Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Calm-Ops Hypnosis is a hypnotherapy practice operated by Andrew Azevedo, a Certified Hypnotherapist and Professional Member of the American Hypnosis Association (Member #008081). Our office is located at 405 The Hill, Portsmouth, NH 03801. You can reach us by phone at (207) 606-8745 or by email at [email protected].

For purposes of this privacy policy, "we," "us," and "our" refer to Calm-Ops Hypnosis. "You" refers to the visitor to our website or the client receiving our services.

2. What information we collect

2.1 Information you provide directly

When you contact us or book services, we may collect:

• Your full name
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• Your city and state
• Information you choose to share about what you're seeking hypnotherapy for
• Information relevant to your suitability for hypnotherapy (medical history, current medications, mental health treatment history) when you complete intake forms before sessions
• For gift session purchases: your name and contact information, the recipient's name, and optionally the recipient's email address and a personal message
• For testimonial submissions: your name, location, written testimonial, optional photo, and consent acknowledgement

2.2 Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, our hosting platform (Hypno Biz in a Box) may automatically collect:

• Your IP address and approximate geographic location
• Browser type, device type, and operating system
• Pages you visit on our website and time spent on each
• The referring website that brought you to ours

This information is used for website analytics and improvement, not for personal identification.

2.3 Payment information

Payment for services is processed through Stripe, an independent third-party payment processor. When you make a payment, Stripe collects your credit or debit card information directly through its own secure system. We do not see, store, or have access to your card details at any point.

3. How we use your information

We use the information you provide to:

• Schedule and provide hypnotherapy sessions
• Determine whether hypnotherapy is appropriate for what you're seeking help with
• Communicate with you about your appointments and care
• Process payments and provide receipts
• Deliver gift sessions to recipients when applicable
• Display approved testimonials on our website, only with your explicit written consent
• Comply with applicable laws and regulations
• Improve our website and services

4. Confidentiality of session information

Hypnotherapy sessions are confidential. Information you share with us during the course of our work together is kept confidential and is not shared with third parties without your explicit written consent. This includes session notes, what you discuss in sessions, and any insights or work that arises from sessions.

There are limited exceptions required by law:

• If you disclose imminent intent to harm yourself or another person, we are required to take appropriate action, which may include contacting emergency services or other appropriate parties
• If we are compelled by a valid court order to disclose information
• If you are a minor and we have reasonable suspicion of abuse, we are mandated reporters under applicable state law

Andrew Azevedo is a Certified Hypnotherapist and not a licensed mental health provider. Communications with us are not protected under therapist-patient privilege in the same way as communications with a licensed clinician.

5. Session recordings and AI-assisted notes

With your explicit written consent, we may record sessions and we use an AI-assisted intake conversation to capture and organize information about your care. Recording is never done without your knowledge and you may decline recording at any time without affecting the care you receive.

5.1 Session audio recordings

Some clients benefit from being able to listen to a session afterward — to reinforce the work, revisit a relaxation induction, or simply replay something useful. If you consent to your session being recorded for this purpose, the recording is made using standard local recording software on equipment we control and captures only the practitioner's voice and your session. It is not routed through any third-party AI recording service.

Where a recording is made available to you, it is stored within the Calm-Ops Portal, our own secure client system, and provided for private, stream-only playback through your own account. Recordings are not offered as downloadable files and are served only through short-lived, access-controlled links tied to your account.

5.2 AI-assisted intake

Your intake is conducted as a guided conversation within the Calm-Ops Portal, our own secure client system. The intake conversation is AI-assisted: an automated conversational system asks questions and records your responses so that Andrew Azevedo can review them, build your intake history, track progress between sessions, and personalize your care. The AI-assisted intake gathers and organizes information only; it does not diagnose or provide treatment, and all clinical judgment and care are provided by Andrew Azevedo.

Your intake responses and clinical records are stored within the Calm-Ops Portal and are not shared with any third-party AI note-taking or recording service. If you prefer not to complete the AI-assisted intake, alternative arrangements can be made; please contact us. You may withdraw consent at any time and request that information associated with your sessions be deleted.

