Privacy Policy

Alder & Ash Counselling is a private counselling practice operated by Alan, a person-centred counsellor based in Retford and offering online counselling across the UK.

Alan is the data controller for the purposes of UK data protection law. If you have any questions about how your data is used, please get in touch at admin@alderandashcounselling.co.uk.

When you make an enquiry, book a session, or enter into a counselling relationship with us, we may collect:

• —Your name and contact details (email address, phone number)
• —Information you share about yourself in booking forms or initial enquiries
• —Session notes made during or after our work together
• —Contract and consent documents you sign electronically
• —Payment records (dates and amounts only, no card details are stored)
• —Feedback you provide at the end of our work

This website does not use cookies for tracking or advertising purposes. No analytics data is collected that can identify you personally.

Your information is used only for the following purposes:

• —To arrange, confirm and manage counselling sessions
• —To communicate with you about your appointments
• —To maintain clinical records as part of responsible counselling practice
• —To meet legal and professional obligations (including safeguarding duties)

Your information is never sold, shared with third parties for marketing purposes, or used for any purpose unrelated to your counselling.

The legal bases under which we process your data are:

• —Contractual necessity, to deliver the counselling service you have requested
• —Legitimate interests, to maintain appropriate clinical records and ensure continuity of care
• —Legal obligation, where we are required to act by law (for example, in relation to safeguarding)
• —Consent, where you have explicitly agreed to a specific use of your information

Client records, including session notes and signed contracts, are retained for seven years after the end of our work together, in line with professional guidance for counselling practice. Where a client was under 18 at the time of counselling, records are kept until their 25th birthday, or seven years from the final session, whichever is later.

Enquiries that do not lead to a counselling relationship are deleted within 12 months.

After the relevant retention period, your data is securely deleted.

All client data is stored securely and access is restricted to Alan. Session notes are kept in encrypted digital storage. Emails containing sensitive information are handled with care and are not forwarded to third parties.

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in risk to your rights or freedoms, we will notify the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) within 72 hours and inform you directly if required.

As part of ethical counselling practice, I attend regular clinical supervision. This means aspects of our work may be discussed with a qualified supervisor. When this happens, your name and identifying details are not shared. Supervision is a professional requirement and is in place to protect you and maintain the quality of the work.

Confidentiality may be broken without your consent only in very limited circumstances, for example, if there is a serious and immediate risk of harm to yourself or someone else, or where we are legally required to disclose information. Where possible, this would be discussed with you first.

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
• —Ask us to delete your data, where there is no legal reason for us to keep it
• —Object to or restrict how we process your data in certain circumstances
• —Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for processing
• —Make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office (ico.org.uk)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at admin@alderandashcounselling.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

This policy may be updated from time to time. The date at the top of the page reflects when it was last revised. Significant changes will be communicated to active clients directly.

If you have any questions about this policy or how your data is handled, please get in touch: