Privacy Policy

Last Updated: August 21, 2026

The Counsel Method respects your privacy and believes you should understand what happens to your information when you visit this website, contact us, schedule a call, or work with us.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and the rights and choices available to you.

1. Who We Are

The Counsel Method is an independent business consulting and educational services business based in the Netherlands.

For purposes of applicable data protection laws, including the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation ("GDPR"), The Counsel Method is the controller of personal information collected through this website and in connection with our consulting and educational services, except where another provider acts as an independent controller of information you provide directly to that provider.

Questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information may be directed to:

The Counsel Method
Email: samantha@thecounselmethod.com
Website: thecounselmethod.com
Netherlands

2. Information We Collect

The information we collect depends on how you interact with The Counsel Method.

Information You Provide

When you contact us, submit an inquiry, schedule a call, or work with The Counsel Method, we may collect:

• Your name;

• Your email address;

• Your business or organization name;

• Your business location;

• Information about your business, organization, needs, goals, or concerns that you choose to provide;

• Information contained in communications between you and The Counsel Method;

• Information necessary to schedule or provide services; and

• Invoice and transaction information, including services purchased, amounts invoiced, payment status, and transaction dates.

You are not required to provide more information than is reasonably necessary for us to respond to your inquiry or provide the requested services.

Please do not submit confidential, highly sensitive, or unnecessary personal information through website forms, scheduling forms, or initial email inquiries.

If your inquiry involves an employee, customer, client, or other individual, please avoid providing that person's identifying information or sensitive personal information unless it is reasonably necessary for the services being provided. Where possible, information about third parties should be anonymized or de-identified before being shared with us.

Information Collected Through the Website

When you visit this website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by Wix and technologies used to operate the website. This may include information such as your IP address, browser or device information, website activity, and cookie-related information.

Non-essential cookies and similar technologies are addressed in the Cookies section below.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information as reasonably necessary to:

• Respond to inquiries and communicate with you;

• Determine whether The Counsel Method's services may be appropriate for your needs;

• Schedule introductory calls, consulting sessions, workshops, trainings, and other services;

• Provide consulting, educational, and related business services;

• Prepare and send invoices and maintain payment records;

• Administer our relationship with clients and prospective clients;

• Maintain appropriate business, accounting, and tax records;

• Operate, maintain, improve, and secure this website;

• Prevent fraud, misuse, security threats, or unlawful activity;

• Comply with applicable legal, tax, accounting, and regulatory obligations; and

• Establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

We do not use personal information for materially unrelated purposes without an appropriate legal basis.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

Where the GDPR applies, we process personal information only when we have a lawful basis for doing so.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on:

Steps Before Entering Into a Contract or Performance of a Contract. We may process information when necessary to respond to a request for services, establish an engagement, or provide services you have requested.

Legitimate Interests. We may process information when reasonably necessary to operate and protect our business, communicate with prospective and existing clients, maintain appropriate business records, and improve our services, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

Consent. We may rely on your consent for certain processing activities, including the use of non-essential cookies where consent is required. You may withdraw consent at any time.

Legal Obligations. We may process or retain information when necessary to comply with applicable legal, tax, accounting, regulatory, or other obligations.

5. Service Providers and Third Parties

We use third-party service providers to operate our business and website. Those providers may process personal information in connection with the services they provide.

Wix

This website is hosted and operated using Wix. Wix provides website hosting, security, website functionality, forms, analytics functionality, and related services.

Information submitted through or generated by your use of this website may therefore be processed using Wix's systems and infrastructure.

Google

The Counsel Method uses Google Workspace for business email, calendar, scheduling, video meetings, and related business communications.

If you communicate with us by email, schedule a meeting using Google Calendar, or participate in a Google Meet call, information associated with those interactions may be processed using Google's services.

Wise

The Counsel Method uses Wise for invoicing and payment-related services.

When payment information is entered directly into Wise or another payment provider, that information is processed by the applicable payment provider according to its own privacy practices.

The Counsel Method does not collect or store your complete credit card or bank-account credentials through this website.

We may receive and retain information about a transaction, including your name, business information, invoice amount, payment status, transaction date, and other information reasonably necessary for accounting, tax, and business recordkeeping.

Wise maintains its own privacy notice describing the personal and transaction information it processes in connection with Wise Business services. 

Other Professional and Business Providers

Where reasonably necessary, we may also use service providers that assist with accounting, tax, technology, security, administrative, or other business functions.

We disclose personal information only as reasonably necessary for those purposes or as otherwise permitted or required by law.

6. Payment Information

Payments for The Counsel Method's services may be made through Wise or another payment method agreed upon with the client.

Payment credentials submitted directly to a payment provider are handled by that provider rather than collected through The Counsel Method's website.

The Counsel Method may retain transaction records necessary to document payments, manage our client relationship, and satisfy accounting, tax, legal, and business recordkeeping requirements.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

This website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate properly, maintain security, understand website performance, and provide certain website functionality.

