Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 2026

Gary F. Brown, Ph.D., LMFT is committed to protecting your privacy. To better protect your privacy, this notice explains our online information practices and how personal information may be collected, used, and safeguarded through this website. To make this notice easy to find, we make it available on our website.

INFORMATION COLLECTION AND USE

We collect information about visitors to our site to provide an experience that is responsive to our users’ and clients’ needs. We do not collect medical information or credit card information through our site.

Our site may use forms in which you provide contact information, including your name, address, telephone number, and email address, to request information or support. We receive and store any information you enter on our site, or give us in any other way, including through email, telephone, or other communications.

You do not need to provide personal information in order to use this site.

We will not sell, share, trade, or otherwise use any information you provide unless you expressly provide written permission for such use. We collect this information to improve our service and to help us determine individual needs so we may serve clients better.

We will not sell, share, trade, or otherwise use any medical information under any circumstances. If you require medical information, you must request it directly via a Medical Release form.

We may also collect non-personally identifiable information, such as your use of our website, communication preferences, aggregated data relative to our services, and responses to promotional offers or surveys. We may use or disclose aggregate information only where no individual is identified for purposes including:

(a) Compiling aggregate statistics of usage for improving the website;
(b) Developing, maintaining, and administering the website; and
(c) Following up on comments and other messages submitted through the website.

To better safeguard your information, please do not include any credit card information in electronic communications unless it is specifically required as part of a service or transaction fulfillment process.

This site and our services may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites.

SECURITY

This site has security measures in place to protect against the loss, misuse, or alteration of information under our control. If our site allows you to enter sensitive information, such as a credit card number, on order forms, we encrypt the transmission of that information using secure socket layer technology (SSL).

We may also, at times, provide information about you to third parties to provide services on our behalf, such as providers who process credit card payments. We will only share information about you that is necessary for the third party to provide the requested service. These companies are prohibited from retaining, sharing, buying, selling, storing, or using your personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes.

We follow generally accepted standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, both during transmission and once received. No method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is one hundred percent (100%) secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

GOOGLE ANALYTICS AND COOKIES

We may use a tool called “Google Analytics” to collect information about use of this site, such as how often users visit the site, what pages they visit, and what other sites they used prior to coming to this site. Google Analytics collects only the IP address assigned to you on the date you visit this site, rather than your name or other identifying information.

Google Analytics places a permanent cookie on your web browser to identify you as a unique user the next time you visit this site. This cookie cannot be used by anyone but Google, Inc. The information generated by the cookie will be transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.

We use the information received from Google Analytics only to improve services on this site. We do not combine the information collected through Google Analytics with personally identifiable information.

Google’s ability to use and share information collected by Google Analytics about your visits to this site is restricted by the Google Privacy Policy. You can prevent Google Analytics from recognizing you on return visits to this site by disabling the Google Analytics cookie in your browser.

COLLECTION AND USE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION OF CHILDREN UNDER AGE 13

We are committed to protecting the online privacy of children. In accordance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (“COPPA”), we will not knowingly collect any personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen (13) without first obtaining parental consent.

Prior to providing any personally identifiable information, such as name, email address, address, or phone number, children under the age of thirteen (13) must have a parent or legal guardian complete and return a Parental Consent Form to:

Gary F. Brown, Ph.D., LMFT
921 Westwood Blvd.
Suite 226
Los Angeles, CA 90024
email: drgarybrown@gmail.com

The consent form states that the child’s parent or legal guardian, by signature, consents to the collection and transfer of the child’s personally identifiable information. Consent may be revoked by completing a Revocation of Parental Consent Form and sending it to the email or physical mailing address above.

In compliance with COPPA, we are sensitive about children consulting with parents or guardians before furnishing personal information or ordering anything online.

It is also our intention to adhere to the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) Guidelines on Internet advertising with its special sensitivities regarding solicitations to children under thirteen (13). We encourage parents and guardians to supervise and join their children in exploring cyberspace.

TRANSFER OF DATA ABROAD

If you are visiting this site from a country other than the country in which our servers are located, your communications with us may result in the transfer of information across international boundaries. By visiting this site and communicating electronically with us, you consent to such transfers.

COMPLIANCE WITH LAWS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT

We cooperate with government and law enforcement officials and private parties to enforce and comply with the law. We will disclose information about you to government or law enforcement officials or private parties as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to respond to claims and legal process, including subpoenas; to protect our property and rights or the property and rights of a third party; to protect the safety of the public or any person; or to prevent or stop activity we consider to be illegal or unethical.

