1. Introduction and Overview
Welcome to The Listening Lounge. I am committed to safeguarding your personal data and respecting your privacy in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018. This privacy and cookie policy outlines how I collect, use, store, and protect your information when you visit my website (https://www.the-listening-lounge.co.uk) or engage with my professional counselling services.
2. Identity of the Data Controller
The data controller responsible for your personal information is Michelle Smith, trading as The Listening Lounge.
Practice Address: 137 Fellow Lands Way, Chellaston, Derby, DE73 6WE
Email: michelle@thelistening-lounge.co.uk
Phone: 07841 873973
3. Information Collected
To provide safe, ethical, and effective counselling services, as well as to operate this website efficiently, I may collect and process the following categories of data:
- Identity and Contact Data: Full name, telephone number, email address, and home address when provided through enquiries or booking forms.
- Special Category Data (Health & Clinical Notes): Sensitive information regarding your mental health, emotional wellbeing, medical background, and notes taken during counselling sessions to monitor your therapeutic progress and ensure proper care.
- Technical and Usage Data: Internet protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, device details, and visitor behaviour metrics collected via analytics tools.
4. Lawful Bases for Processing
Under the UK GDPR, every organisation must have a valid lawful basis to process personal data. I process your data under the following legal frameworks:
- Consent: When you actively give permission, such as filling out a contact form or agreeing to tracking cookies.
- Contract: When processing is necessary to set up, manage, and fulfil a service agreement for your counselling sessions.
- Legal Obligation & Vital Interests: Where record-keeping is required for professional indemnity insurance, ethical compliance under the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS) and BACP ethical frameworks, or safeguarding purposes.
5. Comprehensive Cookie Policy and Table
This website uses cookies to distinguish you from other users, analyse traffic performance, and improve your overall site experience. Cookies are small text files placed on your device.
Below is a detailed breakdown of the cookies utilised on this site:
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Used to calculate visitor, session, and campaign data for site analytics reports. | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Used to store information on how visitors use a website and help create an analytics report. | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Used to throttle request rate, limiting data collection on high-traffic sites. | 1 minute |
You can manage, restrict, or delete cookies at any time via your individual web browser settings.
6. Data Sharing, Security, and Third Parties
Your privacy is strictly maintained. I do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. Data is only shared under strict circumstances:
- Supervision & Professional Requirements: Clinical material may be discussed anonymously in professional clinical supervision to ensure ethical practice, adhering to professional counselling standards.
- Legal & Safeguarding Disclosures: Information may be disclosed if required by UK law, or if there is an imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or others.
- Website Infrastructure: Technical hosting providers and website maintenance partners may have system access solely to maintain service reliability.
Appropriate technical and organisational security measures are implemented to protect your personal details against unauthorised access, loss, or alteration.
7. Data Retention Policy
General contact enquiries submitted via the website are kept only for as long as necessary to handle your request. Clinical and counselling records are stored securely in compliance with professional indemnity insurance and ethical guidelines for a duration of 7 years following the termination of therapy, after which they are securely shredded or deleted.
8. Your Data Protection Rights
Under the UK GDPR, you hold specific legal rights regarding your personal information, including:
- The right to access: Request copies of your personal data.
- The right to rectification: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete records.
- The right to erasure: Request deletion of your data under certain conditions.
- The right to restrict processing: Limit how your data is used.
- The right to data portability: Request transfer of your data to another entity.
- The right to object: Object to specific types of processing.
Exercising these rights is free of charge, and responses will be provided within one month. Contact michelle@thelistening-lounge.co.uk to submit a request.
9. Complaints Procedure
If you have any complaints or concerns about how your data is handled, please contact me directly at michelle@thelistening-lounge.co.uk so I can address the issue promptly.
If you remain dissatisfied, you hold the legal right to lodge a formal complaint with the UK supervisory authority:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://ico.org.uk