Privacy Policy

Effective Date: [Insert Date]

At HHart Therapy, I am committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care, respect and confidentiality.

This Privacy Policy explains what information I collect, why I collect it, how it is used, and your rights under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Who I Am

HHart Therapy provides confidential counselling and psychotherapy services to adults.

Data Controller

HHart Therapy

Email: hannah@hhartcounselling.co.uk

Telephone: 07787 766459

What Information I Collect

Depending on how you contact me, I may collect:

Contact Information

Name
Email address
Telephone number

Enquiry Information

Information you choose to provide when making an enquiry, including:

Your reason for seeking counselling
Preferred appointment times
Any information you voluntarily share

Therapy Information

If we begin working together, I may keep confidential clinical notes including:

Session dates
Attendance records
Brief factual session notes
Risk assessments where appropriate
Administrative information relating to your therapy

I aim to keep information accurate, relevant and limited to what is necessary.

How Your Information Is Used

Your information is used to:

Respond to enquiries
Arrange appointments
Provide counselling services
Maintain professional records
Meet legal and ethical obligations
Contact you regarding appointments
Process payments where applicable

Your information is never sold to third parties.

Lawful Basis for Processing

Under UK GDPR, personal information is processed because it is necessary for:

Performing a contract (providing counselling services)
Legitimate interests (running the practice safely and effectively)
Compliance with legal obligations
Where applicable, your explicit consent

Special category data relating to health is processed in accordance with Article 9 UK GDPR for the provision of health and counselling services.

Confidentiality

Everything discussed in counselling is treated as confidential.

However, confidentiality may need to be broken if:

there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or another person;
there are safeguarding concerns involving a child or vulnerable adult;
disclosure is required by law or court order; or
there is another legal or ethical obligation to disclose information.

Where possible, I will discuss any disclosure with you first.

Storage of Your Information

Your information is stored securely using appropriate organisational and technical measures.

Reasonable steps are taken to protect your information from:

unauthorised access;
accidental loss;
misuse;
disclosure; and
alteration.

Only information necessary for the safe running of the practice is retained.

How Long Information Is Kept

Enquiries that do not lead to therapy are normally deleted within a reasonable period unless there is a legitimate reason to retain them.

Client records are retained in accordance with professional guidance and legal requirements before being securely destroyed.

Sharing Your Information

Your information will not normally be shared without your knowledge.

Information may only be shared where:

you have provided consent;
I am legally required to do so;
there is a safeguarding concern;
there is a serious risk of harm;
it is necessary for professional supervision (all supervisors are bound by confidentiality).

Information shared during supervision is anonymised wherever possible.

Your Rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to:

access your personal information;
request correction of inaccurate information;
request restriction of processing where appropriate;
object to certain processing;
request deletion where legally applicable;
request a copy of information held about you.

Some rights may be limited where counselling records are concerned or where legal obligations apply.

Website Information

When you visit this website, limited technical information may be collected automatically, such as:

browser type;
device type;
pages visited;
website usage statistics.

This information helps improve the website and does not normally identify you personally.

This website may use cookies to improve functionality and user experience.

You can choose to disable cookies through your browser settings.

Third-Party Services

If this website uses services such as Google Maps, embedded videos, online booking systems or analytics, these services may collect information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

Contact Forms

Information submitted through the website contact form is used solely to respond to your enquiry and arrange appointments where appropriate.

Please avoid including highly sensitive personal information in your initial enquiry.

Data Security

Reasonable measures are taken to protect personal information using secure systems and password-protected devices.

While every effort is made to keep information secure, no online transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legislation or practice.

The latest version will always be published on this website.

Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact:

HHart Therapy

📧 hannah@hhartcounselling.co.uk

📞 07787 766459

Complaints

If you are unhappy with how your personal information has been handled, please contact me in the first instance so I have the opportunity to address your concerns.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your information has not been handled in accordance with data protection law.