Privacy Policy
Anchor - Mental Health & Wellness App
Your Journey to Healing, PLLC
Effective Date: January 2, 2026
Introduction
Welcome to Anchor ("App," "we," "us," or "our"). This Privacy Policy explains how Your Journey to Healing, PLLC collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards your information when you use our mobile application and related services.
We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care. Please read this policy carefully to understand our practices regarding your data.
HIPAA Commitment: For therapy clients, we maintain HIPAA-conscious practices to protect your protected health information (PHI) in accordance with applicable healthcare privacy regulations.
Information We Collect
Information You Provide
- Account Information: Name, email address, phone number, and password when you create an account
- Profile Information: User preferences, profile settings, and account type (therapy client or wellness user)
- Health & Wellness Data: Mood logs, journal entries, wellness check-ins, and self-reported health information
- Communications: Messages exchanged with your therapist (therapy clients only), support inquiries
- Payment Information: Billing details processed securely through Stripe (we do not store full payment card numbers)
Information Collected Automatically
- Device Information: Device type, operating system, unique device identifiers
- Usage Data: App features accessed, session duration, interaction patterns
- Log Data: IP address, access times, error logs for troubleshooting
How We Use Your Information
- Provide Services: Deliver the App's features including mood tracking, messaging, and wellness resources
- Personalization: Customize your experience with AI-powered mood insights and personalized content
- Communication: Send service updates and respond to your inquiries
- Therapy Support: Facilitate secure communication between therapy clients and their assigned therapists
- Improvement: Analyze usage patterns to enhance App functionality and user experience
- Safety: Detect and prevent fraud, abuse, or security incidents
- Legal Compliance: Meet legal obligations and respond to lawful requests
AI-Powered Features
Anchor uses artificial intelligence to provide mood insights and sentiment analysis of journal entries. This feature:
- Analyzes your journal text to identify emotional patterns and trends
- Provides a wellness score and emotion distribution visualization
- Is powered by OpenAI's language models
- Does NOT provide medical diagnosis or treatment recommendations
- Does NOT replace professional mental health care
Important: AI insights are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider for mental health concerns.
Data Sharing & Disclosure
We do not sell your personal information. We may share your data only in the following circumstances:
Service Providers
- Stripe: Payment processing for subscriptions
- OpenAI: AI-powered mood analysis (journal text is processed but not stored by OpenAI for training)
- Cloud Infrastructure: Secure data storage and hosting services
Therapist Access (Therapy Clients Only)
Your assigned therapist at Your Journey to Healing, PLLC may access:
- Messages you send through the secure messaging feature
- Progress and wellness data you choose to share
Legal Requirements
We may disclose information when required by law, court order, or to protect the safety of individuals.
Data Security
We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your information:
- Encryption of data in transit (TLS/SSL) and at rest
- Secure authentication and access controls
- Regular security assessments and updates
- Limited employee access on a need-to-know basis
- Secure cloud infrastructure with SOC 2 compliance
While we strive to protect your data, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security.
Data Retention
- Active Accounts: We retain your data while your account is active
- Therapy Records: Clinical records may be retained as required by healthcare regulations (typically 7 years after last service)
- Account Deletion: Upon request, we will delete your personal data within 30 days, except where retention is required by law
- Anonymized Data: We may retain anonymized, aggregated data for analytics purposes
Your Rights & Choices
You have the right to:
- Access: Request a copy of your personal data
- Correction: Update or correct inaccurate information
- Deletion: Request deletion of your account and data
- Portability: Receive your data in a portable format
- Opt-Out: Disable push notifications and promotional communications
- Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time
To exercise these rights, contact us using the information provided below.
Children's Privacy
Anchor is not intended for children under 18 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18. If you believe we have collected information from a child, please contact us immediately.
Crisis Services Disclaimer
Anchor is NOT a crisis service. If you are experiencing a mental health emergency, suicidal thoughts, or need immediate assistance:
- Call 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline)
- Call 911 for emergencies
- Go to your nearest emergency room
- Text HOME to 741741 (Crisis Text Line)
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by:
- Posting the updated policy in the App
- Updating the "Effective Date" at the top of this policy
- Sending an email notification for significant changes
Your continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.