Terms of Service

Effective Date: June 24, 2026, Updated August 26, 2026

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") govern access to and use of trellisloudoun.com and any associated pages, forms, and features (collectively, the "Website"), which is owned and operated by Trellis Therapy of Loudoun, PLLC (the "Practice," "we," "us," or "our").

By accessing or using the Website, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Website.

1. About This Site

The Practice is a professional limited liability company organized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia and operating a solo outpatient psychotherapy practice in Ashburn, Virginia. Clinical services are provided by Michelle Brueser, LCSW, LICSW, LCSW-C, LCAS.

The Website exists to describe the Practice, to provide general educational information about the therapeutic modalities we use, and to allow prospective clients to make initial contact. The Website does not provide psychotherapy, counseling, assessment, diagnosis, or treatment of any kind, and content appearing on the Website does not establish a therapeutic relationship.

2. Not a Crisis Resource

The Website is not monitored and is not a crisis service. Do not use the Website, the contact form, or email to report an emergency.

If you are in immediate danger, or if you are concerned about your safety or someone else's:

•   Call 911 for a medical or safety emergency.

•   Call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, available 24 hours a day.

•   Text HOME to 741741 to reach the Crisis Text Line.

•   Go to your nearest emergency department.

Messages sent through the Website may not be read for some time. We cannot and do not provide emergency response through this Website. The Website is not monitored and is not a crisis service. If you are in crisis, call 911, call or text 988 (the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline), text HOME to 741741 (the Crisis Text Line), or go to the nearest emergency room.

3. Intellectual Property

3.1 Ownership. All content appearing on the Website — including text, written descriptions of clinical modalities, page copy, photographs, graphics, the Trellis Therapy of Loudoun name and logos, and the selection, arrangement, and presentation of that content — is the property of the Practice or its licensors and is protected by United States copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

3.2 Limited license. You may view, download, and print Website content for your own personal, non-commercial reference. Any other use requires our prior written permission, including reproduction, republication, distribution, public display, adaptation, incorporation into another work, or use in connection with any commercial or professional service.

3.3 Restriction on automated collection and machine learning. You may not use any automated system — including a robot, spider, scraper, crawler, or comparable process — to access, extract, copy, index, or monitor the Website or its content, except that publicly available search engines may index the Website for the purpose of directing users to it.

You may not use Website content to train, fine-tune, evaluate, ground, or otherwise develop any artificial intelligence or machine learning model or system, and you may not incorporate Website content into any dataset assembled for that purpose. This restriction is a material term of these Terms and applies independently of any right arising under copyright law.

3.4 Trademarks. "Trellis Therapy of Loudoun," the arch and trellis mark, and the circular seal are marks of the Practice. Nothing in these Terms grants any right to use them.

3.5 Use of website content by third parties. 3.5 Section 3.3 governs the use of Website content by third parties. It does not concern the Practice’s own use of artificial intelligence, which is limited to assisting with clinical documentation, requires the client’s separate written consent, and is described in the AI-Assisted Notetaking, Recording & Transcription Consent.

4. No Medical, Clinical, or Legal Advice

Content on the Website is general educational information. It is not clinical advice, is not tailored to any individual's circumstances, and is not a substitute for evaluation and treatment by a qualified professional who knows your situation.

Do not disregard, delay, or discontinue professional advice because of something you read on the Website. Descriptions of therapeutic modalities are general summaries; whether any modality is appropriate for a particular person can be determined only through an individualized clinical assessment.

Nothing on the Website constitutes legal, financial, or insurance advice.

5. No Therapist-Client Relationship

5.1 How a relationship is formed. A therapist-client relationship with the Practice is established only after all of the following have occurred: (a) an initial consultation; (b) completion of the Practice's intake process; (c) the Practice's determination that it can appropriately serve you and has the capacity to do so; and (d) your execution of the Practice's Informed Consent for Services and related intake documentation.

5.2 What does not create a relationship. None of the following creates a therapist-client relationship, and none should be relied upon as though it did: viewing the Website; submitting the contact form; sending an email or leaving a voicemail; scheduling or attending an initial consultation that does not proceed to intake; or receiving a response from us.

