Privacy Policy

Introduction
At Mend Counselling and Psychotherapy Services your privacy is important to me. This Privacy Policy outlines how I collect, use, store, and safeguard your personal information when you visit my website or engage in any therapy and counselling services. I am committed to complying with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and ensuring your data is handled lawfully, fairly, and transparently.

About Mend Counselling Services
Mend Counselling and Psychotherapy Services offers counselling and psychotherapy services to individuals and couples.

Information Collected
When you use the services or visit the website, I may collect the following types of personal data:

Personal Identification Information: Name, email address, phone number, and other contact details.
Health and Therapy Information: Details related to your therapy sessions, including notes, history, and treatment progress.
Technical Data: IP address, browser type, device details, and website usage information (such as time spent and pages visited).

How Your Information Is Used
Your personal data is used to:

Provide therapy and counselling services.
Communicate with you about appointments, sessions, or enquiries.
Enhance services and improve website functionality.
Fulfil legal and ethical responsibilities related to counselling practice.

Legal Basis for Processing Your Data
Under GDPR, personal data is processed on the following grounds:

Consent: When you provide consent (e.g. completing forms or subscribing to services).
Contractual Necessity: To fulfil a counselling agreement with you.
Legal Obligation: To comply with laws and record-keeping requirements.
Legitimate Interests: For purposes like website security, service improvements, and communication related to your sessions.

How Your Data Is Protected
I take your privacy seriously and employ various security measures to protect your data from unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. This includes encrypted communications, secure storage, and regular backups.

Data Retention
Personal data is kept only as long as necessary to provide services or as legally required. Therapy records are retained for a minimum of 7 years, in line with professional guidelines.

Your Rights
Under GDPR, you have the right to:

Access: Request the personal data I hold about you.
Rectification: Correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erasure: Request deletion of your data, subject to conditions.
Restrict Processing: Limit how your data is used under certain circumstances.
Data Portability: Obtain a copy of your data in a common, structured format.
Object: Oppose certain types of data processing, including direct marketing.

To exercise these rights, please contact: info@mendcounselling.co.uk

Sharing Your Data
Your personal information will not be shared with third parties without your explicit consent, except when legally required or to fulfil contractual duties (e.g., with software providers used for appointment management).

Cookies and Tracking
This website uses cookies to enhance user experience and analyse traffic. Cookies are small files stored on your device to remember preferences and customise content. You can adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies, but this may affect your website experience.

International Data Transfers
Personal data is not transferred outside the European Economic Area (EEA). Should this change, appropriate safeguards will be implemented to protect your data.

Changes to This Privacy Policy
This policy may be updated occasionally to reflect changes in practices or legal requirements. Updates will be posted on this page with the revised effective date.

Contact Information
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how your data is managed, please get in touch:

Mend Counselling and Psychotherapy Services Email: info@mendcounselling.co.uk