Privacy Policy

This privacy notice outlines how "Therapy with Maria" handles your personal information for counseling services, aligning with UK data protection law. The organisation emphasizes that the content of the notice must be accurate, complete, and easily accessible.

What personal information will be collected about you? "Therapy with Maria" collects various types of personal information for several purposes related to providing counseling services:

 

To provide counseling and care:

• Name, address, and contact details

• Gender

• Date of birth

• Next of Kin details, including support networks

• Emergency contact details

• Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements, and medical history)

• Information about care needs (including disabilities, home conditions, medication, dietary requirements, and general care provisions)

• Test results (including psychological evaluations)

• Records of meetings and decisions

• Call recordings

• Special category data (subject to additional protection): Racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health information, sex life information, sexual orientation information.

 

For safeguarding or public protection reasons:

• Name, address, and contact details

• Emergency contact details

• Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements, and medical history)

• Test results (including psychological evaluations, scans, bloods, x-rays, tissue tests, and genetic tests)

• Records of meetings and decisions

• Special category data (Racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health information, sex life information, sexual orientation information, subject to additional protection).

 

For patient app or portal functionality (if applicable to counseling services):

• Names and contact details

• Information used for security purposes

• Marketing preferences

• Special category data (Racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health information, sex life information, sexual orientation information, subject to additional protection).

 

To comply with legal requirements:

• Name

• Contact information

• Safeguarding information

• Special category data (Racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health information, sex life information, sexual orientation information, subject to additional protection).

 

For information updates, marketing, or market research purposes related to counseling services:

• Names and contact details

• Address

• Marketing preferences

• Website and app user journey information

• IP addresses

• Personal information used for research purposes

• Records of consent, where appropriate

 

For research or archiving purposes related to counseling (e.g. service improvement, professional accountability):

• Names and contact details

• Address

• Records of consent, where appropriate

• Client case notes, therapy session records, assessment information, treatment plans, and related correspondence

• Special category data (Racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health information, sex life information, sexual orientation information, subject to additional protection).

 

For dealing with queries, complaints, or claims related to counseling services:

• Names and contact details

• Address

• Service history

• Relevant information from previous investigations

• Client accounts and records

• Financial transaction information

• Information relating to health and safety (including incident investigation details and reports and accident book records)

• Correspondence

• Special category data (Racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health information, sex life information, sexual orientation information, subject to additional protection).

 

For clinical supervision purposes (client data is anonymized or pseudonymized):

• Gender

• Pronoun preferences

• Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements, and medical history)

• Information about care needs (including disabilities, home conditions, dietary requirements and general care provisions)

• Test results (including psychological evaluations, scans, bloods, x-rays, tissue tests and genetic tests)

• Records of meetings and decisions

• Administration information (including treatment schedules and admission and discharge information)

• Anonymized or pseudonymized client case material/vignettes, key themes from sessions, information about the therapeutic relationship and process, and client's reported experiences, thoughts, and feelings relevant to the therapy

• Special category data (Racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, health information, sex life information, sexual orientation information, subject to additional protection).

 

How Will Your Information Be Stored? The notice indicates that data is processed and stored by:

• Information Technology, email, and productivity software providers for client communication and administrative tasks.

• Video conferencing platform providers.

• Providers for storing client records, therapy notes, appointment scheduling, and invoicing.

• Website hosting providers, which may handle contact form submissions.

• Information may be transferred outside the UK to organizations such as Google, Microsoft, and Wix for email, website hosting, and video conferencing services. The notice states that the specific transfer mechanism for these international transfers must be identified before publishing. Data processors like Google, Wix, and Microsoft may also share information worldwide.

 

What Documents Will Be Kept? The following records and documents related to your counseling are mentioned:

• Client case notes

• Therapy session records

• Assessment information

• Treatment plans

• Related correspondence

• Records of meetings and decisions

• Call recordings

• Client accounts and records

• Financial transaction information

• Incident investigation details and reports

• Accident book records

• Records of consent

 

How Might Your Personal Information Be Processed or Shared? Your information may be processed or shared in the following ways:

• With data processors: For IT, email, video conferencing, software, website provision, client communication, administrative tasks, storing client records, therapy notes, appointment scheduling, and invoicing.

• With other third parties: Including insurance companies, charities, care providers, organizations for safeguarding reasons, emergency services, professional advisors, legal bodies, local authorities, regulatory authorities, external auditors, organizations they are legally obliged to share with, debt collection agencies, current employers, suppliers, service providers, and other relevant third parties nominated by you with written consent (e.g., a specific family member involved in care discussions).

• Under duty of confidentiality: Information may be shared if you consent (implied for care, explicit for other uses), there is a legal requirement (e.g., court order), or if the public interest overrides confidentiality (e.g., preventing serious crime). Specific regulations for England, Wales, or Scotland may also apply.

• National data opt-out: The service complies with England’s national data opt-out for confidential patient information used for purposes beyond individual care.

• International Transfers: Information may be transferred outside the UK if necessary, with appropriate safeguards under UK GDPR. However, the notice indicates that the specific transfer mechanisms for some transfers (e.g., to Google, Microsoft, Wix) are currently undetermined and must be identified.

• Retention: Electronic copies of your contact details will be erased within one month after you have finished working together. Digital and written information, such as client notes, assessment forms, and outcome measures, will be held for up to seven years after your working relationship ends. The reason for this retention is to have a reference of your work in situations such as you returning to therapy in the future. After this seven-year period has passed, all information held will be destroyed.

 

Your Rights Under UK data protection law, you have several rights:

• Right of access: You can ask for copies of your personal information and other details like where it was obtained and who it's shared with. Exemptions may apply.

• Right to rectification: You can ask to correct or delete inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

• Right to erasure: You can ask to delete your personal information.

• Right to restriction of processing: You can ask to limit how your personal information is used.

• Right to object to processing: You can object to the processing of your personal data.

• Right to data portability: You can ask for your personal information to be transferred to another organization or to you.

• Right to withdraw consent: If consent is the lawful basis for processing, you can withdraw it at any time.

 

 

        Requests will be responded to without undue delay and within one month. To make a request, use the contact details provided in the notice (07927342438, hello@onlinetherapywithmaria.com). If you have concerns, you can complain to "Therapy with Maria" or the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).