Privacy Policy

Effective date: 7 July 2026
 

Privacy Policy
 

At Carl Ellis Counselling, your privacy is important. This Privacy Policy explains how your personal information is collected, used, stored and protected when you visit this website or contact the practice.
 

Carl Ellis Counselling is committed to handling your personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
 

Who We Are
 

Carl Ellis Counselling provides professional counselling and psychotherapy services.
 

Data Controller: Carl Ellis Counselling
 

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please use the contact details provided on this website.
 

What Information We Collect
 

We may collect the following information:

• Your name

• Email address

• Telephone number

• Information you provide through our contact form or email

• Information you choose to share when making an enquiry

• Website usage information, such as pages visited, browser type and IP address through analytics tools where enabled
   

We only collect information that is necessary to respond to your enquiry or provide our services.
 

How We Use Your Information
 

Your information may be used to:

• Respond to your enquiries

• Arrange appointments

• Provide counselling services

• Communicate with you about appointments or your enquiry

• Improve the performance and security of our website

• Meet our legal and professional obligations
   

We will never sell your personal information to third parties.
 

Lawful Basis for Processing
 

We process your personal information under one or more of the following lawful bases:

• Consent

• Legitimate interests

• Performance of a contract

• Compliance with legal obligations
   

Where we rely on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time.
 

Confidentiality
 

Confidentiality is a fundamental part of counselling.
 

Information shared during counselling sessions is treated confidentially, subject to the ethical and legal limits of confidentiality. These include situations where there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or others, safeguarding concerns, or where disclosure is required by law.
 

Any limits to confidentiality will be discussed with you before therapy begins.
 

How We Store Your Information
 

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information.
 

Information is stored securely and access is restricted to authorised individuals only.
 

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet legal, professional and insurance requirements.
 

Cookies
 

This website may use cookies to improve your browsing experience and understand how visitors use the site.
 

Cookies are small text files stored on your device. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings.
 

If analytics software such as Google Analytics is used, it may collect anonymous information about website usage.
 

Third-Party Services
 

This website may use trusted third-party providers to support its operation, such as:

• Website hosting providers

• Website analytics providers

• Email providers

• Appointment booking systems (where applicable)
   

These providers process information on our behalf and are required to keep it secure.
 

Your Rights
 

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information

• Request correction of inaccurate information

• Request deletion of your information where appropriate

• Restrict or object to certain processing

• Request a copy of your information in a portable format where applicable

• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
   

To exercise any of these rights, please get in touch using the contact details on this website.
 

Links to Other Websites
 

This website may contain links to external websites. Once you leave this website, we are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies.
 

Changes to This Privacy Policy
 

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements or how we operate. The latest version will always be available on this website.
 

Contact
 

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact Carl Ellis Counselling using the contact information provided on this website.

If you remain unhappy with how your personal information has been handled, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
 

Website: https://ico.org.uk/