Privacy Policy

Woman typing on laptop

Last updated: October 2026

Your privacy is important to me. I understand that counselling involves sharing personal and sometimes sensitive information, and I will treat anything you share with care, respect and confidentiality. This privacy statement explains what personal information I may collect, why I collect it, how I use and protect it, how long I retain it, and the circumstances in which information may need to be shared.


I handle your personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, as well as my professional and ethical responsibilities as a counsellor.


Who is responsible for your information?


I am responsible for the personal information I hold about you in connection with my counselling practice. If you have any questions about how your information is handled, please contact me using contact page on this website.


What information I collect


In order to provide counselling and meet my professional, legal and ethical responsibilities, I may collect and retain information such as:


  • Your name, address and telephone number.
  • Your email address.
  • Your GP practice details, where relevant.
  • Relevant medical or health information that you choose to share with me.
  • Relevant information about your personal, family and social history that you choose to share with me.
  • Brief factual notes relating to our counselling sessions.
  • Information relating to appointments and payments.
  • Information you provide when making an enquiry about counselling.


I aim to collect only information that is relevant and necessary for the purposes for which it is collected.


Some information relating to your health is considered special category data under data protection law. I will only process such information where there is an appropriate lawful basis and additional legal condition for doing so.


How I use your information


I may use your personal information to:


  • Provide counselling to you.
  • Contact you about appointments and counselling-related matters.
  • Respond to enquiries about counselling.
  • Keep appropriate professional records.
  • Maintain professional standards through supervision.
  • Manage appointments and payments.
  • Respond to requests to access or correct your personal information.
  • Meet my legal, professional and ethical responsibilities.
  • Take appropriate action where there is a serious concern about your safety or the safety of another person.


Your contact details are primarily used to communicate with you about your counselling. Your name and other identifying information may also be used where reasonably necessary to verify your identity, respond to a request from you, or contact another professional with your permission or where I am legally or ethically permitted or required to do so.


Lawful basis for processing your information


I process your personal information in accordance with the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018. The lawful basis used depends on the type of information and the purpose for which it is being processed. Where I process health information or other special category data, I will also rely on an applicable additional condition under data protection law. I will only collect and use personal information where there is a lawful and appropriate reason for doing so.


Confidentiality


Counselling is confidential. What you tell me will not normally be shared with anyone else without your knowledge. At the beginning of counselling, I will discuss confidentiality with you, including its limits, so that you understand the circumstances in which information may need to be shared.


There are some circumstances where information may need to be disclosed. These may include:


  • When you give written permission to do so.
  • Where I am legally required to do so, for example in response to a valid court order or other legal requirement.
  • Where disclosure is necessary to meet a professional or ethical requirement.
  • Where disclosure is necessary to prevent serious and foreseeable harm to you or another person.
  • Where there are safeguarding concerns involving a child or vulnerable adult.
  • Where disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.


Wherever possible and appropriate, I will discuss a proposed disclosure with you beforehand. There may, however, be circumstances where it would not be appropriate or possible to do so. If I become seriously concerned that you are at risk of harming yourself or another person, I may share relevant information where I reasonably believe this is necessary to prevent serious harm.


I may ask for your permission to contact your GP if I have significant concerns about your wellbeing. I would normally discuss this with you before doing so. In exceptional circumstances, I may need to contact your GP or another appropriate professional without your permission if I believe this is necessary to protect you or someone else from serious harm, or where otherwise permitted or required by law.


I will aim to disclose only information that is relevant and necessary for the particular purpose.


Counselling notes and supervision


I keep brief, factual notes relating to our counselling sessions. Where practicable, identifying information is kept separately from counselling notes and, where possible, information used for professional purposes is anonymised or otherwise de-identified. As part of my professional practice, I have regular supervision. Supervision is an important part of safe and ethical counselling practice and supports my professional development and accountability.


I may discuss aspects of my counselling work with my supervisor. I will keep identifying information to a minimum and, wherever possible, will anonymise or de-identify information so that you cannot readily be identified. In exceptional circumstances, it may be necessary for my supervisor to have access to identifying information, for example if I became unexpectedly incapacitated and they needed to take appropriate action in relation to my counselling practice or contact clients. I may also be required to provide relevant information to my professional body or another appropriate professional where this is necessary to meet professional, legal or ethical requirements.


Your contact information and my mobile phone


I may hold your name and telephone number on my mobile phone while we are working together so that I can contact you about your counselling. My mobile phone is password protected and I use client codes where practicable to reduce the amount of identifying information displayed. Because it is a smartphone, it may also contain text messages, WhatsApp messages, emails and email addresses.


I take reasonable and appropriate steps to keep information stored on or accessed through my phone secure. This includes using appropriate passwords, device security and software updates. If electronic communications are used, please be aware that no method of electronic communication can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

When our counselling relationship ends, I will normally delete your name and telephone number from my contact list, subject to any information that I am required or entitled to retain for legal, professional, insurance or other legitimate purposes.


Website enquiries and online services


If you contact me through this website, by email or by another electronic method, I may collect the information you provide in order to respond to your enquiry and, where appropriate, arrange counselling. I ask that you do not include detailed or highly sensitive personal information in an initial website enquiry or ordinary email unless it is necessary.


Where I use third-party services for website hosting, email and payments, messaging or other aspects of my practice, your information may be processed by those providers on my behalf. I will take reasonable steps to use providers that offer appropriate security and data-protection safeguards. Further information about any cookies, analytics or other technologies used by this website will be provided where required. performance review from google every month about my website.


Keeping your information secure


I take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure. Where practicable, identifying information and counselling information are stored separately. I take appropriate care when storing, accessing and communicating personal information and aim to ensure that only information that is necessary for a particular purpose is retained. Despite these precautions, no method of storing or transmitting information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.


How long I keep your information


I retain counselling records and other personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and to meet applicable legal, professional, insurance and regulatory requirements. My usual retention period for counselling records due to professional indemnity insurance is seven years after counselling ends, unless there is a specific reason why information needs to be retained for a shorter or longer period. Different types of information may be retained for different periods where this is appropriate or required. When information is no longer required, I will securely delete or destroy it.


Your rights


Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights under data protection law to:


  • Ask whether I hold personal information about you.
  • Request access to the personal information I hold about you.
  • Ask me to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Request deletion of certain personal information where applicable.
  • Ask for processing of your information to be restricted in certain circumstances.
  • Object to certain types of processing.
  • Raise a concern or make a complaint about how your information is being handled.


Some of these rights are subject to legal conditions and exemptions and may not apply in every situation.


Requesting access to your information


If you would like to request access to the personal information I hold about you, please make your request in writing.


I may need to confirm your identity before providing information.


I will normally respond to a valid request within one month, in accordance with applicable data protection requirements. In certain circumstances, the law allows additional time or permits information to be withheld or restricted. If this applies, I will explain the position to you where I am legally able to do so.


Complaints


If you have concerns about the way your personal information is being collected, stored or used, I encourage you to discuss this with me in the first instance. I will do my best to answer your questions and resolve your concerns. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent regulator for data protection. Further information about your data protection rights and how to make a complaint is available from the ICO.


Contacting me


If you have any questions about this privacy statement or about how I collect, use or store your personal information, please contact me using the telephone number or email address provided on this website. I am happy to discuss any concerns you may have about your privacy or confidentiality.


You can contact me below:



Changes to this privacy statement


I may update this privacy statement from time to time to reflect changes in my counselling practice, professional guidance, technology or data protection requirements. The most recent version will be available on this website.