We will also share your information to the extent necessary to comply with ICANN’s rules, regulations, and policies.

To the extent we are legally permitted to do so, we will take reasonable steps to notify you in the event that we are required to provide your personal information to third parties as part of legal process.

CHANGES IN OUR PRACTICES

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time. If we decide to change our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes to this Privacy Policy and any other places we deem appropriate, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we disclose it.

If we make material changes to this Policy, we will notify you here, by email, or by means of a notice on our home page, at least thirty (30) days prior to implementation of the changes.

CORRECTING, UPDATING, AND REMOVING PERSONAL INFORMATION

You may alter, update, or deactivate your account information, or opt out of receiving communications from us, at any time.

You may send an email to drgarybrown@gmail.com or you may send mail to:

Gary F. Brown, Ph.D., LMFT
921 Westwood Blvd.
Suite 226
Los Angeles, CA 90024

We will respond to your request for access, modification, or deactivation of your information within thirty (30) days.

MEDICAL PRIVACY NOTICE

This section describes how medical information about you may be used and disclosed by us and how you can get access to this information. Please review it carefully.

Who Will Follow This Notice?

This notice applies to Gary F. Brown, Ph.D., LMFT, and any authorized workforce members or business associates who may assist in providing services, administrative support, or legally required operations.

Your Medical Information

This section refers to your “medical information.” This means information that identifies you and relates to your past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition, including information about payment and billing for the health care services you receive.

Our Pledge Regarding Medical Information

We understand that your medical information is personal, and we are committed to its protection. We create a record of the care and services you receive to ensure that we are providing quality care and to comply with legal requirements. This notice applies to medical information maintained by us, whether created by our staff or others.

We are required by law to give you this notice of our legal duties and privacy practices with respect to your medical information, to follow the terms of this Privacy Notice, and to notify you following a breach of the privacy or security of your unsecured medical information.

How We May Use and Disclose Medical Information About You

For each category of use and disclosure, we will try to give some examples, although not every use or disclosure in each category will be listed.

For Treatment

We may use your medical information so that we and other health care providers may provide you with medical treatment or services. Different health professionals may also share your medical information in order to coordinate the different services you need. We may disclose your medical information to people outside our office who may be involved in your care.

For Payment

We may disclose your medical information so that treatment and services you receive may be billed by us to a third party. For example, your health plan may need to know about treatment you received so they will pay for the services provided. We may also disclose your medical insurance information to obtain prior approval from your health plan.

For Health Care Operations Purposes

We may use and disclose your medical information for internal operations, such as business management, administrative activities, legal and auditing functions, and insurance-related activities.

We may use medical information to make sure that all patients receive quality care, such as reviewing our processes or evaluating performance. We may also disclose information to appropriate professionals or personnel for review and learning purposes.

We may remove information that identifies you from this set of information so others may use it to study health care and health care delivery without learning a specific patient’s identity. Under certain circumstances, we may disclose your medical information for the health care operations of other health care providers.

Health Information Exchange

We may participate in a Regional Health Information Organization (“RHIO”) or similar health information exchange, which arranges for the electronic exchange of health information among health care providers in the state where we are located. We may exchange your health information electronically through such an organization for the purposes described in this Notice. You have the right to request that your information not be included in this exchange.

Individuals Involved in Your Care or Payment of Your Care

We may release your medical information to a friend or family member who is involved in your medical care, or to someone who helped pay for your care.

Notification

We may release your medical information to notify a family member, personal representative, or another person responsible for your care of your location, general condition, or death. We may also release your medical information for certain disaster relief purposes.

Contacts

We may contact you to provide appointment reminders, information about treatment alternatives, or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you.

Worker’s Compensation

We may release medical information about you for worker’s compensation or similar programs, which provide benefits for work-related injuries or illnesses.

Mental Health Information

State laws create specific requirements for the release of mental health records. We will obtain your specific authorization to release mental health information when required by these laws.

Drug and Alcohol Treatment Records

Specific rules apply to the release of certain drug and alcohol program records, and we will obtain your specific authorization to release those records as required by Federal regulation 42 CFR, Part 2.

Miscellaneous

We may use or disclose your medical information without your prior authorization for several other reasons. Subject to certain requirements, we may disclose your medical information without prior authorization for public health purposes, abuse or neglect reporting, health oversight audits or inspections, research studies, funeral arrangements, coroner investigations, organ donation, and emergencies.

