Privacy Notice

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Skyla Counselling is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting the personal information you share with me.

I comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable data-protection legislation.

I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration number ZB832515.

This Privacy Notice explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I use and protect it, how long I retain it, and your rights in relation to your personal information.

Who is responsible for your information?

For the purposes of data-protection legislation, Kirsty Cartwright trading as Skyla Counselling is the data controller for the personal information I collect and use in connection with my counselling practice and this website.

If you have any questions about how your personal information is handled, you can contact me at:

Email: contact@skylacounselling.co.uk
Telephone: 07356 033633

What personal information do I collect?

I collect personal information when you contact me about counselling, make an enquiry, arrange an appointment or become a client.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

your name;
email address;
telephone number;
address;
preferred method of communication;
appointment and availability information;
information you choose to provide when making an enquiry;
information discussed or recorded as part of counselling;
relevant information about your physical or mental health;
accessibility requirements, communication preferences or reasonable adjustments;
emergency contact details;
GP or healthcare-professional details where these are necessary for safe and appropriate practice;
payment and appointment information.

I aim to collect only information that is relevant and necessary for providing and administering your counselling service.

Information provided through the website

If you contact me through the Skyla Counselling website, the information you submit through the enquiry form is sent to me by email so that I can respond to your enquiry and, where appropriate, arrange an initial appointment.

Please avoid including detailed or highly sensitive information about your circumstances in a website enquiry form.

You only need to provide enough information for me to understand your enquiry and respond to you.

Information relating to physical or mental health may constitute special category personal data under data-protection law, so it is preferable to discuss detailed personal circumstances privately rather than through a website enquiry form.

How I use your personal information

I may use your personal information to:

respond to counselling enquiries;
arrange and administer appointments;
provide counselling services;
communicate with you about appointments;
understand and accommodate relevant accessibility or communication needs;
maintain appropriate professional counselling records;
support safe and effective therapeutic practice;
communicate with your emergency contact or another appropriate person or professional where this is necessary in an emergency or because of serious concerns about safety;
meet my professional, legal, regulatory and insurance responsibilities;
deal with complaints or concerns;
process payments and maintain appropriate financial records.

I will not sell your personal information or use your counselling information for advertising purposes.

My lawful basis for processing your information

I only process personal information where there is a lawful basis for doing so under applicable data-protection legislation.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Contract

Processing may be necessary to provide the counselling services you have requested and to manage our therapeutic relationship.

Legitimate interests

I may process information where this is necessary for the safe and effective operation of my counselling practice, provided that my legitimate interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

Legal obligation

I may need to process or retain information to comply with a legal or regulatory requirement.

Vital interests

In an emergency, information may be processed where this is necessary to protect someone's life or prevent serious harm.

Consent

Where I specifically ask for your consent, I will only rely on consent where it is an appropriate lawful basis for the particular processing involved.

Special category information

Some information processed as part of counselling may be considered special category personal data, including information relating to your physical or mental health.

I recognise the particularly sensitive nature of counselling information and take appropriate care to protect it.

I only collect, use and retain such information where it is necessary and where the relevant requirements of UK data-protection law are met.

Confidentiality

Information you share during counselling is treated as confidential, subject to the limits explained in your Counselling Agreement.

I will not normally share information about you with another person or organisation without your knowledge and, where appropriate, your consent.

There may be circumstances where I need to share information without your consent, including:

serious or imminent risk of significant harm to you or another person;
concerns about the safety or welfare of a child or vulnerable adult;
where disclosure is required by a court or other legal authority;
where disclosure is otherwise required or permitted by law.

Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, I will discuss any necessary disclosure with you beforehand.

I will aim to share only information that is necessary and relevant to the circumstances.

Professional supervision

As part of my professional practice, I regularly work with a clinical supervisor.

I may discuss aspects of my counselling work in supervision so that I can reflect on my practice and ensure that I am working safely and ethically.

Where your counselling is discussed, I avoid using your name or unnecessary identifying information.

My supervisor is bound by appropriate professional confidentiality and data-protection obligations.

How I store counselling records

I keep brief professional notes relating to counselling sessions.

These records are maintained electronically using Microsoft Excel and stored securely in my Microsoft OneDrive account.

Access to these records is restricted to me.

I use appropriate security measures to protect your information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

How long I keep your information

I retain counselling records for 5 years following the end of counselling.

At the end of this period, records will normally be securely deleted, unless there is a legal, regulatory, insurance or other legitimate reason why they need to be retained for longer.

Information relating to enquiries that do not result in counselling will only be retained for as long as is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet relevant professional or legal requirements.

Financial records may need to be retained for a different period to comply with legal and accounting requirements.

