Privacy Notice

Last reviewed: 24 October 2026

1. Introduction

This Privacy Notice explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit my website, contact me, enquire about my services or engage in psychotherapy or counselling.

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.

I am the data controller responsible for the personal information collected and processed in connection with my private practice. For any questions about this notice or the handling of your personal information, please get in touch with me at: contact@aj-psychotherapy.com

2. Personal Information I Collect

The personal information I collect depends on whether you are making an enquiry or engaging in therapy.

Enquiries and appointment arrangements

When you contact me through my website, by email or by telephone, I may collect:

Your name
Your email address
Your telephone number
Information you choose to provide about your enquiry
Appointment requests and related correspondence

Information collected during therapy

If you become a client, I may also collect:

Your date of birth and contact details
Your address and emergency contact information
Relevant medical and psychological history
Contact details of your GP or other healthcare professionals
Information relating to your personal circumstances, relationships and experiences
Clinical assessments and therapy notes
Information relevant to safeguarding and risk assessment

Therapy may involve discussing sensitive personal matters. Some of this information is classified as special category data under the UK GDPR. This can include information concerning physical or mental health, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or sex life.I collect and process such information only where it is relevant and necessary for providing professional therapeutic services or fulfilling my legal and professional responsibilities.

Financial information

Where relevant, I may process payment records, invoices, transaction details and information necessary for insurance-funded therapy.

3. How I Obtain Your Information

I obtain most personal information directly from you, through enquiries, assessments, therapeutic conversations and correspondence. Where relevant, I may also receive information from:

Insurance providers
Your GP, psychiatrist or another healthcare professional
Other professionals involved in your care
Third parties who contact me in connection with safeguarding or other legitimate professional concerns

Information received from third parties is handled with the same attention to confidentiality and data protection as information provided directly by you.

4. How I Use Your Personal Information

I use personal information only for legitimate professional purposes, including:

Responding to enquiries about my services
Arranging, confirming and managing appointments
Providing psychotherapy and counselling
Maintaining appropriate clinical records
Supporting continuity and quality of care
Processing payments and insurance claims
Participating in professional clinical supervision
Meeting professional, regulatory and legal obligations
Managing safeguarding concerns and significant risks of harm
Establishing, exercising or defending legal claims where necessary

I do not sell your personal information or use clinical information for commercial marketing.

5. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Information

Under the UK GDPR, I must process personal information on a lawful basis.

Depending on the circumstances, I rely on the following lawful bases under Article 6:

Contract – Article 6(1)(b)

Processing necessary to take steps towards entering into a therapeutic agreement or to provide services under an existing agreement.

Legitimate interests – Article 6(1)(f)

Processing necessary for the legitimate interests of operating a professional psychotherapy practice, including responding to enquiries, maintaining appropriate records and managing the practice, provided your rights and freedoms do not override these interests.

Legal obligation – Article 6(1)(c)

Processing necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations.

Vital interests – Article 6(1)(d)

Processing necessary to protect someone's life in exceptional circumstances.

Special Category Information

Information concerning your physical or mental health and other sensitive matters receives additional protection under data protection law. For information necessary to provide psychotherapy and counselling, I generally rely on Article 9(2)(h) of the UK GDPR, concerning the provision of health or social care or treatment, together with the relevant provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 and professional confidentiality obligations.

In other circumstances, different conditions may apply, including where processing is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or where an applicable safeguarding condition is met.

Consent to participate in therapy is distinct from consent as a lawful basis for processing personal information.

I do not ordinarily rely on data protection consent for the processing necessary to provide psychotherapy services.

6. Confidentiality and Disclosure

Confidentiality is fundamental to the therapeutic relationship.

I treat information shared during therapy as confidential and do not disclose it to other individuals or organisations, except where there is an appropriate lawful basis or legal obligation to do so.

However, confidentiality is not absolute.

There may be circumstances in which sharing limited information is necessary or legally required, including:

Where you have agreed to relevant information being shared with another professional
Where disclosure is necessary to address a serious safeguarding concern or significant risk of harm
Where disclosure is required by law or a valid legal obligation
Where information is necessary for legal or regulatory proceedings
Where limited information must be provided to an insurer for the administration of funded therapy

Where appropriate and reasonably possible, I will discuss a proposed disclosure with you beforehand.

