Privacy, terms & community

Privacy and Consumer Health Data Policy

This policy explains what Blooming Together collects, why we collect it, who may receive it, and what choices and rights you have. It also serves as Blooming Together's consumer health data privacy policy for Washington residents.

The short version

You control whether your profile appears in the community directory. Every profile begins unlisted. Your Garden reflections are private and are not shown to members, providers, or the public. We do not sell your personal information or consumer health data, and we do not use it for targeted advertising. Bloom is not therapy, medical care, or a clinical record system.

Even though Garden reflections are not clinical records, what you write may reveal information about your mental, emotional, behavioral, or physical wellbeing. We treat that information as sensitive, and we ask for your separate consent before you write your first reflection.

1. Who operates Bloom

Blooming Together is operated by Bloom Coaching, referred to in these policies as “Bloom,” “we,” “us,” or “our.” Questions and privacy requests may be sent to [email protected].

2. Information we collect

Account information. To create and maintain an account, we collect your email address, name, chosen display name, time zone, and password. Passwords are stored using secure one-way hashing, so Bloom cannot read your password. We also record when you agreed to these policies and when you gave or withdrew consent to storing reflections.

Profile and directory information. You may choose to provide pronouns, a general location or service area, a profile description, what you are looking for, what you can offer, offerings, Bloom elements you connect with, what you are open to (such as trading or collaborating), links, and a profile photograph. These fields are optional.

Garden and reflection information. When you use the Garden, we store the prompts you select or create, your written reflections, the colors you choose to draw in or release, the element and facet you reflect on, and the date and time of the reflection. This information may reveal consumer health data, including information about emotional wellbeing, relationships, identity, support, basic needs, behavior, or mental health.

Your reflection text is private. It is not displayed to other members, directory visitors, providers, or the public, and Bloom's administrative tools do not display it. Limited authorized technical access may still be possible when necessary to maintain security, troubleshoot a problem you ask us to look into, comply with law, or restore the service. Such access is restricted to what is necessary.

If Bloom sends you a prompt and you answer it, Bloom records that the prompt was answered. Your response remains part of your private Garden and is not shown to the person who sent the prompt.

Events and gatherings. If you post an event or gathering, we collect its title, description, time, location or online status, related Bloom elements, an image if you add one, and a link to where people register. Registration and any payment happen on that external site, not on Bloom.

Messages between members. When you write to another member from their profile, your message is delivered to them by email through our email provider. Bloom keeps a record that you wrote to that member and when, but does not keep what you said.

Invitations. When someone invites you to join, we hold the email address and first name they gave, and whether the invitation was used or revoked.

Communications and support requests. We keep what you send when you contact Bloom, raise a concern, appeal a decision, or ask for privacy assistance. A concern may include information about the person raising it, the person it concerns, and supporting material.

Technical and security information. Bloom itself does not keep a log of your visits. Our hosting and network providers process your IP address, browser details, the pages you request, and when, in order to deliver and protect the service. If a page fails, the administrators receive an error report describing the request; reports never include what you typed into a reflection, a message, or a password field.

Photographs and metadata. Profile photographs and event images are stored privately and displayed through links that expire after 15 minutes. When you upload an image, location data and all other embedded file metadata are removed before it is stored.

3. Sources of information

We receive information directly from you when you create an account, complete a profile, write a reflection, post an event, contact us, or raise a concern. We receive limited technical information automatically from your device and our service providers. We may also receive information about you from another member who invites you to join or raises a safety concern.

4. Why we use information

• Create, authenticate, and maintain your account.
• Save your private reflections and draw your Garden and My Bloom views.
• Display profile information according to the visibility you choose.
• Provide the directory, calendar, prompts, and member messages you use.
• Send necessary service messages, such as address confirmation, password resets, prompts, and responses to your requests.
• Prevent fraud, abuse, harassment, unauthorized access, and other security threats.
• Look into concerns and enforce the Terms and Community Guidelines.
• Comply with legal obligations and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We will not collect new categories of consumer health data, or use existing consumer health data for a materially different purpose, without updating this policy and obtaining any consent required by law.

5. Profile visibility and your choices

Every new profile begins as Not listed. You may choose:

• Not listed. Your profile does not appear in the directory and cannot be opened even by someone who knows or guesses its address.
• Visible to other members. Your profile can be viewed by people signed in to Bloom.
• Visible to anyone. Your profile may be viewed by anyone, including people who are not signed in, and may be copied, saved, or indexed outside Bloom.

Your visibility setting governs your community profile. It never makes your Garden reflections visible. You may change it at any time.

