Last updated: August 3, 2026
This website is operated by Transformative Growth Counseling (“TGC,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit mental and behavioral health organization based in Illinois and serving multiple U.S. states.
Our website address is: https://transformativegrowth.org
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and protect information when you use our website and related online forms.
Important: This Privacy Policy covers information collected through our public website and online forms. Clinical services, including appointment scheduling, intake, and documentation through our patient portal, are governed by additional privacy and security practices and separate agreements.
We only collect information that is reasonably necessary to operate our website, respond to inquiries, process donations, and support our mission.
Contact / “Get matched with the right therapist” form
On our Contact / Therapist Matching page, you can submit a form to request a free 15-minute call and get matched with a therapist. We may collect:
First and last name
What brings you in to seek counseling (free text)
Preferred TGC therapist (if any)
Best way to reach you (phone or email)
Payment option (insurance or out-of-pocket)
Phone number
Email address
We use this information to:
Respond to your inquiry
Help match you with an appropriate therapist
Contact you to schedule your consultation or follow-up
Understand demand for services and improve access
Donations & pony party or pony event reservations
On our Donation page and related forms (such as our pony party and pony event reservation forms), we may collect:
Name and contact details
Donation amount and frequency
Reservation details (for example, preferred date, time, and location for a pony party or pony event)
Any additional details you provide in notes or forms
We use this information to:
Process and acknowledge donations
Issue receipts for your records (including potential tax purposes)
Schedule and coordinate pony party and pony event reservations
Communicate with you about your donation, reservation, and any related updates
Volunteer interest
On our Volunteer page, you can submit a form to express interest in volunteering with TGC. This form may collect your name, contact details, area of interest, and any additional information you choose to share. We use this information to follow up with you and coordinate volunteer activities and outreach.
Newsletter sign-up
From various pages and the footer, you can sign up for our newsletter, which is managed through a third-party email marketing platform (ActiveCampaign). When you do so, we may collect:
Email address
Name and any other optional fields in the sign-up form
This information is used to send you updates on:
Programs and services
Events, volunteer opportunities, and fundraising campaigns
Your data is also processed by ActiveCampaign in accordance with their own privacy policy.
Job & internship applications
On our Join Our Team page, we describe how to apply for internships and licensed clinician roles. Applications are currently submitted by email (for example, to an address such as apply@transformativegrowth.org). These materials may include:
Contact information
Cover letter
Resume or CV
Unofficial transcript
Optional writing sample
Details about license type, degree program, and internship dates
We use this information to:
Review and evaluate applicants
Communicate with you about roles, interviews, and placement
Fulfill internship and employment requirements
Patient portal
Our website may link to a patient portal (such as JaneApp) for appointment scheduling, intake, and clinical information.
When you click through to the portal, you are leaving our main website and entering a third-party system that may collect Protected Health Information (PHI) and other sensitive data. PHI entered into the portal is not stored in WordPress and is governed by the portal provider’s privacy and security practices, as well as applicable healthcare privacy laws.
For questions about how PHI is handled in the portal, please review the portal’s own privacy documentation or contact us directly.
Please do not submit detailed medical history, emergency information, or highly sensitive PHI through general website forms. For emergencies, call 911 or your local emergency number.
Other forms & direct contact
If you contact us by email, phone, or other forms on the website (for example, a general Contact Us form), we may receive whatever information you choose to share, such as your name, contact information, and message details.
We use this information to respond to your inquiry and provide support.
If comments are enabled on certain posts or pages and you leave a comment, we may collect:
The data shown in the comment form
Your IP address
Browser user agent string (to help spam detection)
An anonymized string (hash) created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available at: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture (if any) is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
If you upload images to the website (for example, via a form that allows file uploads), you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the site.
We use cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for the website to function and to improve the user experience.
Examples include:
Comment cookies
If you leave a comment, you may opt-in to saving your name, email address, and website in cookies. This is for your convenience so you do not have to re-enter these details when you leave another comment. These cookies typically last for about one year.
Login and screen preference cookies (for site administrators / editors)
If you visit the login page, we may set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we set cookies to save your login information and screen display choices. Login cookies usually last for up to two days, screen options cookies for about a year. If you select “Remember Me,” your login may persist for up to two weeks. When you log out, login cookies are removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie may be saved in your browser, with the post ID of the article you just edited. It typically expires after one day.
Third-party cookies
Embedded content and third-party services (such as videos, maps, social media, newsletter platforms, donation/payment providers, and our patient portal) may set their own cookies when you interact with them. These cookies are governed by the third party’s own privacy policy.
You can adjust cookie settings in your browser, but some features of the site may not function properly if certain cookies are disabled.
Articles and pages on this site may include embedded content (for example, videos, images, articles, maps, or forms). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if you visited the other website directly.
