Privacy Policy

Website: burgesshillcounselling.co.uk

The Contact Form

When you submit the contact form, your message is sent by email to Virginia's personal email address, accessed only via password-protected devices. The website keeps no copy of your message.

So that the form cannot be used by automated senders, the website briefly records a one-way encrypted reference to your email address and internet connection. It cannot be read back to identify you, and it is deleted automatically within 24 hours.

  • If you agree to meet, your email is deleted after the assessment session upon contract signing.
  • If you decide I am not the right counsellor for you, your details are deleted within 24 hours.
  • If no response is received, deletion happens within 3 weeks.

Data Retained During Counselling

If we agree to work together, I retain the following:

  • Home address
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • Emergency contact name and number
  • Doctor's name and contact number

How Your Data is Stored

Signed contracts are kept in a locked filing cabinet for 7 years after therapy ends, or as per your preference. A separate counselling phone stores your number by unique code — it is password encrypted and deleted when our work together ends.

Session notes are handwritten and serve only as supervision aids. They contain no identifiable details — only an allocated code. These are securely locked away and legally belong to you. On termination of therapy, notes can be returned to you or destroyed after 7 years.

Data Sharing

Nothing from our counselling work is shared with anyone. Two services process limited information on my behalf so that the website can function:

  • Resend — delivers the emails sent from the contact form, and keeps a log of what was delivered
  • Google Analytics — measures website traffic anonymously, as described below

Neither has access to session notes, signed contracts, or anything else from our counselling work.

Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics to track website traffic anonymously. For more information, see Google's privacy policy.

Your Rights Under GDPR

Unless exempted, you have the right to:

  • Request a copy of your personal data
  • Request correction of inaccurate information
  • Request erasure when data is no longer necessary
  • Withdraw consent at any time
  • Request data portability
  • Request processing restrictions during disputes
  • Object to processing
  • Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office

Data Breach Procedures

In the event of a data breach, please contact Virginia in the first instance. If necessary, you may also contact the Information Commissioner's Office:

Professional Registrations

Virginia is registered with the following organisations, each with their own independent privacy policies:

  • BACP (British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy)
  • EMDR Association UK & Ireland
  • EMDR Europe Association
  • ACC (Association of Christians in Counselling and Linked Professions)