Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 19, 2026

Gavin Ostertag respects your privacy and seeks to handle personal information with care, transparency, and appropriate restraint. This Privacy Policy explains what information may be collected through this website, how that information is used, and the choices available to you.

This policy applies to information collected through this website, its contact forms, and its embedded appointment-scheduling system.

This policy addresses website, scheduling, and administrative information. The confidentiality of spiritual direction sessions is addressed separately in the spiritual direction agreement.

1. Information Collected

Information may be collected when you browse the website, submit a form, schedule an appointment, make a payment, or communicate directly.

Information you provide

Depending on how you use the website, you may provide:

• Your name

• Email address

• Telephone number

• Appointment date and time

• Responses to intake-form questions

• Information about your spiritual background or reasons for seeking spiritual direction

• Accessibility or accommodation requests

• Messages submitted through contact forms or email

• Billing and transaction information

• Any other information you voluntarily choose to provide

Because spiritual direction intake responses may include personal information about religious beliefs, relationships, emotional experiences, or other sensitive matters, please provide only information that is reasonably necessary for arranging and supporting spiritual direction.

Information collected automatically

The website and its service providers may automatically collect limited technical information, including:

• Internet Protocol address

• Browser and device type

• Pages visited

• Date and time of visits

• Referring website

• General geographic information

• Cookie and analytics information

This information is generally used to operate, secure, and understand the use of the website.

2. How Information Is Used

Personal information may be used to:

• Respond to questions or inquiries

• Schedule and manage appointments

• Determine whether spiritual direction may be an appropriate fit

• Prepare for an introductory conversation or spiritual direction session

• Send appointment confirmations, reminders, and follow-up messages

• Process payments

• Maintain administrative and financial records

• Provide requested accommodations

• Improve the website and scheduling experience

• Protect the security and integrity of the website

• Comply with applicable legal obligations

• Address disputes or enforce practice policies

Information submitted for spiritual direction will not be used for unrelated advertising.

3. Scheduling and Intake Forms

Appointments are scheduled through Acuity Scheduling, a Squarespace service. When you schedule an appointment, Acuity may collect information such as your name, contact information, appointment selection, intake-form responses, and payment-related information.

Information submitted through the scheduler is used to arrange and provide the requested service.

Please do not use the scheduler, intake form, or contact form to communicate an emergency or request crisis intervention. Spiritual direction is not an emergency, medical, or mental-health service.

4. Payments

Payments may be processed by the third-party payment provider displayed during booking, such as Stripe, Square, or PayPal.

Payment providers process financial information according to their own privacy and security practices. Gavin Ostertag does not directly receive or store your complete payment-card number.

Transaction details, such as the amount paid, date of payment, and service purchased, may be retained for administrative, tax, accounting, and dispute-resolution purposes.

5. Website Hosting and Service Providers

This website is hosted by Squarespace. Squarespace and other service providers may process personal information as necessary to provide website hosting, security, analytics, scheduling, payment processing, email delivery, and related technical services.

Information may be shared with service providers only when reasonably necessary for them to perform these functions.

Service providers may include:

• Squarespace

• Acuity Scheduling

• The payment processor selected at booking

• Email and communication providers

• Video-conferencing providers used for online sessions

• Analytics and website-security providers

These providers operate under their own privacy policies and terms.

6. Email Communications

When you schedule an appointment or submit an inquiry, you may receive emails relating to that request, including confirmations, reminders, scheduling changes, and follow-up information.

If you separately subscribe to a newsletter or other nonessential email communication, you may unsubscribe at any time by using the link included in the email or by contacting Gavin Ostertag.

Appointment-related and administrative messages may still be sent when necessary to provide a service you requested.

7. Cookies and Analytics

This website may use cookies and similar technologies to:

• Operate essential website functions

• Remember preferences

• Maintain website security

• Understand website traffic and performance

• Support appointment scheduling

Some cookies are necessary for the website and embedded scheduler to function. Other analytics cookies may depend on the website’s configuration and your consent settings.

