Site, satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing.
Children Under Thirteen
Bright Lotus Counseling does not knowingly collect, either online or offline, personal information from persons under the age of thirteen. If you are under 18, you may use this Site only with permission of a parent or guardian.
Links to Third Party Sites/Third Party Services
This Site may contain links to other websites ("Linked Sites"). The Linked Sites are not under the control of Bright Lotus Counseling and Bright Lotus Counseling is not responsible for the contents of any Linked Site, including without limitation any link contained in a Linked Site, or any changes or updates to a Linked Site. Bright Lotus Counseling is providing these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement by Bright Lotus Counseling of the site or any association with its operators.
Certain services made available via this Site are delivered by third party sites and organizations. By using any product, service, or functionality originating from this Site, you hereby acknowledge and consent that Bright Lotus Counseling may share such information and data with any third party with whom Bright Lotus Counseling has a contractual relationship to provide the requested product, service, or functionality on behalf of this Site’s users and customers.
No Unlawful or Prohibited Use/Intellectual Property
You are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use this Site strictly in accordance with these Terms of Use. As a condition of your use of this Site, you warrant to Bright Lotus Counseling that you will not use the Site for any purpose that is unlawful or prohibited by these Terms.
Moreover, you agree not to use this website to obtain or attempt to obtain unauthorized access to the servers, systems, network or data; violate any applicable laws or regulations; and interfere with or disrupt the servers, systems, or networks connected to the website.
You may not use this Site in any manner which could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Site or interfere with any other party's use and enjoyment of the Site. You may not obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information through any means not intentionally made available or provided for through the Site.
All content such as text, graphics, logos, images, as well as combinations thereof, and any software used on this Site, is the property of Bright Lotus Counseling or its suppliers and protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights of both the United States and foreign countries. You agree to observe and abide by all copyright and other proprietary notices, legends or other restrictions contained in any such content and will not make any changes thereto. Nothing in this Terms and Conditions shall give any user the right to use the Site’s name, trademarks, logos, domain names, and other distinctive brand features. All right, title, and interest in and to the Site are and will remain the exclusive property of the Site’s owner and its licensor.
You will not modify, publish, transmit, reverse engineer, participate in the transfer or sale of, or create derivative works, or in any way exploit any of the content, in whole or in part, found on the Site. Bright Lotus Counseling content is not for resale. Your use of the Site does not entitle you to make any unauthorized use of any protected content, and in particular you will not delete or alter any proprietary rights or attribution notices in any content. You will use protected content solely for your personal use, and will make no other use of the content without the express written permission of Bright Lotus Counseling and the copyright owner. You agree that you do not acquire any ownership rights in any protected content. This Site does not grant you any licenses, express or implied, to the intellectual property of Bright Lotus Counseling or our licensors except as expressly authorized by these Terms.
International Users
The Service is controlled, operated and administered by Bright Lotus Counseling from our offices within the USA. If you access the Service from a location outside the USA, you are responsible for compliance with all local laws. You agree that you will not use the Bright Lotus Counseling content accessed through this Site in any country or in any manner prohibited by any applicable laws, restrictions or regulations.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify, defend and hold harmless Bright Lotus Counseling, its officers, directors, employees, agents and third parties for any losses, costs, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) relating to or arising out of your use of or inability to use the Site or services, any user postings made by you, your violation of any terms of this Agreement or your violation of any rights of a third party, or your violation of any applicable laws, rules or regulations. Bright Lotus Counseling reserves the right, at its own cost, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, in which event you will fully cooperate with Bright Lotus Counseling in asserting any available defenses.
Liability Disclaimer
THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES INCLUDED IN OR AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE MAY INCLUDE INACCURACIES OR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS. CHANGES ARE PERIODICALLY ADDED TO THE INFORMATION HEREIN. BRIGHT LOTUS COUNSELING AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAY MAKE IMPROVEMENTS AND/OR CHANGES IN THE SITE AT ANY TIME.
BRIGHT LOTUS COUNSELING AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS ABOUT THE SUITABILITY, RELIABILITY, AVAILABILITY, TIMELINESS, AND ACCURACY OF THE INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND RELATED GRAPHICS CONTAINED ON THE SITE FOR ANY PURPOSE. ALL SUCH INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND RELATED GRAPHICS ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND. WEST INDIAN DIPLOMACY AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS HEREBY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS WITH REGARD TO THIS INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES, AND RELATED GRAPHICS, INCLUDING ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.
BRIGHT LOTUS COUNSELING AND/OR ITS SUPPLIERS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THE SITE, WITH THE DELAY OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE OR RELATED SERVICES, THE PROVISION OF OR FAILURE TO PROVIDE SERVICES, OR FOR ANY INFORMATION, SOFTWARE, PRODUCTS, SERVICES AND RELATED GRAPHICS OBTAINED THROUGH THE SITE, OR OTHERWISE ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF THE SITE. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THE SITE, OR WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS OF USE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE SITE.
Termination/Access Restriction
Bright Lotus Counseling reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate your access to the Site and the related services or any portion thereof at any time, without notice. This agreement is governed by the laws of the State of Florida and you hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of courts in Florida in all disputes arising out of or relating to the use of the Site. Use of the Site is unauthorized in any jurisdiction that does not give effect to all provisions of these Terms, including, without limitation, this section.
You agree that no joint venture, partnership, employment, or agency relationship exists between you and Bright Lotus Counseling as a result of this agreement or use of the Site. Bright Lotus Counseling's performance of this agreement is subject to existing laws and legal process, and nothing contained in this agreement is in derogation of Bright Lotus Counseling's right to comply with legal requirements relating to your use of the Site or information provided to or gathered by Bright Lotus Counseling with respect to such use.
If any part of this agreement is determined to be invalid or unenforceable pursuant to applicable law, then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed superseded by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely matches the intent of the original provision and the remainder of the agreement shall continue in effect.
This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the user and Bright Lotus Counseling with respect to the Site and it supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals, whether electronic, oral or written, between the user and Bright Lotus Counseling with respect to the Site. A printed version of this agreement and of any notice given in electronic form shall be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based upon or relating to this agreement to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form.
Changes to Terms
Bright Lotus Counseling reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to change the Terms under which www.brightlotuscounseling.com is offered. The most current version of the Terms will supersede all previous versions. Bright Lotus Counseling encourages you to periodically review the Terms to stay informed of our updates.
Contact Us
merissa@brightlotuscounseling.com