6. Who receives information

Service providers. We use companies that process information on our behalf to operate Bloom. They may access information only as needed to perform their services.

Information you ask us to make visible. When you choose member-only or public visibility, we display the profile information you provided to that audience. When you follow a registration link or write to another member, the receiving website or person handles information under their own practices.

Legal, safety, and business reasons. We may disclose information when we reasonably believe disclosure is required by law, necessary to protect a person's safety, necessary to investigate fraud or abuse, or necessary to protect Bloom's rights and systems. If Bloom is involved in a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, bankruptcy, or transfer of assets, information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to applicable law and this policy.

No sale or targeted advertising. Bloom does not sell personal information or consumer health data, does not share consumer health data for targeted advertising, and does not use advertising trackers to follow you across other websites or services.

7. Cookies

Bloom uses three cookies, all necessary: one keeps you signed in, one protects forms from being submitted by other websites, and one carries a one-time notice (such as “Reflection saved”) to the next page. Bloom does not use analytics, advertising cookies, or cross-site tracking.

8. Where information is stored

Bloom's application and database are hosted by Render in the United States. Uploaded files and traffic delivery are provided by Cloudflare. If you use Bloom from outside the United States, your information will be processed in the United States.

9. How long we keep information

We keep account, profile, and Garden information while your account is active. A reflection you delete is removed immediately. When you ask us to delete your account, we delete or de-identify your information unless we must keep limited information for security, fraud prevention, legal compliance, dispute resolution, or enforcement.

Deleted information may remain in our database provider's recovery copies for up to 7 days before it rolls off. Uploaded files are deleted immediately and are not kept in a recovery copy. Our hosting provider keeps technical logs for no more than 30 days.

Public material copied by other people, messages you sent to another person, and information held on third-party services may remain outside Bloom's control.

10. Security

Bloom uses administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards intended to protect information. These include restricted access, encrypted connections, secure password storage, private file storage, expiring file links, and removal of photograph metadata. No online service can promise absolute security. Please use a unique password and contact us if you believe your account or information has been compromised.

11. Your privacy rights

You may edit or clear your profile, change your directory visibility, delete individual reflections, and update your account settings through Bloom. You may withdraw your consent to storing reflections at any time; nothing new will be saved from your Garden after that, and what you have already written stays until you delete it or ask us to. You may also request access, correction, deletion of your account, or a copy of your information by emailing [email protected]. We may need to verify your identity before completing a request.

Washington consumer health data rights. If Washington's My Health My Data Act applies to your information, you may:

• Confirm whether Bloom is collecting, sharing, or selling consumer health data about you.
• Access that data and request a list of the third parties and affiliates with whom it was shared or sold.
• Withdraw consent from future collection or sharing.
• Request deletion, including deletion by processors and other recipients where required.
• Appeal a refusal to act on your request.

We will respond without undue delay and generally within 45 days. When reasonably necessary, we may extend the response period once by an additional 45 days and will explain the extension.

To submit a request or appeal, email [email protected] with the subject Privacy Request or Privacy Appeal. You do not need to create an account to make a request. If we deny an appeal, we will explain the decision and how to contact the Washington Attorney General.

12. Email

Bloom sends necessary messages such as address confirmation, password resets, security notices, responses to your requests, prompts, and messages other members write to you. If Bloom later offers optional newsletters or marketing messages, you will be given a clear choice and may unsubscribe. Service and legal notices may still be sent when necessary.

13. Age requirement

Bloom is intended only for people age 18 and older, and everyone joining confirms that they are. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 or permit minors to create accounts. If you believe a minor has created an account, contact us so we can review and remove it.

14. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as Bloom changes. We will post the updated date, and when a change is material we will ask every member to review and accept it on their next visit. When required, we will ask for consent before applying a new collection, use, or sharing practice to consumer health data.

15. Contact

Bloom Coaching
Blooming Together
[email protected]
2512 East Evergreen Blvd, Suite 1154, Vancouver, WA 98661

Terms of Use

These Terms govern your use of the Blooming Together website, reflection tools, directory, calendar, events, gatherings, and community features. By creating an account or using Bloom, you agree to these Terms, the Community Guidelines, and the Privacy and Consumer Health Data Policy.

1. Who may use Bloom

You must be at least 18 years old and legally able to enter into an agreement to use Bloom. You must provide accurate account information and keep your sign-in credentials secure. You are responsible for activity under your account and should contact us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access.

2. Bloom is not therapy or medical treatment

Bloom is a space for personal reflection, education, creativity, and community connection. Bloom does not provide psychotherapy, counseling, medical care, diagnosis, treatment, crisis intervention, or emergency services.