5.3 Communications before a relationship exists. Communications transmitted before a therapist-client relationship is established are not protected by therapist-client privilege and are not confidential in the manner that communications within an established therapeutic relationship are confidential. Do not transmit information you would not want disclosed.

5.4 No obligation to respond or to accept. We are under no obligation to respond to any communication received through the Website or to accept any person as a client.

5.5 Geographic Limitations and Professional Licensure. Psychotherapy is a licensed profession, and a clinician may lawfully provide services only in jurisdictions in which that clinician holds a valid license or an applicable authorization to practice.

Michelle Brueser, LCSW, LICSW, LCSW-C, LCAS is licensed in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Carolina, and Florida. Services may be provided only to a client who is physically located, at the time of the session, in a jurisdiction in which the clinician is licensed. This applies to temporary travel as well as to residence. A client who will be located in any other state at the time of a scheduled session must notify the clinician in advance, as provided in the Telehealth Consent & Multi-State Licensure Disclosure. Virginia enacted the Social Work Licensure Compact in 2024; the Compact is not yet fully operational, and this Section will be updated if and when compact privileges change the states the Practice is authorized to serve.

Your physical location at the time of a session governs, without regard to your permanent residence, your mailing address, or where you were located when services began. You are responsible for accurately reporting your physical location at the start of every telehealth session. We may decline or terminate a session if you are located outside an authorized jurisdiction. This is addressed in full in our Telehealth Consent & Multi-State Licensure Disclosure.

The Website is accessible worldwide. Its accessibility in any jurisdiction is not an offer or solicitation to provide services in that jurisdiction.

5.6 Reservation of the right to decline consultation or request. The Practice reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to decline a consultation or to decline to accept any person as a client, including on the basis of licensure, scope of practice, conflict of interest, capacity, or clinical appropriateness. Where we decline, we will make reasonable efforts to provide appropriate referrals.

6. Privacy

Two separate documents govern privacy at this Practice, and they cover different categories of information.

Our Website Privacy Policy describes what the Website collects — analytics, cookies, and information submitted through the contact form. It applies to every visitor.

Our Notice of Privacy Practices, titled Your Privacy and Your Rights, describes how we protect health information under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 ("HIPAA") and the rights you hold in your record. It applies to clients and prospective clients and is issued pursuant to 45 C.F.R. § 164.520.

Do not transmit protected health information through the Website. The contact form and ordinary email are not secure channels and are not covered by a business associate agreement within the meaning of 45 C.F.R. § 164.502(e). Tell us that you are seeking therapy and how to reach you. Your history will be collected properly, through secure channels, once a professional relationship is established.

Nothing in these Terms limits, modifies, or waives any right you hold under HIPAA or under applicable state privacy law. Such rights are not waivable by agreement, and we do not ask you to waive them.

The Notice of Privacy Practices is published at trellisloudoun.com/notice-of-privacy-practices and is also posted in the office. Text messaging, mobile information, and SMS consent are addressed in Section 6 of the Website Privacy Policy and in the Text Message (SMS) Communication Consent.

7. Telehealth

Clinical services are delivered by telehealth over Zoom, on a HIPAA-compliant account governed by a Business Associate Agreement. Telehealth services are provided only by synchronous video; the Practice does not conduct audio-only sessions. Telehealth is held to the same standard of care as in-person services and requires the client’s separate written consent under the Telehealth Consent & Multi-State Licensure Disclosure. Sessions are not recorded or transcribed unless the client has separately signed the AI-Assisted Notetaking, Recording & Transcription Consent.

8. Fees, Estimates, and Insurance

8.1 Private pay only. The Practice is private-pay. It does not contract with any insurance plan and does not submit claims to insurers on a client’s behalf. Current fees are published at trellisloudoun.com/good-faith-estimate and are set out in full in the Financial Policy & Payment Agreement, which the client signs before services begin.

