Website Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 21, 2026

Who we are and what this policy covers

This policy describes information handling on therapy-stc.com for Kimberly Boatner, LCSW, CADC, a practice of Kimberly Boatner LCSW, CADC, LLC (“the practice,” “we,” or “us”). It covers website visits, appointment inquiries, and related communications. It does not replace clinical consent documents or the notices governing treatment records, billing, telehealth, or a separate patient portal.

Information you choose to share

Contact options on this website let you email, call, or text the office directly. Please include your name, phone number, and preferred contact method in your inquiry so the office can respond and discuss scheduling.

Where your inquiry goes

The Email Kim button opens your own email app with the office address and optional contact prompts. No message is sent until you send it from your email service. Email travels through your provider and the office’s email provider to kim.boatner@therapy-stc.com. The website no longer accepts appointment-form submissions. Copies of communications may exist in email accounts, delivery systems, and backups.

Ordinary email and voicemail carry privacy risks, including access by people who share your account or device. Choosing email does not guarantee encrypted delivery from end to end. You can call 630-488-6113 instead, request a different contact method, or change your voicemail preference. Changes apply to future communications and cannot recall a message already sent. If you do not hear back about an inquiry, please call.

Sending an inquiry requests a response; it is not consent to marketing, an authorization to release clinical records, confirmation of an appointment, or the start of a therapist–client relationship.

Text messages and voicemail

The office number, 630-488-6113, also receives text messages. Texting is preferred for scheduling and general billing questions. Please leave a voicemail or send a text; the office will respond within 24 hours. Do not include personal health information or payment card details. Text messages and voicemail may be processed or stored by phone carriers, messaging services, and devices, and may be visible to someone with access to your phone or account. They are not a secure patient portal. Avoid sending diagnoses, treatment details, insurance identifiers, or completed forms. Contact the office to request another communication method. Messages are not monitored for emergencies.

Keep clinical information separate

Please keep diagnoses, detailed histories, insurance identifiers, and Social Security numbers out of initial inquiries. For registration paperwork, review the return instructions on the New Clients page. You may instead bring paperwork to the office. Never email or text payment-card details or security codes.

Please request the current clinical Notice of Privacy Practices from the office. The New Client Registration Form includes an acknowledgment of receipt; the notice itself is provided separately.

Website operation

Hosting and security systems may process IP addresses, browser and device information, requested pages, referring pages, timestamps, errors, and connection or loading times. These records support website delivery, troubleshooting, security, and abuse prevention. Retention of these logs is separate from retention of email and other communications.

Cookies, third-party resources, and measurement

WordPress and hosting services may use cookies or similar technologies for administrative sign-in, previews, security, and site operation. The GoDaddy hosting configuration currently also supplies a website measurement script. GoDaddy describes this Real User Metrics service as measuring website performance; see GoDaddy’s explanation of website metrics and its privacy policy. Third-party resource requests expose connection information, such as an IP address and browser request information, to the provider serving the resource. During private preview, a third-party content delivery service supplies styling software.

You can use browser settings to block or delete cookies and restrict scripts. Some functions may not work with these restrictions, and blocking cookies does not stop all server logging or all third-party requests. This policy does not represent that a Do Not Track or Global Privacy Control signal disables every hosting-level technology. Contact the practice with a privacy preference or rights request; applicable legal requirements still govern.

How information is used and shared

Information is used to respond to inquiries, discuss scheduling, respect communication preferences, operate and secure the site, resolve technical problems, and meet applicable legal obligations. Providers supporting hosting, email, maintenance, security, and backups may process information as needed for those functions. Access and disclosures must remain subject to applicable confidentiality requirements; listing a provider here does not authorize a disclosure otherwise prohibited by law.

The practice does not sell appointment-inquiry information or use it for targeted advertising. Contacting the office does not enroll you in a newsletter or marketing campaign. Any new use of analytics, advertising, or other tracking must be evaluated separately and reflected in this policy, with any legally required choices or authorization.

Information may also be disclosed with an appropriate authorization or when permitted or required by applicable law, such as a legally valid reporting obligation. A request, subpoena, or other demand does not by itself override protections for mental health or substance use records.

Retention and security

Retention depends on why information was collected, whether an inquiry becomes part of a clinical record, applicable recordkeeping obligations, and the retention and backup arrangements of supporting providers. The practice’s retention procedures must account for these factors. Contact the office about a particular record; this policy does not promise automatic deletion after a fixed number of days.

The site uses HTTPS for browser connections. No website, email service, or storage system can be guaranteed completely secure. These safeguards are not a certification that every provider or workflow is HIPAA-compliant. Where applicable law requires notice of a security breach, the practice must provide that notice.

Your choices and requests

You may browse public pages without contacting the office, choose email, call, or text, update your contact preferences, or ask to access, correct, or delete inquiry information. Contact the office using the details below. The practice may need to verify your identity through an appropriate channel; do not email identification documents or sensitive records unless a secure method has been arranged. Legal retention requirements and the rights of others may limit what can be provided or deleted. This policy does not limit any rights available under applicable law.

Children and adolescents

This general-information website is not directed to children under 13 and does not offer a scheduling form. A parent or guardian can contact the office about services for a child without sending the child’s sensitive information in an initial inquiry. If you believe a child under 13 has provided information through a website-related communication, contact the office so it can be addressed under applicable law. This website policy does not determine an adolescent’s treatment-consent rights or a parent’s access to confidential records.

External links

Links to Google Maps and other outside services take you to websites with their own privacy practices. Following a link may disclose technical information to its operator. Email links open your chosen email service. This website does not accept payment-card details, insurance member numbers, or completed registration forms through a contact form. If the office directs you to a payment service, telehealth platform, or patient portal, review its notices and ask the office how to use it appropriately.

Clinical privacy

Information about seeking or receiving care may be protected health information even when shared in an initial email, text, or voicemail. Calling an inquiry “nonclinical” does not remove legal protections. Treatment communications and records may be governed by HIPAA, the Illinois Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Confidentiality Act, and other applicable laws. Certain substance use disorder records have additional protections under 42 CFR Part 2 when that law applies.

A separate clinical Notice of Privacy Practices explains the practice’s permitted uses and disclosures of protected health information, patient rights, and duties. This website policy is not that notice and does not authorize disclosure of psychotherapy notes or other confidential records. Contact the office for clinical privacy information and the applicable notice before sending treatment records.

Depending on the applicable law and record, patient rights may include access to records, requesting amendments or restrictions, confidential communications, and information about certain disclosures. Those rights have conditions and exceptions and are not a blanket right to erase treatment records. You may raise a privacy concern with the practice or, for a HIPAA concern, with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights. The practice will not retaliate for a good-faith privacy complaint or exercise of protected rights.

Changes to this policy

Updates will be posted here with a revised date. Material changes will receive any additional notice or consent required by law. A policy update or continued website use does not replace a legally required authorization for using or disclosing health information.

Questions

Direct website privacy questions and requests to Kimberly Boatner, LCSW, CADC, a practice of Kimberly Boatner LCSW, CADC, LLC.

Mail: 3140 West Main Street, St. Charles, IL 60175
Phone: 630-488-6113
Email: kim.boatner@therapy-stc.com

Use email for a brief request to discuss privacy; avoid sending diagnoses, detailed histories, insurance identifiers, or clinical records.