Privacy Notice
ClearMind Counselling Service
Counsellor: Paula Martin
Email: paula@clearmindcounsellingservice.co.uk
Location: Aberdeen, Scotland
Registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Last updated:19/09/26
Your privacy
I take your privacy seriously and understand that the information you share with me during counselling is personal and often sensitive.
This Privacy Notice explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I keep it safe, how long I keep it, and your rights regarding your information.
I process your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and my professional and ethical responsibilities as a counsellor.
What information do I collect?
I only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing counselling and managing my practice.
This may include:
Your name and contact details.
Information provided when you first contact me.
Appointment and attendance information.
Information you choose to share during counselling.
Relevant information about your mental, emotional or physical wellbeing.
Counselling notes and records.
Payment information where necessary to manage your sessions.
Emergency contact information, where appropriate.
Some of the information you share may be considered special category data under data protection law, such as information about your health or wellbeing. I take particular care to protect this information.
How do I collect your information?
I may collect information when you:
Contact me by email, telephone or through my website.
Have an initial telephone conversation with me.
Complete counselling or assessment paperwork.
Attend counselling sessions.
Arrange or change an appointment.
Make a payment for counselling.
I will not normally obtain personal information about you from other people or organisations without your knowledge unless there is a legal or safeguarding reason for doing so.
How do I use your information?
I use your information to:
Respond to your enquiries.
Arrange and manage counselling appointments.
Provide counselling services.
Maintain appropriate counselling records.
Communicate with you about your appointments.
Process payments and manage my accounts.
Meet my professional, ethical, and legal responsibilities.
Consider and respond appropriately to safeguarding or serious risk concerns where necessary.
I will only use your information for purposes that are appropriate and necessary for providing and managing my counselling service.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is an important part of counselling. I will respect your privacy and will normally keep what you share with me confidential.
There are, however, some circumstances where I may need to share information without your consent. These may include situations where:
I believe there is a serious and immediate risk of harm to you or another person.
There are safeguarding concerns involving a child or vulnerable adult.
I am required to disclose information by law.
Disclosure is necessary to meet a legal or professional obligation.
Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss this with you before sharing information.
As part of my professional practice, I undertake regular supervision. I may discuss aspects of my counselling work with my supervisor to support safe and effective practice. I take care to protect your identity by discussing your work anonymously wherever possible.
How do I keep your information safe?
I take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from being lost, misused, accessed by unauthorised people, or disclosed without permission.
Client records are maintained electronically and, where appropriate, in paper format.
Electronic records are stored on a password-protected computer with encrypted files. Paper records are stored in a locked filing cabinet and are accessible only to me. I will only keep information that is relevant to your counselling and my professional responsibilities.
Email, telephone and online counselling:
I use a dedicated Google Workspace (Gmail) account for professional communication with clients.
Email and other electronic communication are not completely risk-free. I take reasonable steps to protect your information, but no electronic communication system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Email and telephone communication will generally be used for practical matters such as arranging appointments.
Where online counselling is provided, I use secure video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Appropriate security features, including password protection and waiting rooms where available, are used to help maintain privacy and confidentiality.
If you contact me through my website, the information you provide will be used only to respond to your enquiry and manage any counselling services you request. My website is hosted by Squarespace, which processes personal information in accordance with its own Privacy Policy.
Payments:
Payment is normally made by bank transfer. Card payments may also be accepted.
How long will I keep your information?
I will keep your personal information and counselling records only for as long as necessary and in accordance with relevant legal, professional and insurance requirements.
My records will be retained for the length of your therapy, and up to 1 year thereafter.
Once the retention period has ended, information will be securely deleted or destroyed.
Who will I share your information with?
I will not normally share your personal information with anyone without your consent.
There may be circumstances where information needs to be shared, such as where:
There is a serious risk of harm.
There are safeguarding concerns.
I am legally required to provide information.
Sharing information is necessary to meet a professional or legal obligation.
You have given your consent for information to be shared.
Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss this with you first.
Your rights:
Under UK data protection law, you have a number of rights regarding your personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, these may include the right to:
Ask what personal information I hold about you.
Request a copy of your information.
Ask me to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
Ask for your information to be deleted in certain circumstances.
Ask me to restrict how your information is used in certain circumstances.
Object to certain types of processing.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on your consent.
Some of these rights are subject to legal exceptions and may not apply in every situation.
If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact me at:
Email: paula@clearmindcounsellingservice.co.uk
Website and cookies:
My website may use cookies or similar technologies to help the website function and, depending on the services used, to understand how visitors use the website.
You can manage cookies through your browser settings and, where applicable, through the cookie choices provided on the website.
If you follow a link from my website to another website, that website will have its own privacy policy. I am not responsible for the privacy practices of other websites.
Complaints:
If you have any concerns about the way I have handled your personal information, please contact me first. I will do my best to resolve your concerns.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is the UK’s independent data protection regulator. Information about your data protection rights and how to make a complaint can be found on the ICO website.
Changes to this Privacy Notice:
I may update this Privacy Notice from time to time if my practice, the services I use, or data protection requirements change.
The most recent version will always be available on my website.
Last updated: [Insert date]