You can control cookies through your browser settings and, where available, through the website’s cookie-preference banner. Disabling certain cookies may affect website or scheduling functionality.

8. How Information Is Shared

Personal information is not sold or rented.

Information may be shared:

• With service providers that support the website and practice

• When you ask or authorize it to be shared

• When reasonably necessary to process an appointment or payment

• When required by law, legal process, or a valid governmental request

• When reasonably necessary to protect a person from a serious and immediate threat of harm

• When reasonably necessary to investigate fraud, misuse, or a security incident

• In connection with a transfer or restructuring of the practice, subject to appropriate privacy protections

Information will not be shared with churches, employers, family members, ministry organizations, or other third parties merely because they know or referred you, unless you authorize the disclosure or disclosure is otherwise legally required.

9. Confidentiality and Spiritual Direction

Spiritual direction is intended to provide a confidential setting for spiritual reflection and companionship. However, spiritual direction is not psychotherapy, legal representation, or sacramental confession, and communications may not be legally privileged.

The expectations and limits of confidentiality for sessions are explained in the spiritual direction agreement.

This Privacy Policy should not be interpreted as promising absolute confidentiality in circumstances involving legal requirements, suspected abuse, or an immediate risk of serious harm.

10. Data Retention

Personal information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary to:

• Provide spiritual direction and related administrative services

• Maintain appropriate scheduling and financial records

• Fulfill legal, tax, accounting, and contractual obligations

• Resolve disputes

• Protect the security and integrity of the practice

Information that is no longer reasonably necessary will be deleted, anonymized, or securely disposed of when practical.

You may request deletion of information, although some records may need to be retained for legal, financial, security, or administrative purposes.

11. Data Security

Reasonable administrative and technical measures are used to protect personal information from unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, loss, or misuse.

These measures may include password protection, restricted access, secure third-party platforms, updated software, and multifactor authentication where available.

No website, email system, scheduling platform, or electronic-storage method can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should avoid sending highly sensitive information through ordinary email or general website contact forms.

12. Your Choices and Privacy Requests

You may contact Gavin Ostertag to request:

• Access to personal information maintained about you

• Correction of inaccurate information

• Deletion of information

• Withdrawal of consent for optional communications

• A copy of information you previously provided

• Information about how your personal information has been used or shared

Requests will be addressed within a reasonable period, subject to identity verification and any lawful need to retain particular records.

To make a privacy request, email:

gavinostertag@gmail.com

13. Sensitive Information

You may voluntarily provide information concerning your spiritual life, religious beliefs, relationships, emotional experiences, or other personal matters when completing an intake form.

This information will be used only to evaluate, arrange, and support the spiritual direction relationship and for related administrative purposes.

By submitting such information, you consent to its processing for these purposes. You may decline to answer an intake question or discuss the matter during a conversation instead.

14. Children’s Privacy

This website and the spiritual direction services described here are intended for adults and are not directed toward children under eighteen.

Personal information is not knowingly collected from children through this website. If you believe a child has submitted personal information, please contact Gavin Ostertag so that the information can be reviewed and, where appropriate, deleted.

15. Third-Party Websites

This website may contain links to third-party websites, social-media platforms, newsletters, books, articles, or other external resources.

Gavin Ostertag is not responsible for the privacy, security, content, or data practices of third-party websites. You should review the privacy policy of any external service you choose to use.

16. Visitors Outside the United States

This website and practice are operated from the United States. If you access the website from another country, your information may be processed or stored in the United States or in other locations used by the relevant service providers.

Privacy rights differ by jurisdiction. You may contact Gavin Ostertag with questions about the handling of your information.

17. Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated when website features, service providers, legal requirements, or practice procedures change.

The effective date at the top of the policy will be revised when material changes are made. Continued use of the website after an update indicates acknowledgment of the revised policy.

18. Contact

Questions or requests concerning this Privacy Policy may be directed to:

Gavin Ostertag
Email: gavinostertag@gmail.com
Website: gavinostertag.com