Effective and last updated: October 29, 2026
Astute Counseling & Wellness Services, LLC (“Astute,” “we,” or “us”) operates astutecounseling.com. This policy explains information collected through our public website, how it is used, and choices available to you.
Website inquiries and health information
To start therapy, our website directs you to a separate secure pre-match questionnaire hosted by Hushmail at hushforms.com/becca-7206. You may also call our office at 773-799-8966. The previous contact and new patient forms on our WordPress website have been replaced with links to this questionnaire.
The Hushmail questionnaire asks for contact details, age, demographic information, clinical concerns, relevant diagnoses, medications and treatment history, service and therapist preferences, availability, insurance provider and referral source. These details help our intake team review your needs before matching you with a therapist. Pronouns are optional. You do not need a diagnosis to request therapy. Where a question does not apply, enter None or Not applicable. Do not enter Social Security numbers, payment card details or insurance member numbers.
Completed questionnaires are delivered to Astute’s secure Hushmail account for review by authorized practice staff. The questionnaire is hosted separately from WordPress; answers entered there are not submitted through the old WordPress inquiry forms. Hushmail processes information under its applicable service terms and Privacy Policy. We use this information to respond, coordinate appointments, match requested services and administer our practice. Historical inquiries submitted through our earlier website forms may remain in website submission records, email systems and backups, subject to applicable retention and preservation requirements.
Use the secure questionnaire or call our office to share clinical details. Ordinary email is not a confidential patient portal; please do not send diagnoses, medications or treatment history to our general email address. Submitting a questionnaire does not schedule an appointment or by itself establish a therapist-patient relationship. Forms and email are not monitored for emergencies.
Information collected when you browse
Our website, hosting, and security services may process technical information such as your IP address, browser and device information, requested pages, referring pages, timestamps, and error or security logs. This supports delivery of the site, troubleshooting, spam prevention, and protection against misuse. Cookies or similar browser storage may support necessary functions, administrative sign-in, preferences, and consent choices.
The website loads accessibility tools, including Adappy, which may receive technical information needed to deliver their features.
Advertising, cookies, and embedded services
As of the date above, we have disabled the Google Tag Manager and Google Ads tags, Jamloop advertising snippets, and Shareaholic integration that were identified in our website review. This describes changes to our current configuration; it does not describe every past version of the website.
The website includes third-party features, including Google Maps, Mindbody/Frederick customer reviews, and embedded YouTube and Vimeo videos. These features use an Open button so you can choose when to load them. When these features load, their providers may receive technical information such as your IP address, browser information, and the page from which the feature was requested. They may use cookies or similar technologies under their own policies. Opening one of these features connects your browser to its provider. Their practices may differ if you are signed into an account with them. Other website services, including accessibility tools and certain wellness booking widgets, may connect automatically.
Our website also links to TherapyPortal for patient services, Mindbody for wellness bookings or gift cards, Square for our retail shop, and social media websites. Information you provide after opening an external service is handled under that service’s applicable terms and privacy practices. Review those notices before providing information. See Google’s Privacy Policy and Mindbody’s Privacy Policy.
Where cookie preference controls are available, you can use them to manage the categories they cover. You can also block or delete cookies in your browser. Browser settings may affect website features and do not necessarily prevent every request to an embedded provider. If you prefer not to use embedded services or website forms, contact us by phone.
How information is used and disclosed
We use website information to answer requests, arrange services, maintain our website, protect our systems, and meet applicable legal obligations. Information may be processed by service providers that support website hosting, email delivery, security, backups, forms, and the third-party features described above. Our public website uses WordPress and Elementor and is hosted by Kinsta. The separate pre-match questionnaire is hosted by Hushmail. Embedded services receive information directly from your browser as described above.
We may also disclose information when required by law, in response to valid legal process, or as permitted by law to protect rights or safety. This policy is not consent or authorization to disclose protected health information to advertising companies. Clicking a cookie banner or submitting a website inquiry does not replace any separate authorization required by law.
Retention and security
Retention depends on the type of record, its purpose, applicable requirements, and any legal preservation obligation. Website inquiries, related emails, security records, and backups may have different retention periods. Contact us with questions about a particular record. We cannot promise immediate removal from backups or deletion of records that must be preserved.
We use website access controls, HTTPS connections, and security tools. No website, email system, or transmission method can be guaranteed completely secure. Please use the patient communication method provided by our team for clinical information.
Your choices and requests
You may contact us to ask about your website information or request access, correction, or deletion, subject to applicable law and recordkeeping obligations. We may need to verify your identity before acting. Please do not include detailed health information in an initial privacy request. Tell us what you need, and we will explain the appropriate next steps.
Patient privacy and emergencies
This website policy is separate from our Notice of Privacy Practices for patient health information. Patients may request that notice and information about their patient privacy rights from our office. This website policy does not reduce those rights.
Website forms and email are not monitored for emergencies. If you face an immediate emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department.
Changes and contact
We may update this policy as our website or practices change. The date above identifies the current version.
Astute Counseling & Wellness Services, LLC
3001 N Southport Avenue, 2nd Floor
Chicago, IL 60657
Phone: 773-799-8966
Email: info@astutecounseling.com
For privacy questions, ask for the practice owner.