Ezer Biblical Counseling Center (EBCC)
Last Updated: October 26, 2026
At Ezer Biblical Counseling Center (“EBCC,” “we,” “us”), your privacy matters to us. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect through EzerBiblicalCounselingCenter.com and our counseling services, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We provide virtual counseling to clients across the United States.
This policy covers both visitors to our website and our counseling clients. How we handle confidentiality within counseling itself, including its legal limits, is explained in our Informed Consent documents, which you will receive before your first session.
Information We Collect
Website visitors. When you visit our site, our website platform automatically records technical information such as your IP address, browser type, the pages you view, and when you visit. If you use our contact form, become a website member, or subscribe to our email list, we also collect your name, email address, and anything you choose to include in your message.
Counseling clients. To get started, you’ll complete a brief pre-screener and intake through the SimplePractice Portal. We collect:
Contact details, such as your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address
Date of birth and basic demographic information
Identity-verification information, which may include driver’s license or other government-issued ID details
Billing and payment information, processed through SimplePractice
Information you share during intake and counseling, along with the records your counselor keeps
Please don’t send sensitive information through our website contact form or regular email. Those channels are meant for general questions. Please use the SimplePractice Portal or Spruce Health for anything personal or related to your counseling.
Sliding Scale and Pay It Forward Information
Financial Information for Sliding Scale and Pay It Forward Requests
If you request a sliding scale fee or help from the Pay It Forward Fund, Ezer Biblical Counseling Center will collect information about your household income and household size. We use this information only to set your fee. It is stored securely with your billing records in our practice management system and is never sold or shared with anyone outside EBCC. Donors to the Pay It Forward Fund are never told who received help. Information about donors is also kept confidential and is used only to process and acknowledge their gifts.
How We Use Your Information
We use your information only to:
Provide counseling services and maintain your records
Schedule appointments and send reminders
Verify your identity and process billing
Respond to your questions and requests
Send newsletters and ministry updates, only if you’ve opted in
Understand how our website is used so we can improve it
Government ID information is used solely to verify your identity and set up billing. It is stored in the encrypted SimplePractice Portal and is not used for any other purpose.
How We Share Your Information
We never sell your personal information. We share it only in these situations:
With service providers who help us run our practice, listed below. They handle your information on our behalf and keep it under their own privacy and security practices.
With your permission, such as when you ask us to coordinate with another provider.
When the law requires it, as explained in our Informed Consent documents.
We use these service providers:
We encourage you to review these providers’ own privacy policies for more detail.
Text messaging. Mobile phone numbers and text-messaging consent are never shared with third parties for their marketing purposes.
How We Protect Your Information
We take reasonable steps to keep your information safe:
Our website uses SSL/TLS encryption to protect information sent through it.
Client records, scheduling, and payments are handled in the encrypted SimplePractice Portal, which uses PCI DSS-compliant payment processing.
Calls, texts, and faxes go through Spruce Health, which also protects our counselors’ personal phone numbers.
Access to client information is limited to authorized EBCC staff, who are required to follow our security practices.
We do not record counseling sessions.
No method of electronic communication or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security. We will keep working to protect your information.
HIPAA-Compliant Platforms
To protect your counseling information, we use platforms built to meet the privacy and security standards of HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act:
SimplePractice for client records, scheduling, billing, and telehealth sessions
Spruce Health for phone calls, texting, and fax
Our website (Squarespace) and general business email are not part of these HIPAA-compliant systems. That is why we ask you to share personal or counseling-related information only through the SimplePractice Portal or Spruce Health.
Choosing HIPAA-compliant tools reflects our commitment to protecting your information. It does not, by itself, mean that EBCC is a health care provider governed by HIPAA.
How Long We Keep Your Information
We keep client intake information and counseling records for seven years after your last session, or longer if the law requires. After that, we securely delete or archive them. Website and email-list information is kept until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
Your Choices and Rights
Whether or not a particular privacy law applies to us, we offer these rights to everyone we serve:
Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
Correction: Ask us to fix information that is inaccurate. Clients can also update details directly in the SimplePractice Portal.
Deletion: Ask us to delete your information. Some records may need to be kept where the law requires or to finish billing already in progress.
Opt out of marketing: Unsubscribe at any time.
To make a request, email customerservice@ezbcc.org or message us through the SimplePractice Portal. We will respond within 30 days.
Emails, Texts, and Newsletters
We send administrative messages through SimplePractice, Spruce Health, or Google Workspace email, such as appointment reminders, cancellation notices, billing notices, and replies to your questions. These messages do not contain sensitive counseling content.
Newsletters and ministry updates go only to people who opt in through website membership, a subscription, or direct consent. Our email list is kept separate from your counseling records. You can opt out at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” in any email, replying “STOP” to a text, or contacting us. Opting out never affects your counseling services or the administrative messages you need.
Cookies and Website Analytics
Our website platform, Squarespace, uses cookies, which are small files stored by your browser. Some keep the site working properly. Others help us understand, in aggregate, how visitors use our site. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings, though some site features may not work as intended.
Links to Other Websites
Our website contains links to other sites. Those sites may collect information about you under their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to read.
Children’s Privacy
Our website is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them through the website without parental consent. If you believe a child has given us information without parental consent, please contact us and we will delete it. Counseling services for minors are covered separately in our Informed Consent documents.
Data Breach Notification
If a security breach affects your personal information, we will notify you as required by law and take reasonable steps to address it.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time. When we do, we will change the “Last Updated” date at the top. For significant changes, we will make reasonable efforts to let you know, such as by a notice on our website or by email.
Contact Us
We welcome your questions and feedback about this policy.
Ezer Biblical Counseling Center (EBCC)
Email: customerservice@ezbcc.org
Phone: 410-612-3921
Website: EzerBiblicalCounselingCenter.com
