Privacy Policy

Information I may collect

I collect only the information needed to respond to enquiries and provide psychotherapeutic counselling or clinical supervision. This may include:

• your name and contact details;
• information you provide when enquiring about or arranging sessions;
• information about your health, wellbeing, personal history and circumstances that you choose to share;
• brief counselling or supervision notes and records needed to manage the work;
• emails, WhatsApp messages and other correspondence; and
• payment information shown in bank-transfer records.

Most information comes directly from you. If somebody contacts me on your behalf, or an organisation refers you, I will tell you what information I have received when it is appropriate to do so.

Why I use your information

I use personal information to answer enquiries, assess whether my services are suitable, arrange and provide sessions, receive payment, maintain appropriate professional records, meet legal and regulatory duties, and respond to concerns or complaints.

For enquiries and current counselling or supervision, my main lawful basis is taking steps towards and performing a contract. I may rely on legitimate interests to operate the practice responsibly and retain appropriate records after the work ends. I use legal obligation where records must be kept for tax, regulatory or other legal reasons, and vital interests where processing is necessary to protect somebody’s life.

Information about mental or physical health is special-category data. I process it where this is necessary to provide health treatment and where it is handled by a professional under a duty of confidentiality.

Confidentiality and sharing

What you discuss with me is confidential. I discuss my work in clinical supervision as part of safe and ethical practice, normally without using names or other direct identifiers.

I may share relevant information where you have asked me to, where the law requires it, where a court or regulator has lawful authority, or where there is a serious safeguarding concern or an immediate risk of serious harm. Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss this with you first.

If a complaint, legal claim or professional concern arises, limited information may be shared with my insurer, legal adviser, professional body or regulator where necessary.

Services that process information

I use a limited number of suppliers to communicate, provide online sessions, back up records, operate the website and receive payments:

• Google Gmail for email;
• WhatsApp for messages and calls;
• Zoom for online sessions;
• Apple iCloud for encrypted device backup;
• my bank for bank-transfer records;
• Hetzner for website hosting; and
• Cloudflare for website security and basic aggregate traffic analytics.

These providers process information under their own security and privacy arrangements. Some may process information outside the UK. Where that happens, I rely on the transfer protections and contractual safeguards provided by the relevant service.

How information is kept secure

Electronic records are stored on an encrypted device with iCloud backup. Paper notes are kept in a locked filing cabinet. I take reasonable steps to limit access to information and keep devices, accounts and physical records secure.

When information is deleted from a device, copies may remain temporarily within encrypted backups until they are overwritten through the provider’s normal backup cycle.

How long information is kept

• If an enquiry does not lead to counselling or supervision, enquiry information and routine messages are deleted within six months of the last contact.
• If an email or message contains information that needs to form part of the professional record, the relevant information is retained with that record.
• Adult counselling and clinical-supervision records are retained for seven years after the final session and are then securely destroyed.
• Financial records are retained for at least five years after the relevant 31 January tax-return submission deadline, in line with HMRC requirements.

Information may be kept for longer where this is necessary because of a complaint, legal claim, safeguarding matter, tax enquiry or another legal obligation. Retention is reviewed and information that is no longer needed is securely deleted or destroyed.

Website visitors, analytics and cookies

This website has no contact forms and does not use cookies. I do not use advertising, profiling or advanced analytics.

Hetzner and Cloudflare may process limited technical information, such as IP addresses and security or server logs, to deliver and protect the website. Cloudflare provides basic aggregate traffic analytics. I do not use this information to identify individual visitors.

Your information rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights to access your information, correct inaccurate information, request deletion, restrict or object to processing, and receive information in a portable format. You may also withdraw consent where consent is the basis for a particular use.

To exercise a right or ask a question, email [email protected]. I may need to confirm your identity before responding.

If you are unhappy with how I have handled your information, please contact me first so I can try to resolve the concern. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (opens in a new tab).

Automated decisions and changes to this notice

I do not use personal information for automated decision-making or profiling. I may update this notice when the practice, suppliers or applicable guidance changes. The latest version will be published on this page.