Privacy Policy

Inner Clarity Counselling

Website: www.inner-clarity.co.uk
ICO Registration Number: ZC220029
Last updated: 18 August 2026

1. Introduction

Inner Clarity Counselling respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how Inner Clarity Counselling collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you contact me, enquire about counselling, use my website, or receive counselling services from me.

I process personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data protection legislation.

For the purposes of data protection legislation, Inner Clarity Counselling is the data controller of the personal information I hold about you.

2. What information I collect

Depending on how you interact with Inner Clarity Counselling, I may collect and process the following information:

Contact and identification information

This may include:

  • Your name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Information you provide through the website contact form
  • Information contained in correspondence between you and Inner Clarity Counselling

Counselling information

If you become a client, I may process information necessary to provide counselling services, including:

  • Information provided during an initial enquiry or assessment
  • Counselling notes
  • Information relating to your circumstances, experiences and wellbeing
  • Risk assessment and safeguarding information
  • Information relevant to the therapeutic relationship and provision of counselling

Some of this information may constitute special category personal data, particularly information concerning your physical or mental health. Special category data receives additional protection under the UK GDPR.

3. How I use your information

I use your personal information only where necessary and for appropriate purposes, including to:

  • Respond to enquiries
  • Arrange and provide counselling sessions
  • Communicate with you about appointments and counselling arrangements
  • Carry out appropriate assessment and risk management
  • Maintain appropriate counselling records
  • Provide safe and professional counselling services
  • Process payments
  • Meet legal, regulatory, professional and insurance requirements
  • Deal with complaints or concerns
  • Protect the safety and wellbeing of clients or others where necessary
  • Maintain the security and effective operation of my website and IT systems

I do not use your counselling information for advertising or marketing purposes.

4. Lawful basis for processing

Under the UK GDPR, I must have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, I may rely on one or more of the following lawful bases:

  • Contract: where processing is necessary to provide counselling services that you have requested.
  • Legitimate interests: where processing is necessary for the legitimate operation and administration of my counselling practice, provided that your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests.
  • Legal obligation: where I am required to process or retain information in order to comply with a legal obligation.
  • Vital interests: where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life or prevent serious harm in an emergency.
  • Consent: where consent is the appropriate legal basis for a particular use of your information.

Special category information

Counselling may involve processing information concerning your health and wellbeing, which may constitute special category data under the UK GDPR.

I will only process such information where an appropriate condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR applies, in addition to a lawful basis under Article 6.

Where appropriate, this may include processing necessary for the provision or management of health or social care or treatment, or processing based on explicit consent.

I will only collect and retain information that is relevant and necessary for the purposes for which it is processed.

The ICO emphasises that special category data requires particular attention to data minimisation, security and transparency.

5. Counselling confidentiality

Confidentiality is an important part of the counselling relationship.

Information you share during counselling will normally remain confidential and will not be disclosed to other people without your permission.

There are, however, circumstances where confidentiality may need to be limited. These may include situations involving:

  • A serious and imminent risk of harm to you or another person
  • Safeguarding concerns
  • Serious concerns involving the abuse or neglect of a child or vulnerable adult
  • A legal requirement or court order
  • Professional, regulatory or insurance requirements where disclosure is necessary and lawful

Where it is reasonably possible and safe to do so, I will discuss any proposed disclosure with you beforehand.

Only information that is necessary and proportionate will normally be disclosed.

6. Counselling records and retention

I maintain appropriate records of counselling services in order to provide safe, effective and professionally responsible care.

These records may include contact information, assessment information, risk information and counselling notes.

Counselling records are normally retained for seven years following the end of therapy.

At the end of the applicable retention period, information will be securely deleted or destroyed unless there is a lawful reason why it needs to be retained for longer.

Retention periods may occasionally be extended where this is necessary because of a legal obligation, complaint, investigation, safeguarding matter, insurance requirement or other legitimate legal or professional reason.

7. How I protect your information

I take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against:

  • Unauthorised access
  • Accidental loss
  • Unauthorised disclosure
  • Alteration
  • Destruction
  • Other unlawful or unauthorised processing

Because counselling information can be highly sensitive, I take particular care to restrict access to client information and use appropriate security measures.

Electronic information is stored using appropriate password protection, access controls and security measures.

