Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
I keep any information you share with me confidential and secure, and only use it to provide your counselling service. I don't share it with anyone else, except in specific situations required by law or professional ethics (for example, risk of serious harm, or a legal obligation), which are explained in full below. You have the right to see, correct, or delete the information I hold about you at any time.
Any personal data that you provide to me will be held and processed in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, for the purposes for which you have given consent, and to provide the professional services you have requested from me.
Full details are set out below.
This policy only applies to data collected by me and via my own forms and website. Third-party agents and websites which are linked to this are not covered by this policy.
What information do I collect?
If we agree to work together, I will ask you to complete and sign a contract at the start of our work, which includes your formal consent to this policy. I also keep records of ongoing work in the form of session notes, emergency contact & GP contact details, appointments, attendance and payments. Your banking details will also exist in my bank account.
What do I use your information for?
To provide you with a professional counselling service.
To offer you appointments.
To notify you about changes to your appointments or other changes to services.
To administer counselling services, including financial administration.
What information do I share?
I will not share any information about you with other organisations or people, except in the following situations:
Consent: I may share your information with others whom you have requested or agreed I can contact.
Serious harm: I may share your information with the relevant authorities if I have reason to believe that this may prevent serious harm being caused to you or another person.
Compliance with the law: I may share your information where I am required to do so by law or by the regulations and professional rules to which I am subject (for example, matters relating to terrorism, money laundering, and safeguarding children and vulnerable adults).
Supervision: I attend supervision of my counselling practice, which is also bound by confidentiality and in which your anonymity is preserved.
My death or serious incapacity: In this event, I have an appointed BACP-registered counsellor who will access your contact details to advise you of events and consider options for future support if you require it. They are also bound by professional confidentiality.
IT security: As part of the backups of encrypted data processed and held by professional IT security companies.
Insurance: Where relevant to a claim or potential claim, I may share necessary information with my professional indemnity insurer, and this information may be checked against fraud-prevention systems as required by their claims process.
How do I keep your information safe?
All information you provide is stored as securely as possible: electronic records are kept on my password-protected computer or with reputable providers using secure encrypted cloud technology, and I may also hold data on my secure smartphone. My website is hosted using Google Sites. As a result, Google may set strictly necessary cookies as part of standard site operation. These do not track you for advertising purposes and do not require separate consent. While I use industry-standard security measures, internet transmission (including email and website forms) is never completely secure, and any such transmission is at your own risk. Your identifiable personal information is kept separately from session notes, which are destroyed 7 years after the end of our work together.
Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the following rights:
To be informed – you have the right to know what personal data I hold about you and why, and how I use it.
To access your data – you can ask for a copy of the personal data I hold about you.
To have inaccuracies corrected – if any information I hold about you is wrong or incomplete, you can ask me to correct it.
To have your data deleted – in some circumstances, you can ask me to delete your personal data. This isn't always possible, particularly where I have a professional or legal duty to keep records for a certain period.
To restrict how your data is used – in certain situations (for example, if you dispute the accuracy of your information), you can ask me to pause using your data while we resolve it.
To withdraw consent – you may withdraw your consent for me to hold and process your data at any time by contacting me. Please be aware that since I can't provide counselling without processing some personal data, withdrawing consent would mean we'd need to stop sessions, though I may still need to retain existing records for a period afterwards in line with this policy.
To complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) – if you're unhappy with how I've handled your data, you have the right to raise a complaint with the ICO (see below).
To exercise any of these rights, please contact me at info@claremainscounselling.co.uk
Data protection complaints
If you have a concern about how I handle your personal data, I encourage you to contact me in the first instance. I will aim to acknowledge your complaint promptly and provide a full response as soon as possible.
If you remain dissatisfied with my response, or if you prefer to raise your concern directly with the regulator, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
Post: Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 5AF
My ICO registration number: ZC196141
Changes to this policy
I may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in law and will notify you of this in writing.
If you have any queries concerning your personal information or any questions about my use of it, please contact me at info@claremainscounselling.co.uk