Using Bloom does not create a therapist-client, physician-patient, coach-client, or other professional treatment relationship with Bloom, Jessica Salazar, or anyone listed in the directory. Although Bloom was created by a licensed therapist, Bloom is operated separately from Jessica's clinical practice. Your Garden is not a clinical chart, and your reflections are not monitored by a clinician.

Content, prompts, events, and profiles are provided for general educational and personal-reflection purposes. They are not individualized medical or mental health advice and should not replace care from a qualified professional.

3. Not for emergencies

Do not use Bloom reflections, profiles, messages, or contact forms to request urgent or emergency assistance. Bloom does not monitor content and cannot guarantee a response. If you are in immediate danger or need immediate medical attention, call 911 or your local emergency service. In the United States, call or text 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

4. Accounts and privacy

Every profile begins unlisted. You control whether your profile is visible to members or to anyone. Information you make visible may be copied, photographed, or shared by other people outside Bloom. Private Garden reflections are governed by the Privacy and Consumer Health Data Policy above.

5. Your content

You retain ownership of the words, photographs, and other material you submit. You give Bloom a limited, nonexclusive, worldwide license to host, store, reproduce, format, and display that material only as needed to operate the features you choose, maintain security, and comply with law. This license ends when the content is deleted, subject to the recovery periods described above and legal retention needs.

You must have the right to submit your content. Do not post another person's confidential information, image, creative work, or personal story without permission. Do not include client information, therapy records, or protected clinical information in profiles, events, messages, or anything else you submit.

6. The directory and independent providers

Directory members and providers are independent. Bloom does not employ, supervise, credential, control, recommend, or guarantee them unless a profile expressly states that Bloom has completed a specific verification. A provider's presence in the directory is not an endorsement.

You are responsible for deciding whether a person or service is appropriate for you, verifying credentials and licensure where relevant, reviewing the provider's policies, and entering any separate professional agreement directly with that provider. Any therapy, coaching, medical, wellness, or other professional relationship exists between you and the provider, not Bloom.

7. Events and gatherings

Events and gatherings may be posted by Bloom, independent providers, or community members, and each shows who is hosting it. Unless Bloom is expressly identified as the host, Bloom does not control or guarantee the event, location, accessibility, safety, content, availability, cancellation, or outcome. Registration and payment happen on the host's own site, under the host's terms.

Hosts are responsible for accurate descriptions, appropriate boundaries, required permits, accessibility information, payment and refund terms, and participant safety. Participants are responsible for evaluating whether an activity is suitable for them and following venue and host rules.

8. Trading and collaborating

A profile may say that its owner is open to trading or collaborating. Bloom is not a party to any trade, exchange, agreement, payment, service, or dispute between members that follows. Members are responsible for agreeing in advance about scope, timing, value, boundaries, qualifications, cancellations, and safety.

Do not trade regulated clinical services, medication, illegal goods, weapons, sexual services, or services you are not legally permitted or qualified to provide. Do not pressure anyone to trade, and do not treat access to basic care or community belonging as something another person owes you.

9. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Harass, threaten, stalk, intimidate, exploit, discriminate against, or impersonate another person.
• Post hate speech or target someone based on race, ethnicity, nationality, Indigenous identity, religion, disability, neurotype, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, or another protected or marginalized identity.
• Share another person's private information, reflections, messages, photographs, or location without permission.
• Offer services deceptively, misrepresent qualifications, make unsupported health claims, or practice outside a professional scope or license.
• Use Bloom to solicit clients through pressure, manipulate vulnerable people, conduct multi-level marketing, spam members, or send unwanted promotions.
• Upload malware, probe security, scrape directory information, create fake accounts, evade account restrictions, or interfere with the service.
• Use another person's account or collect information from Bloom for surveillance, discrimination, advertising, resale, or profiling.
• Post illegal content or use Bloom to facilitate illegal activity.

10. Community moderation and account action

Bloom may review concerns raised with us and content made available through community features. Private Garden reflections are not reviewed for moderation. Depending on severity, context, history, and immediate risk, Bloom may provide education or a warning, remove content, limit features, remove an event, suspend an account, permanently close an account, or contact appropriate services or authorities when permitted or required by law.

Bloom may act immediately without a warning when conduct presents a safety risk, involves exploitation or credible threats, compromises privacy or security, or seriously violates these Terms. See the Community Guidelines below for how to raise a concern and appeal a decision.

11. Intellectual property

Bloom's name, branding, visual system, original prompts, Garden and My Bloom designs, written materials, and software are owned by or licensed to Bloom Coaching. These Terms allow personal use of Bloom; they do not transfer ownership or permit copying, reselling, publishing, or creating derivative commercial products from Bloom materials without written permission.

You may share your own reflections and screenshots that contain only your own information. Please do not share another member's profile, content, or identifying information without permission.

12. Third-party links and services

Bloom links to registration pages, provider websites, crisis resources, and other third-party services. Bloom does not control their content, availability, security, or privacy practices. Your use of those services is governed by their own terms and policies.

13. Fees

Bloom's current features are offered without charge. If paid memberships or other paid features are introduced, the price, billing frequency, renewal terms, cancellation process, and refund policy will be shown before purchase, and additional payment terms will apply only after you agree to them.

14. Service availability and changes

Bloom is developing and may change, pause, or discontinue features. We aim to provide a reliable service but do not promise that Bloom will always be available, uninterrupted, error-free, or suitable for every purpose. We may perform maintenance, address security concerns, and change features to protect the community or comply with law.

15. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Bloom is provided “as is” and “as available.” We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, outcomes, conduct, qualifications, safety, or reliability of members, providers, events, trades, links, prompts, or community content. Nothing in these Terms excludes a warranty or right that cannot legally be excluded.

16. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Bloom Coaching, Jessica Salazar, and Bloom's officers, employees, contractors, and volunteers will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from Bloom, including loss of data, opportunity, income, goodwill, or relationships. Our total liability for claims related to the service will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid Bloom during the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim or 100 US dollars. These limits do not apply where prohibited by law or to liability that cannot legally be limited.

17. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, you agree to be responsible for claims, losses, and reasonable costs arising from your unlawful conduct, your violation of these Terms, your content, or services, events, or trades you offer through Bloom. This section does not require you to indemnify Bloom for Bloom's own unlawful conduct.

18. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Any court proceeding that is not subject to another legally required forum will be brought in the state or federal courts serving Clark County, Washington. Consumer rights that apply where you live remain unaffected.

19. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms as Bloom develops. We will post the new date, and when a change is material we will ask you to review and accept it before you continue using Bloom.

20. Contact

Questions about these Terms may be sent to [email protected].

Community Guidelines

Bloom is built around reflection, consent, reciprocity, and collective care. These guidelines explain the boundaries that make connection possible and what happens when a concern is raised.

1. Community commitments

• Lead with curiosity. Do not assume you know another person's needs, identity, diagnosis, experience, or capacity.
• Respect consent. Ask before giving advice, moving a conversation into private contact, sharing someone's information, taking photographs, or adding someone to a collaboration.
• Honor boundaries and a clear no. No one owes you a reply, friendship, trade, service, explanation, or emotional labor.
• Practice reciprocity without keeping score. Community care is not permission to pressure people into unpaid work or access to their skills.
• Make room for difference. Neurodivergence, disability, culture, race, gender, sexuality, spirituality, economic access, and lived experience shape how people communicate and participate.
• Repair when possible. Listen to impact, take responsibility, change behavior, and respect when another person does not want continued contact.

2. Privacy and confidentiality

• Do not share another person's profile, photograph, message, story, location, contact information, or identity outside Bloom without permission.
• Do not ask members to disclose diagnoses, trauma, immigration status, medical information, or other sensitive details in order to belong or participate.
• Do not post client information, therapy records, or clinical details. Providers must follow their own professional confidentiality obligations.
• Directory visibility is not consent to unwanted contact, marketing, screenshots, data collection, or public reposting.
• Respect the privacy of gatherings. Hosts should state photography and confidentiality expectations before an event begins.

3. Relationships and professional boundaries

• Bloom is not therapy, and community interaction does not create a clinical relationship.
• Providers must clearly identify the type of service they offer, their credentials where relevant, the states or locations they may legally serve, their fees, and whether the service is therapy, coaching, education, wellness, or another category.
• Providers may not diagnose members in community spaces, pressure members to become clients, promise outcomes, or make unsupported health claims.
• Members and providers are responsible for considering dual relationships, conflicts of interest, power differences, and professional ethics before beginning a separate relationship.
• Do not present a Bloom profile or provider mark as proof that Bloom has endorsed, licensed, or clinically verified you unless Bloom expressly says so.

