Privacy Notice

At The Counselling Space (“we,” “us,” or “our”), we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Notice sets out how we collect, use, store, and share personal information about individuals who use our website and related services (collectively, our “Services”).

We process personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. By using our Services, you acknowledge that we may collect and process your information as described in this notice.

Personal information is information that identifies, or could be used to identify, a specific individual. It does not include anonymised or pseudonymised information, or aggregated data derived from personal information.

The Counselling Space is the data controller responsible for your personal data. If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how we handle your data, please contact us at:

Email: [email protected]
Address: 6 Pirelli Way, Eastleigh, SO50 5GF

Information You Provide to Us

We may collect the following information when you contact us, complete a form, or register for our services:

• Your name, email address, telephone number, and postal address
• Information about your reason for enquiring, including any concerns or presenting issues you choose to share
• Your preferred therapist, session format, availability, and session frequency
• How you heard about us
• Consent preferences (GDPR consent, mailing list opt-in, feedback opt-in)
• Payment information, processed securely via a third-party payment provider
• If you apply to join our team: your employment history, qualifications, references, and a covering letter
• If you register for an event: your name, contact details, and any information relevant to that event

Information We Collect Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect:

• Your IP address, browser type, and operating system
• Pages visited, session duration, and how you navigate our site
• Information collected via cookies and similar technologies (see Section 7)

Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third parties who help us operate our Services, such as analytics providers. Any information received from third parties is governed by their own privacy policies, which we encourage you to review.

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes, and rely on the lawful bases indicated under UK GDPR:

• To provide our Services – including responding to enquiries, matching you with a suitable therapist, and facilitating bookings. Lawful basis: contract / legitimate interests.
• To communicate with you – sending confirmations, updates, and responses to your requests. Lawful basis: contract / legitimate interests.
• To send marketing communications – only where you have opted in to receive them. Lawful basis: consent.
• To improve our Services – analysing how our website is used to enhance user experience. Lawful basis: legitimate interests.
• To host events – managing registrations and communications for events we organise. Lawful basis: contract / legitimate interests.
• To process applications – evaluating applications from therapists and other professionals who wish to join our team. Lawful basis: legitimate interests.
• To comply with legal obligations – including safeguarding duties and any requirements under applicable law. Lawful basis: legal obligation.
• To prevent fraud and ensure safety – detecting and responding to trust and safety issues. Lawful basis: legitimate interests.

Special category data: Information about your mental health or wellbeing is considered special category data under UK GDPR. We only collect and process such information where you have provided explicit consent, or where it is necessary for the provision of health-related services.

Service Providers

We may share your information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our Services (for example, email delivery, website hosting, and payment processing). These organisations are contractually required to handle your data securely and only for the purposes we specify.

Analytics Partners

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our website. Google may process data about your use of our site. For more information, see Google’s Privacy & Terms. You can opt out using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information where required to do so by law, or in response to valid requests from public authorities (for example, a court or regulatory body). We may also disclose information where necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of The Counselling Space, our clients, or others.

Business Transfers

In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the relevant third party. We will notify you of any such change and ensure your data continues to be protected in accordance with this Privacy Notice.

With Your Consent

We may share your information with other parties where you have given us your explicit consent to do so.

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.

All information shared within a counselling or therapeutic relationship is treated as strictly confidential. Our therapists adhere to the ethical frameworks of their professional bodies (including BACP, UKCP, and NCPS), which set clear standards for confidentiality and its limits.

Confidentiality may only be broken in exceptional circumstances, including where there is a serious risk of harm to you or others, or where we are required to do so by law (for example, under safeguarding legislation). In such cases, we will, wherever possible, discuss this with you first.

We retain personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this Privacy Notice, or as required by law. Counselling records are typically retained for a minimum of seven years following the end of a therapeutic relationship, in line with professional guidance. Enquiry and contact data is retained for a shorter period unless a therapeutic relationship is established.

When data is no longer required, it is securely deleted or anonymised.

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve your experience and to help us understand how our site is used. Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website.

We use the following types of cookies:

• Essential cookies – necessary for the website to function correctly.
• Analytics cookies – used to collect information about how visitors use our site (via Google Analytics). These cookies are only set with your consent.

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. For more information about cookies, visit www.aboutcookies.org.

Under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• The right to be informed – you have the right to know how and why we use your personal data. This Privacy Notice fulfils that obligation.
• The right of access – you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a Subject Access Request).
• The right to rectification – you may ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold about you.
• The right to erasure – you may ask us to delete your personal data in certain circumstances (also known as the ‘right to be forgotten’).
• The right to restrict processing – you may ask us to limit the way we use your personal data in certain circumstances.
• The right to data portability – you may request that we transfer your personal data to you or to another organisation in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• The right to object – you may object to our processing of your personal data where we rely on legitimate interests as our lawful basis.
• Rights in relation to automated decision-making – you have the right not to be subject to decisions made solely by automated processing that have a significant effect on you. We do not carry out such processing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond to your request within one calendar month.

If you are not satisfied with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection authority:

ico.org.uk  |  Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Our Services are operated from the United Kingdom. Where we use third-party service providers who process data outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place in accordance with UK GDPR requirements (for example, the use of UK International Data Transfer Agreements or equivalent adequacy decisions).

Our Services are not directed at children under the age of 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under 16 without appropriate parental or guardian consent. If you believe a child has provided us with personal data without appropriate consent, please contact us at [email protected] and we will take steps to delete it.

We take the security of your personal data seriously and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against accidental loss, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

We may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated “last updated” date. We encourage you to review this notice periodically. Where changes are material, we will notify you by email or by a prominent notice on our website.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Notice or the way we handle your personal data, please contact us:

The Counselling Space
6 Pirelli Way, Eastleigh, SO50 5GF
[email protected]