5.3 Zoom recordings (virtual sessions)

For virtual sessions held via Zoom, recordings will only be made with your explicit consent at the start of the session. Zoom's own notification will indicate when a recording is active. Zoom recordings, if made, are downloaded to secure storage and are not retained on Zoom's cloud beyond the session unless you specifically request a copy.

5.4 Your control over recordings

At any time you may: decline to be recorded, request a copy of any recording made of you, request that a recording be deleted, or withdraw consent for future recordings. Withdrawing consent does not affect recordings made before your withdrawal, but we will delete those upon request unless we are required to retain them by law.

5.5 Use of de-identified data for outcomes analysis

We keep our own internal record of client outcomes in order to understand whether our services help the people we serve, including military and veteran populations. This is our own practice data. It is not currently conducted as a formal research study, is not approved or overseen by any Institutional Review Board (IRB), and is not part of any government, Department of Defense, or Navy Medicine research program.

In the future, we may use this de-identified outcomes data to support a research proposal that we present to Navy Medicine (the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, "BUMED") or a similar body for their consideration. The purpose of any such proposal would be to help make the case for hypnotherapy to eventually be recognized and offered as a care option for active-duty service members. Any decision to pursue a formal study, and any related approval requirements, would rest with that body and would occur separately from the data collection described here.

Any data used for this purpose is de-identified before it leaves the Calm-Ops Portal: it does not include your name, contact information, or other details that directly identify you, and consists only of information such as general demographics, issue category, baseline and outcome ratings, and number of sessions. Your name and identifying information remain within the Calm-Ops Portal and are never included in any de-identified outcomes export.

Your participation is entirely voluntary. You may decline to have your de-identified data included, and you may withdraw at any time, without affecting your access to services or the care you receive. Your consent or declination is recorded during intake before any clinical intake questions are asked.

6. Active duty service members and TRICARE

Hypnotherapy sessions are paid for out-of-pocket and are not routed through TRICARE, the Veterans Health Administration, or any military medical system. Session records are not shared with your command, your medical provider, or any military or government entity unless you specifically request and authorize that we do so in writing.

7. How we share your information

We do not sell your personal information. We share your information only with:

• Service providers we use to operate the practice, including our CRM/website host (Hypno Biz in a Box) and our payment processor (Stripe). These providers have their own privacy policies and security measures.
• The Calm-Ops Portal, our own secure client system, where your intake responses, clinical records, and session recordings are stored. The Calm-Ops Portal is controlled by us and operated using third-party cloud hosting and database infrastructure on our behalf; your intake and clinical data are not shared with any third-party AI note-taking or recording service.
• Navy Medicine (BUMED) and similar bodies, potentially and in de-identified form only, if we later use our outcomes data to support a research proposal as described in Section 5.5, and only where you have not declined participation. This is not a current or approved research study, and no information that directly identifies you is included in any such de-identified data.
• Healthcare providers, only with your written consent, when coordination of care is beneficial to you.
• Legal authorities, when required by law as described in Section 4.

8. Cookies and tracking

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to remember your preferences and analyze website traffic. You can disable cookies in your browser settings, though some features of the website may not work properly without them.

9. Data security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure. This includes:

• Storing electronic records in password-protected systems
• Limiting access to your information to only those who need it to provide our services
• Using payment processing through Stripe, which is PCI-DSS compliant
• Securely disposing of records when they are no longer needed

No system is 100% secure, however. If you have reason to believe your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately.

10. Data retention

We retain client records for as long as required by applicable state law and professional standards, typically a minimum of seven years from the date of last service. After that period, records may be securely destroyed.

11. Your rights

Depending on your state of residence, you may have rights including:

• The right to access the personal information we have about you
• The right to request correction of inaccurate information
• The right to request deletion of your information, subject to legal retention requirements
• The right to opt out of marketing communications
• The right to have your published testimonial removed from our website at any time

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected].

12. Children's privacy

Our services are not directed to children under 18 without parental consent. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can take appropriate action.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify clients directly. Continued use of our services after a change indicates acceptance of the updated policy.

14. Contact us

If you have questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your information, please contact:

Andrew Azevedo
Calm-Ops Hypnosis
405 The Hill
Portsmouth, NH 03801
[email protected]
(207) 606-8745