These third-party sites may:
Collect data about you
Use cookies
Embed additional third-party tracking
Monitor your interaction with the embedded content, including tracking your interaction if you have an account and are logged in to that other website
Examples include (but are not limited to): video platforms, Google Maps, social media posts, newsletter forms, our patient portal, and donation/payment providers.
Our web hosting environment may automatically collect log and usage data when you visit the website, such as:
IP address
Browser type and version
Device type
Referring pages
Date and time of requests
Pages visited and basic usage patterns
We use this information to:
Operate, maintain, and secure our website
Diagnose technical problems
Monitor for suspicious or abusive activity
Understand overall, aggregated usage and improve content and navigation
We may also use analytics and advertising tools, such as Google Analytics and Google Ads, to help us understand how visitors use our website and to measure the effectiveness of our advertising. These tools may use cookies and similar technologies to collect information such as pages visited and actions taken on our website. We do not sell this information. You can learn more about how Google uses this data at policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites, and you can adjust your ad personalization settings at adssettings.google.com.
We do not sell your personal data. We may share limited information with:
Service providers
Companies that host our website, provide email and newsletter services, run our patient portal, process payments and donations, or help us manage forms and security. These providers are only given the information necessary to perform their services.
Payment providers
Donations and pony party or pony event payments submitted through our website are processed by secure third-party payment services (such as PayPal). Your full payment card information is typically submitted directly to the payment provider and not stored on our website servers. We may retain transaction details (for example, amounts, dates, donor contact info) for our records and donor acknowledgments.
Spam and security tools
Visitor comments or form submissions may be checked through automated spam detection and security services.
Legal and safety
We may disclose information if required by law, regulation, court order, or to protect our rights, safety, or the rights and safety of others.
Comments: If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This helps us recognize and approve follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
Form submissions (contact, therapy matching, pony party or event reservations, volunteer, etc.): We retain these records for as long as reasonably necessary to respond to your request, manage our programs and services, and maintain accurate business and donor records (including legal and accounting obligations).
Job and internship applications: We retain application materials for as long as necessary for recruitment, evaluation, and compliance with applicable laws and accreditation or school requirements.
Registered users (if any): For users that register on our website, we store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
Technical logs: Server logs and security logs may be retained for a limited period, unless needed longer for security, fraud prevention, or legal reasons.
If you have an account on this site, have left comments, or have submitted forms, you can request:
An exported file of the personal data we hold about you (to the extent we can reasonably identify and retrieve it)
That we correct inaccurate information
That we delete personal data we hold about you, subject to exceptions (for example, data we must keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes, or records we are required to retain for nonprofit reporting, tax, or healthcare compliance)
To make a request, please contact us using the details in the “Contact Us” section below. We may need to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.
If you reside in a jurisdiction that grants specific privacy rights, you may have additional rights. We will honor applicable legal requirements when processing such requests.
Note: Requests related to clinical records or PHI (for example, notes, diagnoses, treatment records) should be directed through our clinical systems and processes, not via general website forms. Please contact us or your clinician for guidance on how to request access to or amend clinical records.
Depending on how you interact with the website, your data may be sent to or processed by:
Automated spam detection services (for comments and some form submissions)
Email and newsletter platforms for communications and updates
Payment processors (such as PayPal or similar providers) for donations and pony party or pony event contributions
Analytics and advertising platforms (such as Google Analytics and Google Ads) to help us measure website performance and advertising effectiveness
Our patient portal provider when you click through to manage appointments or complete clinical forms
Website hosting and infrastructure providers that store and process data in order to serve the website
These providers may store or process data in the United States or other countries, subject to their own privacy and security practices.
We take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect your information, including:
Using reputable hosting and service providers
Limiting access to administrative areas to authorized personnel
Using secure connections (HTTPS) on our website where possible
Employing technical and organizational safeguards designed to reduce risks of loss, misuse, unauthorized access, and disclosure
However, no website or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You use the website and submit information at your own risk.
If we become aware of a data incident affecting information collected through this website, we will:
Investigate the incident
Work with our service providers as needed to contain and address the issue
Assess the potential impact on individuals
Notify affected users and/or relevant authorities when required by applicable law
Our website includes links to third-party websites and services, including (but not limited to):
Patient portal
Press and media outlets
Social media (such as Facebook, Instagram)
Mapping services (such as Google Maps)
Newsletter sign-up pages
Donation/payment providers
These sites and services are not controlled by us and have their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review their policies before submitting any information.
Our website is intended for general audiences and is not directed primarily to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under 13 through this website without appropriate parental consent. If you believe a child has provided us information without consent, please contact us so we can review and address the situation.
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. The updated policy will be effective as of the date it is posted.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your information, or if you wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us at:
Transformative Growth Counseling
24W500 Maple Ave, Suite 216A
Naperville, IL 60540
Phone: (630) 423-6010
Email: contact@transformativegrowth.org
