Crisis Support: If you're in immediate danger, call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline) or 911

Privacy Policy

Your emotional journey and healing process deserve the highest level of privacy protection.

💙 Sacred Trust Promise

Grief support requires absolute trust. We protect your most vulnerable moments with the same sacred confidentiality as medical and spiritual care. Your healing journey is private and will remain so.

HIPAA Medical Privacy Protection

Institute of Grief operates under full HIPAA compliance as a mental health service provider:

  • Therapy Sessions: All counseling sessions protected under doctor-patient privilege
  • Medical Records: Mental health records secured with highest medical privacy standards
  • Insurance Claims: Only minimum necessary information shared for coverage
  • Emergency Situations: Confidentiality maintained except when required to protect life

Estonian Data Sovereignty Protection

Your grief and healing data receives additional protection under Estonian privacy laws:

  • EU GDPR Standards: Strongest privacy protection in the world
  • Estonian Servers: Data stored in Estonian data centers, not subject to US surveillance
  • MemoryDB Technology: Revolutionary fragment-based storage with quantum-safe encryption
  • No Data Selling: Your grief journey will NEVER be monetized or sold to advertisers

What Grief Information We Collect

  • Therapeutic Records: Session notes, treatment plans, and progress documentation
  • Crisis Safety Information: Emergency contacts and safety planning details
  • Support Preferences: Group preferences, therapeutic approach choices
  • Community Participation: Only what you voluntarily share in support groups

How We Protect Your Emotional Data

  • Encrypted Therapy Sessions: End-to-end encryption for all video and text therapy
  • Secure Medical Records: HIPAA-compliant storage with access logging
  • Professional Ethics: Licensed counselors bound by professional confidentiality codes
  • Estonian Privacy Laws: Additional protection under European privacy standards

Your Grief Privacy Rights

  • Access Rights: Full access to your therapy records and progress notes
  • Correction Rights: Request corrections to any medical or personal information
  • Deletion Rights: Request deletion of records (subject to legal retention requirements)
  • Portability Rights: Transfer your records to another provider in secure format
  • Objection Rights: Object to any data processing that makes you uncomfortable

Crisis Intervention & Confidentiality

We balance absolute confidentiality with duty to protect life:

  • Suicidal Ideation: Confidential unless imminent danger requires emergency intervention
  • Harm to Others: Duty to warn only when legally required to protect others
  • Child/Elder Abuse: Mandatory reporting as required by law
  • Court Orders: Records released only under valid legal court orders

Sacred Confidentiality Promise

Your grief, your pain, your healing journey, and your progress belong to you alone. We are privileged to witness your courage and will honor that privilege with absolute confidentiality and respect.

Contact for Privacy Concerns

  • Privacy Officer: Dr. Sarah Martinez, LMFT
  • Email: privacy@instituteofgrief.com
  • Phone: 1-800-GRIEF-HELP
  • Address: B-Systems, Estonian e-Residency Digital Services

Last updated: January 2025 • Effective immediately • HIPAA & Estonian Privacy Law Compliant