8.2 Right to a Good Faith Estimate. Under Section 2799B-6 of the Public Health Service Act and 45 C.F.R. § 149.610, a client who is uninsured or who is not using insurance benefits has the right to receive a Good Faith Estimate of expected charges. The Practice provides a Good Faith Estimate to every new client as part of intake, and to any current client on request: within one (1) business day of scheduling a service scheduled at least three (3) business days in advance; within three (3) business days of scheduling a service scheduled at least ten (10) business days in advance; and within three (3) business days of any request. Requesting or receiving a Good Faith Estimate does not obligate a person to obtain services, and no payment is required to receive one.

8.3 No Surprises Act. Where billed charges exceed the Good Faith Estimate by $400 or more, the client may initiate the federal patient-provider dispute resolution process within 120 calendar days of the date on the bill. Further information is available at trellisloudoun.com/good-faith-estimate, at cms.gov/nosurprises, or by telephone at 1-800-985-3059.

8.4 Cancellation and no-show fees. Cancellation and no-show fees are governed by the Financial Policy & Payment Agreement. An appointment cancelled or rescheduled on less than forty-eight (48) hours’ written notice, and any appointment not attended, will be charged at the full session rate. Insurance does not reimburse either fee. Fees are subject to change on at least thirty (30) days’ written notice.

8.5 Refunds. No services are sold through the Website and no payment is taken through it. Payment for services is processed through Ivy Pay, a HIPAA-compliant and PCI-compliant third-party payment processor; the Practice does not receive or retain full payment card numbers. Where a payment is received before services begin, it is refundable in full. A credit balance arising after services begin is applied first to future session fees, and any remaining credit balance of $10.00 or more is refunded to the original payment method within thirty (30) days of a request or of the termination of services.

8.6 Payment and the therapist-client relationship. No payment, estimate, or inquiry creates a therapist-client relationship. See Section 5.

9. Third-Party Links

The Website contains links to external resources, including crisis services, professional organizations, and informational materials. Those resources are operated by independent third parties. We do not control them, do not endorse their content by linking to them, and are not responsible for their accuracy, availability, or privacy practices. Your use of any linked site is governed by that site's terms and policies.

10. User Conduct

You agree not to:

(a) use the Website for any unlawful purpose or in violation of these Terms;

(b) submit false, misleading, or impersonating information;

(c) harass, threaten, defame, or abuse the Practice, its clinician, or any other person through the Website;

(d) attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Website, its servers, or any connected system;

(e) introduce any virus, malware, or other harmful code;

(f) interfere with or disrupt the operation of the Website, including by overloading or flooding it; or

(g) use any automated system in violation of Section 3.3.

11. User Submissions and Contact Forms

11.1 Nature of the channel. Ordinary electronic mail is transmitted without encryption and may be intercepted in transit or read by any person with access to either mailbox. Information submitted through the Website’s contact form travels over an encrypted connection and is transmitted to and stored by Google before the Practice receives it. Neither channel should be used for clinical detail. Submitting the form does not create a therapist-client relationship, does not obligate us to respond, and does not render the information confidential in the manner described in Section 5.3.

11.2 What to send. Limit submissions to your name, preferred method of contact, and a general statement of interest. See Section 6.

11.3 Our discretion. We may decline to respond to any submission, and we may retain or delete submissions as described in our Website Privacy Policy.

11.4 No guarantee of results. Psychotherapy is not an exact science. We make no representation, warranty, or guarantee regarding the outcome of therapy, the improvement of any symptom or condition, or the achievement of any particular result. Outcomes depend on many factors, including factors outside the control of any clinician. Nothing on the Website should be read as promising a result.

11.5 Mobile numbers in contact form. Submitting a mobile telephone number through the contact form does not enroll the sender in text messaging. The Practice sends text messages only to individuals who have given prior express written consent on the Text Message (SMS) Communication Consent form; that consent is optional and is not a condition of receiving services. Message frequency may vary and message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out or HELP for assistance. No mobile information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. See Section 6 of the Website Privacy Policy.

12. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

12.1 What This Section Does Not Cover. This entire Section 12 — the disclaimer of warranties at Section 12.1, the limitation of liability at Section 12.2, and the indemnification provision at Section 12.3 — applies only to your use of the Website. It does not apply to clinical or professional services of any kind. Nothing in these Terms limits, waives, disclaims, or caps any liability arising from the provision of psychotherapy or other professional services, and nothing in these Terms is intended to have that effect. No provision of these Terms may be construed as a release or limitation of professional liability. If any part of this Section is ever construed to apply to professional services, that construction is void and severable, and the remainder of these Terms remains in full force and effect. Clinical services are governed exclusively by the Informed Consent for Services and the other documents comprising the client intake packet, which are executed separately.

12.2 Disclaimer of Warranties. THE WEBSITE AND ALL CONTENT ON IT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE," WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE PRACTICE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant that the Website will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that the Website or its server is free of harmful components. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or currency of Website content.

12.3 Limitation of Liability. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE PRACTICE AND ITS OWNERS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE, WHETHER BASED IN CONTRACT, TORT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE WEBSITE SHALL NOT EXCEED ONE HUNDRED UNITED STATES DOLLARS ($100.00). This limitation applies only to Website use as described in Section 12.0 and has no application whatsoever to professional services.

12.4 Indemnification. You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Practice and its owners, employees, contractors, and agents from and against any claim, demand, loss, liability, or expense, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or relating to your use of the Website, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of the rights of any third party. This provision is subject to Section 12.0.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its conflict of laws principles.

You agree that any action arising out of or relating to the Website or these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Loudoun County, Virginia, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

This Section governs disputes concerning the Website only. Disputes concerning clinical services are governed by the Practice's intake documentation and by the law of the jurisdiction in which services were rendered. Nothing in this Section limits any right you hold under the law of the state in which you were located at the time services were provided, or your right to file a complaint with a licensing board or with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

13.1 State Laws. Nothing in these Terms displaces the clinical, licensing, confidentiality, mandatory reporting, consumer protection, or debt collection law of the state in which a client is physically located at the time of service. Where the law of that state affords the client greater protection than these Terms, that law controls.

14. Modifications to These Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. Modifications take effect upon posting to the Website, and the "Updated on" date at the head of these Terms will be revised accordingly. Your continued use of the Website following the posting of modified Terms constitutes your acceptance of them. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, discontinue use of the Website.

15. Accessibility

The Practice is committed to maintaining a Website that is accessible to people with disabilities and endeavors to conform to recognized accessibility standards.

If you encounter a barrier to accessing any part of the Website, contact us at michelle@trellisloudoun.com or (571) 746-5366 and describe the difficulty. We will work to provide the information or functionality you are seeking through an alternative means and to remedy the barrier.

16. Termination

16.1 Termination of Website Use. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Website at any time, without notice and without refund, for conduct we determine in our sole discretion to violate these Terms, including abusive conduct, spam, unlawful activity, or activity that threatens the security or integrity of the Website.

16.2 Distinction from Clinical Termination. Suspension or termination of Website access does not terminate any clinical relationship and has no effect on the care of any active client. Termination of clinical services is governed exclusively by the Informed Consent for Services, which sets out the process for ending treatment, the notice provided, and the referrals offered. The two are entirely separate, and nothing in this Section may be construed to affect the rights or obligations arising from a therapeutic relationship.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, that provision shall be severed and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. Where possible, an invalid provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to render it enforceable while preserving its intent.

18. Entire Agreement; No Waiver

These Terms, together with the Website Privacy Policy and the Legal Disclaimer, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Practice concerning your use of the Website, and supersede any prior understanding on that subject.

These Terms do not govern clinical services. The Informed Consent for Services and the accompanying intake documentation constitute the agreement governing clinical services, and in the event of any conflict between these Terms and that documentation with respect to clinical services, the intake documentation controls.

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms is not a waiver of that provision or of any other.

19. Contact

Trellis Therapy of Loudoun, PLLC

20915 Ashburn Road, Suite 215, Ashburn, VA 20147

info@trellisloudoun.com

trellisloudoun.com