Any disclosure will be considered carefully and limited to information necessary for its purpose.

Professional Supervision. To maintain professional standards, I attend regular clinical supervision.

Clinical material may be discussed during supervision to support safe, ethical and good practice.

Wherever practicable, I omit or minimise identifying details.

Professional confidentiality obligations bind my clinical supervisor.

Other Service Providers.Limited personal information may also be processed by organisations providing essential administrative or technical services, including website hosting, email, payment processing and accounting services.

These arrangements are subject to applicable data protection requirements.

7. Clinical Records and Information Security

I take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, alteration or disclosure.

Clinical notes. I maintain clinical notes separately on paper rather than through the website.

I restrict access to clinical records and keep them secure.

Electronic communications. I handle information submitted through the website or sent by email separately from paper clinical notes. Electronic correspondence and administrative information are managed using appropriate security measures.

Although I take reasonable precautions, no electronic communication system can guarantee absolute security.

For this reason, I encourage you to avoid including unnecessarily detailed or highly sensitive clinical information in an initial website enquiry.

Where a personal data breach occurs, I will assess the circumstances and notify affected individuals and the Information Commissioner's Office where legally required.

8. Website Privacy and Cookies

My website, www.aj-psychotherapy.com, is hosted using Wix.

When you visit the website, certain technical information may be processed to enable the website to function securely and effectively.

This may include information about your browser, device, IP address and website interactions.

Wix and other relevant website service providers may process information in accordance with their respective roles and applicable data protection requirements.

The website may use essential cookies required for its operation.

Where non-essential cookies or similar tracking technologies are used, appropriate information and consent mechanisms will be provided in accordance with applicable UK requirements.

You can also manage cookies through your browser settings.

9. International Transfers of Personal Information

My psychotherapy practice operates in the United Kingdom.

Some third-party technology providers, including website and email service providers, may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where international transfers of personal information are subject to UK data protection transfer restrictions, appropriate legal safeguards must be in place. These may include UK adequacy regulations or other recognised transfer mechanisms and safeguards. Further information about applicable international transfer arrangements may be requested using the contact details above.

10. How Long I Keep Personal Information

I retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, taking account of professional responsibilities, applicable legal requirements and potential legal claims.

Clinical records

I retain clinical records for seven years after therapy ends, in accordance with my documented retention policy, applicable professional guidance, and relevant legal or insurance requirements.

Different retention arrangements may apply if the client is a child or young person, or if safeguarding concerns, legal proceedings, or other exceptional circumstances require longer retention.

Enquiries and correspondence. Information relating to enquiries that do not lead to therapy is retained only for a limited period necessary to manage the enquiry and any associated legitimate administrative or legal requirements.

Financial records. Financial and accounting records are retained for the periods required by applicable tax and accounting legislation. At the end of the relevant retention period, personal information is securely destroyed or deleted unless there is a lawful reason to retain it for longer.

11. Your Data Protection Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have several rights concerning your personal information. These include:

You may request access to the personal information I hold about you, subject to applicable legal exemptions.

You may request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances. This right is not absolute and may be limited by professional, legal or regulatory obligations.

Right to restriction. You may request that processing of your personal information be restricted in certain circumstances.

You have the right to object to processing based on legitimate interests, including where your particular circumstances give rise to an objection. I will consider any objection in accordance with the applicable legal requirements.

Right to data portability. Where the legal conditions apply, you may request that certain personal information be provided in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.

Rights relating to automated decision-making. You have rights concerning certain decisions made solely through automated processing that have legal or similarly significant effects.

I do not use solely automated decision-making to make clinical decisions about clients.

Not every right applies in every circumstance, and certain exemptions may apply to clinical information.

Requests relating to your personal information can be made by emailing:

contact@aj-psychotherapy.com

I will respond within the time limits required by applicable data protection legislation.

Right to rectification

You may request that inaccurate personal information I hold about you be corrected or that incomplete information be completed.

Your Right to Complain

If you have concerns about how your personal information is handled, you are welcome to contact me directly so that I can consider and address them.

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

Information Commissioner's Office

Website: www.ico.org.uk

You do not need to contact me before making a complaint to the ICO.