8. Online counselling

Counselling sessions are provided online using Google Meet.

Information associated with online counselling may therefore be processed through Google systems.

I use Google Workspace for relevant business communications and storage.

You should also familiarise yourself with Google’s own privacy and data protection information because Google is a separate organisation and may process personal information in accordance with its own terms and privacy arrangements.

9. Payment information

Payments may be processed using PayPal.

Where you make a payment through PayPal, payment information may be processed directly by PayPal. I do not normally receive or store your full payment card details.

PayPal is a separate data controller/processor in relation to its own processing activities and has its own privacy arrangements.

10. Website and contact forms

If you contact Inner Clarity Counselling through the website, telephone or email, I may retain the information you provide in order to respond to your enquiry and, where appropriate, arrange counselling services.

Information submitted through the website contact form will only be used for the purpose for which it was provided and will be handled confidentially.

Please avoid including highly sensitive or detailed personal information in an initial website enquiry unless it is necessary. A brief message requesting contact is generally sufficient.

11. Who I share your information with

I do not sell, rent or trade your personal information.

I may share personal information with third parties where this is necessary, lawful and proportionate. Depending on the circumstances, these may include:

  • Google Workspace and Google Meet
  • PayPal, where payment processing is involved
  • Website hosting or technical service providers
  • Professional advisers, insurers or regulatory bodies where necessary
  • Emergency services or other appropriate organisations where necessary to protect life or prevent serious harm
  • Public authorities or legal representatives where I am legally required to provide information

Where I use third-party service providers to process personal information on my behalf, I take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate data protection and confidentiality arrangements are in place.

12. International transfers

Some technology and payment providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, I will take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.

These safeguards may include adequacy regulations or approved contractual safeguards where applicable.

13. Your data protection rights

Under data protection legislation, you may have rights including:

  • The right to be informed about how your information is used
  • The right to request access to personal information held about you
  • The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
  • The right to request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances
  • The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
  • The right to object to certain processing
  • The right to data portability in certain circumstances
  • Rights relating to automated decision-making and profiling, where applicable

These rights are not absolute and may be subject to legal or professional exceptions.

For example, information contained in counselling records may sometimes be subject to specific legal requirements or exemptions.

14. Making a data protection request

If you wish to exercise any of your data protection rights, please contact Inner Clarity Counselling using the contact details provided on the website.

I may need to request sufficient information to verify your identity before providing personal information or acting on a request.

I will normally respond to a valid request within one month, although this may be extended where legally permitted for complex or numerous requests.

15. Data breaches

I take reasonable steps to prevent personal data breaches.

If a personal data breach occurs, I will assess the incident and take appropriate action in accordance with UK data protection legislation.

Where the law requires notification to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) or affected individuals, I will make the appropriate notification.

16. Cookies and website analytics

The Inner Clarity Counselling website may use cookies or similar technologies to enable the website to function effectively and, where applicable, to understand how visitors use the website.

Where non-essential cookies or analytics technologies are used, appropriate information and consent mechanisms will be provided.

You can also manage cookies through your browser settings.

Note: The exact wording of this section should be reviewed against the actual cookies and analytics services installed on the website.

17. Marketing

Inner Clarity Counselling does not send marketing emails or newsletters.

Your personal information will not be used for direct marketing purposes without an appropriate lawful basis and, where required, your consent.

18. Children’s information

Inner Clarity Counselling will take appropriate care when processing personal information relating to children or young people.

Where counselling is provided to a person under 18, additional considerations regarding consent, confidentiality, safeguarding and parental responsibility may apply.

These will be addressed on a case-by-case basis in accordance with applicable law and professional ethical requirements.

19. Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, guidance, technology, services or the way Inner Clarity Counselling processes personal information.

The most recent version will be published on the Inner Clarity Counselling website.

Last updated: 18 August 2026

20. Complaints

If you have concerns about the way Inner Clarity Counselling has handled your personal information, please contact me in the first instance so that I can try to resolve your concern.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is the UK’s independent data protection regulator.

You can find information about making a complaint on the ICO’s website:

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

ICO registration number: ZC220029

21. Contact

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

Inner Clarity Counselling

Website: www.inner-clarity.co.uk

Email: hello@inner-clarity.co.uk

Business address: [redacted from this public policy]