We may also disclose medical information when required by law; in response to a request from law enforcement in specific circumstances; for specialized government functions including correctional, military, or national security purposes; in response to valid judicial or administrative orders; or to avoid a serious health threat. Additional specific rules may apply to mental health records.

Other Disclosures

Other uses and disclosures not described above will be made only with your written authorization.

For example, we require your signed authorization for uses and disclosures that constitute the sale of your medical information and for most uses and disclosures of psychotherapy notes. Additionally, we will not use or disclose your medical information for marketing purposes unless we have a signed authorization from you, except that an authorization will not be required if:

(a) the communication occurs face-to-face; or
(b) the communication consists of marketing gifts of nominal value.

You may revoke your authorization at any time unless we have relied on your authorization or your authorization was required as a condition of obtaining health care services.

YOUR RIGHTS REGARDING MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

Right to Inspect and Copy

In most cases, you have the right to inspect or receive a copy of your medical information, or have a copy provided to an individual whom you designate, when you submit a written request.

If your medical record is maintained electronically in a designated record set, you have the right to request a copy of the information in an electronic form and format. We may deny your request in certain circumstances. If you are denied access to your medical information, you may appeal.

Right to Amend

If you believe the information in your record is incorrect or incomplete, you have the right to request that an addendum be added to your record by submitting a written request and giving your reason. We may deny your request under certain circumstances. If we deny it, we may advise you in writing of the reason and explain your rights to submit a statement of explanation.

Right to an Accounting of Disclosure

You have the right to request a list of instances where we have disclosed your medical information, other than for treatment, payment, health care operations, or where a disclosure was specifically authorized. Additional exceptions may apply, including certain disclosures to persons involved in your care and other limited situations.

To request an accounting of disclosures, you must submit a written request.

Right to a Paper Copy of this Notice

If this notice was sent to you electronically, you have a right to a paper copy of this notice.

You may request that we send other communications of protected health information by alternative means or to an alternative location. This request must be made in writing. We are required to accommodate only reasonable requests.

Please specify exactly how you want us to communicate with you and, if you are directing us to send information to a particular place, include the contact or address information.

Right to Request Restrictions

You may request in writing that we not use or disclose your medical information except when specifically authorized by you, when required by law, or in an emergency. Except in the case of certain requests related to disclosures to health plans, we are not required by law to agree to your request, but we will consider the request and inform you of our decision.

Right to Request Restrictions on Disclosures to Health Plans

You may request in writing that we restrict disclosures of your medical information to a health plan for purposes of carrying out payment or health care operations if the disclosure is not required by law and the medical information pertains solely to a health care item or service for which you, or a person other than the health plan acting on your behalf, have paid out of pocket and in full at the time of service. We must agree to a request that meets these requirements.

CHANGES TO THIS NOTICE

We reserve the right to change this section at any time. Changes will apply to medical information we already hold, as well as new information after the change occurs. We will post a copy of our current notice within our facilities and on our website:

https://www.garybrowntherapy.com/

SPECIAL NOTE ON THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

As part of my privacy practices, please be assured that I have not, do not, and will not use artificial intelligence to record private psychotherapy sessions or to create summaries of psychotherapy notes.

While some providers may appreciate the convenience of using AI tools in this way, I believe doing so in psychotherapy creates unnecessary and potentially serious privacy risks. In short, I do not believe AI recording or transcription tools are appropriate for psychotherapy sessions.

This is consistent with my general privacy practices and my longstanding rule that sessions are not to be recorded in any manner. Audio and/or visual recordings of sessions are not permitted in order to help protect your privacy and the confidentiality of the therapeutic relationship.

COMPLAINTS AND REQUESTS

If you have questions about this notice or want to talk about a problem without filing a formal complaint, please contact:

Gary F. Brown, Ph.D., LMFT
Phone: (310) 208-3105

If you believe your privacy has been violated, you may file a complaint with our organization or with the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Information about how to file a complaint with the Department of Health and Human Services may be found at:

http://www.hhs.gov/ocr/privacy/hipaa/complaints/index.html

You will not be penalized for filing a complaint.

CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the practices of this site, or your dealings with this site or services, please contact:

Gary F. Brown, Ph.D., LMFT
921 Westwood Blvd.
Suite 226
Los Angeles, CA 90024
Phone: (310) 208-3105
Email: drgarybrown@gmail.com