Tel: 07886 045515

e-mail: talk@rozscounsellingcorner.co.uk

Effective date: 20 February 2025

Roz’s Counselling Corner (“we”, “us”) is committed to safeguarding your personal information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your personal data in line with UK data protection legislation and ethical counselling practice.

If you have any questions, please contact:
Data Protection Officer: Rosa (Roz) Mills
Email: admin@rozscounsellingcorner.co.uk
Supervisory Authority: Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Phone: +44 1625 545 745

Table of Contents

  1. Definitions
  2. Our Legal Basis for Processing Your Data
  3. Your Rights Under Data Protection Law
  4. What Information We Collect
  5. How We Use Your Data
  6. Sharing Your Information
  7. Storing and Securing Your Data
  8. Remote Sessions and Confidentiality
  9. Cookies and Website Analytics
  10. Changes to This Policy
  11. Contact Information

1. Definitions

  • Personal Data: Information that relates to an identifiable individual.
  • Processing: Any action performed on personal data, whether automated or not.
  • Data Subject: The person whose data is being collected or processed.
  • Child: Anyone under the age of 18.
  • Special Category Data: Sensitive personal data including mental health, race, sexual orientation, etc.

2. Our Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

We collect and process your personal data under the following lawful bases:

  • Consent: You have given clear consent for us to process your personal data.
  • Contract: Processing is necessary for the counselling contract you enter into with us.
  • Legal Obligation: We may need to retain or share your data for legal reasons (e.g. safeguarding or court orders).
  • Legitimate Interests: For purposes such as improving our services, provided your rights do not override this interest.

3. Your Rights

You have the following rights under UK GDPR:

  • To access the personal data we hold about you.
  • To correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
  • To request the erasure of your data (with exceptions for legal obligations).
  • To restrict or object to how we process your data.
  • To request your data in a portable format.
  • To withdraw your consent at any time (where consent is the legal basis).
  • To lodge a complaint with the ICO if you believe we have misused your data.

4. What Information We Collect

We collect the following:

  • Name, contact details, availability
  • Emergency contact details
  • Relevant health and lifestyle information
  • Notes from counselling sessions
  • Website usage data via cookies (see Section 9)

Children’s data: For clients under 18, we retain records for 7 years after they turn 18, in line with insurance and legal guidelines.

5. How We Use Your Data

We use your data to:

  • Provide safe and effective counselling
  • Communicate with you about sessions or changes
  • Maintain secure client records
  • Comply with legal or ethical obligations (e.g. safeguarding)
  • Improve our website (non-identifying analytics data only)

We do not use your data for automated decision-making or marketing without your consent.

6. Sharing Your Information

We do not share your personal information with any third parties unless:

  • You have given explicit consent;
  • There is a legal duty to disclose (e.g. safeguarding, terrorism, drug trafficking, or court subpoena);
  • It is required for professional supervision (discussed anonymously and confidentially).

Any third-party services used (e.g. cloud storage, email providers) are GDPR-compliant.

7. Storing and Securing Your Data

  • Records are kept securely (digitally with encryption or physically in locked storage).
  • Data is retained for 7 years after the end of therapy (or 7 years post-18th birthday for children).
  • After the retention period, all records are securely destroyed.

8. Remote Sessions and Confidentiality

For online or phone counselling:

  • Sessions are conducted over secure platforms (e.g. Zoom with end-to-end encryption).
  • Clients are advised to choose a private space for sessions.
  • No session recordings are made unless explicitly agreed.

9. Cookies and Website Analytics

We use cookies to improve website functionality and monitor usage. You can control cookie settings through your browser. For analytics, we use:

  • Google Analytics – anonymised data to track site usage.

You may opt out here: Google Analytics Opt-Out

We do not use cookies for advertising or remarketing.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect legal changes or improvements to our services. Any changes will be posted on our website.

Last updated: 20 February 2025

11. Contact Information

If you have concerns or questions about this policy or your data:
Email: roz@rozscounsellingcorner.co.uk
Supervisory Authority (ICO): https://ico.org.uk