Providing Personal Information

You are not generally under a statutory obligation to provide personal information when enquiring.

However, I need certain information to arrange appointments, enter into a therapeutic agreement, and provide safe and appropriate psychotherapy services.

If essential information is not available, I may be unable to offer or continue a particular service.

Changes to This Privacy Notice

I review this Privacy Notice periodically to ensure that it continues to reflect my professional practice and applicable data protection requirements.

Any significant changes will be published on my website and, where appropriate, brought directly to the attention of affected individuals.

Last reviewed: 24 October 2026

Privacy Notice

​

Last reviewed: 24 October 2026

​

1. Introduction

This Privacy Notice explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal information when you visit my website, contact me, enquire about my services or engage in psychotherapy or counselling.

​

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.

​

I am the data controller responsible for the personal information collected and processed in connection with my private practice. For any questions about this notice or the handling of your personal information, please get in touch with me at: contact@aj-psychotherapy.com

2. Personal Information I Collect

The personal information I collect depends on whether you are making an enquiry or engaging in therapy.

Enquiries and appointment arrangements

​

When you contact me through my website, by email or by telephone, I may collect:

Your name

Your email address

Your telephone number

Information you choose to provide about your enquiry

Appointment requests and related correspondence

Information collected during therapy

If you become a client, I may also collect:

Your date of birth and contact details

Your address and emergency contact information

Relevant medical and psychological history

Contact details of your GP or other healthcare professionals

Information relating to your personal circumstances, relationships and experiences

Clinical assessments and therapy notes

Information relevant to safeguarding and risk assessment

​

Financial information

Where relevant, I may process payment records, invoices, transaction details and information necessary for insurance-funded therapy.

3. How I Obtain Your Information

I obtain most personal information directly from you, through enquiries, assessments, therapeutic conversations and correspondence. Where relevant, I may also receive information from:

Insurance providers

Your GP, psychiatrist or another healthcare professional

Other professionals involved in your care

Third parties who contact me in connection with safeguarding or other legitimate professional concerns

Information received from third parties is handled with the same attention to confidentiality and data protection as information provided directly by you.

​

4. How I Use Your Personal Information

I use personal information only for legitimate professional purposes, including:

Responding to enquiries about my services

Arranging, confirming and managing appointments

Providing psychotherapy and counselling

Maintaining appropriate clinical records

Supporting continuity and quality of care

Processing payments and insurance claims

Participating in professional clinical supervision

Meeting professional, regulatory and legal obligations

Managing safeguarding concerns and significant risks of harm

Establishing, exercising or defending legal claims where necessary

I do not sell your personal information or use clinical information for commercial marketing.

5. Legal Basis for Processing Personal Information

Under the UK GDPR, I must process personal information on a lawful basis.

Depending on the circumstances, I rely on the following lawful bases under Article 6:

Contract – Article 6(1)(b)

Processing necessary to take steps towards entering into a therapeutic agreement or to provide services under an existing agreement.

Legitimate interests – Article 6(1)(f)

Processing necessary for the legitimate interests of operating a professional psychotherapy practice, including responding to enquiries, maintaining appropriate records and managing the practice, provided your rights and freedoms do not override these interests.

Legal obligation – Article 6(1)(c)

Processing necessary to comply with applicable legal obligations.

Vital interests – Article 6(1)(d)

Processing necessary to protect someone's life in exceptional circumstances.

Special Category Information

​

​

In other circumstances, different conditions may apply, including where processing is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims or where an applicable safeguarding condition is met.

Consent to participate in therapy is distinct from consent as a lawful basis for processing personal information.

I do not ordinarily rely on data protection consent for the processing necessary to provide psychotherapy services.

6. Confidentiality and Disclosure

​

Confidentiality is fundamental to the therapeutic relationship.

I treat information shared during therapy as confidential and do not disclose it to other individuals or organisations, except where there is an appropriate lawful basis or legal obligation to do so.

However, confidentiality is not absolute.

There may be circumstances in which sharing limited information is necessary or legally required, including:

​

Where you have agreed to relevant information being shared with another professional

Where disclosure is necessary to address a serious safeguarding concern or significant risk of harm

Where disclosure is required by law or a valid legal obligation