4. Harassment, discrimination, and exploitation

The following are not allowed:

• Threats, stalking, intimidation, bullying, repeated unwanted contact, or retaliation.
• Hate speech, slurs, dehumanizing content, or targeted hostility based on identity or protected status.
• Sexual harassment, sexualized contact without consent, grooming, coercion, or offers of sexual services.
• Financial exploitation, scams, deceptive fundraising, multi-level marketing recruitment, or manipulation of vulnerable members.
• Impersonation, fabricated credentials, misleading professional claims, or undisclosed conflicts of interest.
• Encouraging self-harm, violence, dangerous conduct, or withholding necessary medical care.

5. Trading and collaborating

Before agreeing to a trade, both people should state what each will provide, the approximate time or value, deadlines, cancellation expectations, necessary qualifications, and whether money is involved. Use public meeting places or other reasonable safety measures when meeting someone for the first time.

A trade must be voluntary. It may not involve illegal goods, medication, weapons, sexual services, regulated services offered unlawfully, or anything that conflicts with a provider's professional obligations. Bloom does not enforce private trade agreements or guarantee completion.

6. Events and gatherings

• Hosts must describe the activity honestly and disclose cost, location, physical demands, accessibility information, substances, photography, and meaningful risks.
• Hosts must use appropriate boundaries and may not imply that an event provides emergency, medical, or therapeutic care unless a properly licensed professional is separately providing that care under their own agreement.
• Participants must follow venue rules, respect consent, and avoid disrupting or endangering others.
• Anyone may leave an event or gathering at any time. Leaving should not result in pressure, retaliation, or public shaming.

7. Crisis and immediate danger

Bloom is not a crisis service and does not monitor reflections, profiles, messages, or events. Do not rely on Bloom for emergency help. In the United States, call or text 988 for crisis support. Call 911 or local emergency services if someone is in immediate danger or needs immediate medical attention.

If Bloom becomes aware of a credible and immediate threat, severe exploitation, or other urgent safety concern, Bloom may take steps permitted or required by law, including restricting an account or contacting appropriate services. Bloom cannot promise that it will see or respond to information in time to prevent harm.

8. How to raise a concern

Email [email protected] with the subject Safety Report. Include only the information needed to understand the concern. Do not investigate another person, access their account, or publicly post accusations. When you can, include:

• What happened and when.
• The profile, event, or account involved.
• Any screenshots or messages that you are permitted to share.
• Whether there is an immediate safety concern.
• What outcome or support you are asking for, understanding that Bloom may choose a different response.

9. What happens after a concern is raised

1. Bloom acknowledges it as soon as reasonably practical.
2. Bloom reviews the available information and may ask for clarification from the person who raised it, the person it concerns, witnesses, hosts, or providers.
3. Bloom may temporarily limit contact, visibility, events, or account features while reviewing a serious concern.
4. Bloom considers safety, severity, pattern, power differences, impact, available evidence, prior conduct, and willingness to repair.
5. Bloom communicates the outcome to the people directly involved to the extent appropriate, while protecting privacy and safety.

Bloom is not a court, licensing board, law-enforcement agency, or emergency service. A community decision does not determine criminal, civil, ethical, or licensing responsibility. Members may also contact the appropriate professional board, consumer agency, emergency service, or law-enforcement agency when warranted.

10. Possible consequences

Depending on the circumstances, Bloom may use one or more of the following responses:

• Education, boundary clarification, or a written warning.
• Removal or correction of content or an event.
• Limits on contacting members, hosting, or directory visibility.
• Temporary suspension while a concern is reviewed.
• Permanent removal from the directory, provider features, events, or Bloom entirely.
• Preservation of relevant records, or notification to a venue, professional board, emergency service, or authority when permitted or required by law.

Bloom may skip progressive steps when conduct involves threats, stalking, hate, sexual misconduct, exploitation, significant deception, privacy violations, security abuse, repeated boundary violations, or other serious risk.

11. Appeals

A person whose content, event, or account is restricted may appeal by emailing [email protected] with the subject Community Decision Appeal within 30 days. The appeal should explain the decision being challenged, any important information that was unavailable during the first review, and the outcome requested. Bloom will review the appeal within a reasonable period and may affirm, change, or reverse the decision.

12. No retaliation and no false reports

Retaliation against someone for raising a concern or taking part in a review is prohibited. Knowingly false or malicious reports are also prohibited. A report is not false merely because there is not enough evidence to confirm it, or because the people involved remember an interaction differently.

13. The limits of confidentiality

Bloom will limit information about a concern to people who need it for review, safety, legal compliance, or account action. Complete confidentiality cannot be guaranteed. Information may need to be shared with the person concerned, service providers, professional advisors, insurers, authorities, or others when reasonably necessary or legally required.

14. Questions

Questions about these guidelines may be sent to [email protected].