Privacy Policy

Stillpoint Holistic Counselling (“we”, “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information fairly and lawfully. This policy explains what data we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights.

1. Who we are

Stillpoint Holistic Counselling provides online counselling services to adults. Our contact details are:

Name: Stillpoint Holistic Counselling
Email: stillpointholistic@outlook.com
Website: https://stillpointholisticcounselling.co.uk/

2. What information we collect

We may collect:

Contact details: name, email address, phone number, address.
Booking information: preferred session times, enquiry details.
Therapy information: brief background, reasons for seeking counselling, session notes.
Technical data: IP address, browser type, and basic analytics data.

We only collect information that is relevant to providing counselling, managing appointments, running our website, and meeting our legal and professional obligations.

3. How we collect your information

We collect information:

When you contact us via our website form, email, phone, or video platform.
When you complete any intake or consent forms.
During counselling sessions.
Through cookies or similar technologies used on our website (see section on cookies, if applicable).

4. Lawful basis for processing

We process your personal data under:

Contract: to provide counselling services you request.
Legitimate interests: to manage our business, respond to enquiries, and improve our services.
Legal obligation: to meet our professional, regulatory, and tax responsibilities.
Consent: for specific activities such as adding you to any mailing list (where used).

For special category data (such as health information), we rely on the legal basis that processing is necessary for the provision of health care or treatment.

5. How we use your information

We use your information to:

Respond to enquiries and manage bookings.
Provide online counselling sessions and keep appropriate records.
Maintain secure records for supervision, quality assurance, and risk management.
Handle payments and basic accounting.
Improve our website and services.

We will not use your information for marketing unless you have explicitly agreed.

6. Confidentiality and sharing your information

Everything you share in counselling is treated as confidential. We will not share your information with third parties except:

Where we have your explicit consent.
If required by law or a court order.
Where there is serious and immediate risk of harm to you or others and we have a professional duty to act.
With professional advisers (for example, clinical supervisor) who are bound by confidentiality.
With service providers who help us run our practice (for example, secure email, video platform, practice management software, website hosting), under contracts that protect your data.

If we need to contact your GP or another professional, we will usually discuss this with you first where it is safe and appropriate to do so.

7. How we store and protect your data

We store your data securely using password‑protected devices, encrypted or reputable cloud services, and locked storage where applicable. We take reasonable steps to protect your information from loss, misuse, or unauthorised access.

8. How long we keep your information

We keep your personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this policy and to comply with our legal and professional obligations.

Enquiry data for non‑clients may be kept for up to 12 months.
Therapy records are generally kept for up to 7 years after the end of counselling (or longer where required for clients under 18 at the time of therapy, in line with UK limitation periods).
After these periods, records are securely deleted or destroyed.

9. Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Request deletion of your data in certain circumstances.
Restrict or object to how your data is processed in some situations.
Request transfer of your data to another provider, where technically possible.
Withdraw consent where we rely on consent (this does not affect processing carried out before withdrawal).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details above. We may need to verify your identity before acting on your request.

10. Cookies and website data

Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to ensure it functions correctly, improve performance, and understand how visitors use the site. You can control cookies through your browser settings. For more detail, please see our separate Cookies Policy (if applicable).

11. Third‑party websites

Our website may contain links to other websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and we encourage you to read their privacy policies.

12. Contact and complaints

If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your data, please contact:

Email: stillpointholistic@outlook.com

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how we use your data. For details, visit www.ico.org.uk.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. The latest version will always be available on our website and will state the date it was last updated.