Some cookies are essential to the operation of the website. Other cookies, including certain functional, analytics, or marketing cookies, are non-essential.

The Counsel Method uses a cookie consent tool provided through Wix/Usercentrics. Where consent is required, non-essential cookies and scripts are disabled until you make a choice through the cookie banner. Wix confirms that its Usercentrics banner initially permits essential cookies and scripts while requiring consent before non-essential categories such as Functional, Marketing, and Analytics are enabled. 

You can accept or reject non-essential cookie categories through the cookie consent banner and can revisit your preferences using the privacy controls available on the website.

Because the technologies and services used on the website may change, the particular cookies used may also change. The cookie consent tool provides current information regarding available cookie categories and choices.

8. International Data Transfers

The Counsel Method is based in the Netherlands and works with clients and service providers internationally, including in the United States.

Some technology and service providers we use may process or store personal information outside the Netherlands or European Economic Area.

Where applicable data protection law requires safeguards for an international transfer of personal information, we rely on appropriate lawful transfer mechanisms or safeguards provided by the applicable service provider or otherwise available under applicable law.

9. How Long We Keep Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and for legitimate business and legal purposes.

Retention periods may depend on the nature of our relationship with you and applicable accounting, tax, contractual, legal, or regulatory requirements.

For example, information relating to a completed client engagement or payment may need to be retained longer than information relating to a prospective client who makes an initial inquiry but does not engage our services.

When personal information is no longer reasonably necessary, we may delete or anonymize it, subject to applicable legal and recordkeeping requirements.

10. Your Privacy Rights

Depending on where you live and the law that applies, you may have rights concerning your personal information.

Under the GDPR, these may include the right to:

• Request access to personal information we hold about you;

• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;

• Request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances;

• Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;

• Object to certain processing based on legitimate interests;

• Object to direct marketing;

• Receive certain personal information in a portable format;

• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and

• Lodge a complaint with the appropriate data protection authority.

These rights are subject to applicable limitations and exceptions.

To make a request concerning your personal information, contact:

samantha@thecounselmethod.com

We may request information reasonably necessary to verify your identity before fulfilling certain requests.

If you are located in the Netherlands, you may also lodge a complaint with the Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens, the Dutch data protection supervisory authority.

11. U.S. Privacy Rights

Individuals located in certain U.S. states may have additional rights under applicable state privacy laws.

Where a U.S. state privacy law applies to The Counsel Method, we will honor the rights required by that law.

The Counsel Method does not sell personal information.

We also do not use personal information collected through this website for cross-context behavioral advertising.

12. Security

We take reasonable administrative, organizational, and technical measures intended to protect personal information against unauthorized access, loss, misuse, alteration, or disclosure.

However, no website, electronic communication, internet transmission, or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

For that reason, please do not send highly sensitive personal information through general website forms or ordinary email unless we have agreed that doing so is necessary and appropriate.

13. Information About Other Individuals

In the course of consulting or other services, you may wish to discuss employees, customers, clients, vendors, or other individuals.

Please provide only information that is reasonably necessary for the services you have requested. Where possible, remove names and other identifying information before sharing information about another individual.

In particular, please avoid sending sensitive personal information about employees or other individuals through an initial inquiry, scheduling form, or general email.

If an engagement requires the processing of personal information about other individuals, additional privacy or data-processing terms may be appropriate depending on the nature of the engagement.

14. Children's Privacy

This website and The Counsel Method's services are directed to businesses, professionals, and adults and are not intended for children.

We do not knowingly solicit personal information directly from children through this website.

If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us so that we can address the information appropriately.

15. Attorney Information and Confidentiality

The Counsel Method is a business consulting and educational services business and is not a law firm.

Samantha Martin is an attorney licensed to practice law in Illinois. References to her legal background or experience do not mean that use of this website, an inquiry, introductory call, or consulting engagement with The Counsel Method creates an attorney-client relationship.

Attorney overflow services offered separately by Samantha Martin to attorneys or law firms may be subject to separate engagement terms and professional confidentiality obligations applicable to that engagement.

You should not send information you intend to be protected by an attorney-client relationship merely by submitting it through this website or contacting The Counsel Method about consulting services.

16. Third-Party Websites and Services

This website may contain links to third-party websites, scheduling tools, social media platforms, payment providers, or other services.

When you leave this website or interact directly with a third-party service, that provider's privacy practices may apply.

The Counsel Method is not responsible for the privacy or security practices of independent third-party websites or services.

17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our website, services, technology, business practices, or applicable law.

When we make changes, the updated Privacy Policy will be posted on this website and the "Last Updated" date above will be revised.

18. Contact

Questions, concerns, or requests concerning this Privacy Policy or your personal information may be directed to:

The Counsel Method
samantha@thecounselmethod.com
thecounselmethod.com
Netherlands