When personal information is no longer required, I will securely delete or destroy it.

Email, text messages and telephone communication

I may contact you by email, telephone or text message for the purposes of:

responding to enquiries;
arranging, changing or cancelling appointments;
necessary administrative communication;
communicating information relating to your counselling.

You can tell me your preferred method of communication.

Please be aware that ordinary email and text messaging are not completely secure methods of communication. I therefore recommend that you avoid sending detailed or highly sensitive therapeutic information by email or text.

If you would prefer to communicate in another way, please discuss this with me.

Online counselling

Where online counselling is agreed, sessions may be provided using Microsoft Teams.

Online counselling involves the use of a third-party technology platform. Microsoft may process certain account, technical and communications information as part of providing the Teams service.

I do not record counselling sessions unless this has been specifically discussed and agreed.

You should also use a private and secure environment when attending online counselling wherever possible.

Technology and service providers

I use trusted technology and service providers to help me operate my counselling practice and website.

These currently include:

Hostinger - provides website hosting and website-related services such as email services.

Information submitted through the website may therefore be processed through Hostinger's systems.

Proton Mail - I use Proton Mail for secure email communication.

Your email address and the content of emails you send to me may therefore be processed by Proton in providing its email service.

Microsoft OneDrive - I use Microsoft OneDrive to securely store my electronic counselling records.
Microsoft Teams - I use Microsoft Teams to provide online counselling sessions where this has been agreed.
Google Maps - The website includes an embedded Google Maps map to help visitors find Skyla Counselling.

When Google Maps is loaded, Google may process technical information such as your IP address, browser and device information and information relating to your interaction with the map.

Google may also use cookies or similar technologies in connection with its services.

Where consent is required, Google Maps will only be loaded once the appropriate consent has been given.

These providers may process or store information outside the United Kingdom. Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, I will ensure that the transfer is made in accordance with applicable UK data-protection law and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.

The providers' own privacy policies and terms also apply to their processing of information.

Cookies and similar technologies

This website uses essential cookies and may use optional cookies or similar technologies.

Where consent is required, optional technologies will only be used with your consent.

For full information about cookies, Google Maps and similar technologies used on this website, and how to manage your preferences, please see the Cookie Policy.

You can also control cookies through your browser settings.

Data security

I take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect your personal information from:

accidental loss;
unauthorised access;
unauthorised disclosure;
alteration;
misuse or destruction.

However, no method of transmitting or storing information electronically can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

If I become aware of a personal-data breach, I will assess the breach and take appropriate action in accordance with my legal and professional responsibilities.

Where the law requires notification to the ICO or affected individuals, I will do so within the applicable timescales.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

Access – request a copy of the personal information I hold about you.
Rectification – ask me to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erasure – ask me to delete your information where there is no longer a lawful reason for me to retain it.
Restriction – ask me to restrict how your information is processed in certain circumstances.
Object – object to certain types of processing.
Data portability – in certain circumstances, request personal information you have provided to me in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
Withdraw consent – where I am relying on consent as the lawful basis for processing.

These rights are not absolute and may not apply in every situation.

For example, there may be circumstances where I have a professional, legal, regulatory, insurance or other legitimate reason to retain information, even where you have asked for it to be deleted.

How to exercise your rights

If you would like to exercise one of your data-protection rights or request access to the personal information I hold about you, please contact me at: contact@skylacounselling.co.uk

You do not normally need to use a particular form or wording to make a request. I will respond to requests in accordance with applicable data-protection legislation. I may need to ask for information to confirm your identity before releasing personal information.

Data protection complaints

If you have concerns about how I have collected, used, stored or otherwise processed your personal information, please contact me first:

contact@skylacounselling.co.uk

I will consider your concern and aim to resolve it fairly and promptly.

If you remain dissatisfied after I have considered your concern, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

The ICO is the UK's independent supervisory authority for data protection. ICO: https://ico.org.uk/

General counselling complaints

If your concern relates to the counselling service rather than the handling of your personal information, please speak to me first so that I have an opportunity to understand and address your concern.

If your concern cannot be resolved directly with me, you can use the complaints procedure of my professional body, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

Information about the BACP complaints procedure is available through the BACP website.

International transfers

Some of the technology providers I use may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where this occurs, I will ensure that any transfer of personal information is carried out in accordance with applicable UK data-protection legislation and that appropriate safeguards are in place where required.

Adults only

Skyla Counselling provides counselling to adults aged 18 and over. I therefore do not routinely provide counselling services to children.

Changes to this Privacy Notice

I may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, professional requirements, technology or the way I operate my practice.

The most recent version will always be available on this website.

Last updated: August 2026