Privacy Policy
Inspirational Counselling Ltd
Last updated: 23 October 2026
Website: www.inspirationalcounselling.co.uk
1. Introduction
Inspirational Counselling Ltd is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information lawfully, securely and confidentially.
We provide counselling, psychotherapy and relationship and couples therapy, including in-person, online and telephone services. We recognise that the information shared with a counsellor can be highly personal and sensitive.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect and share personal information when you visit our website, contact us, enquire about our services or receive counselling through our practice.
We handle personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, as amended.
2. Who we are
Inspirational Counselling Ltd is responsible for determining how and why personal information is processed in connection with our services, where the company acts as the data controller.
Company name: Inspirational Counselling Ltd
Business address: Pure Office, Turnberry Park Road, Gildersome, Leeds, LS27 7LE
Email: info@inspirationalcounselling.co.uk
Telephone: 0113 873 0544
Mobile: 07795 330788
Website: www.inspirationalcounselling.co.uk
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us using the details above.
3. What personal information we collect
The information we collect depends on the services you use and your relationship with our practice.
Personal and contact information
This may include your name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth where necessary, emergency contact details where appropriate, and information you provide when contacting us or completing forms.
Counselling and assessment information
To provide appropriate counselling services, we may collect and maintain:
Initial assessment forms and information about your presenting concerns.
Information disclosed during counselling, psychotherapy or relationship therapy.
Brief session notes, therapeutic progress and agreed actions.
Relevant information about your emotional wellbeing, mental health, relationships, family circumstances and personal history.
Information relating to risk assessments, safeguarding concerns and the safety of you or other people, where relevant.
Special category personal data
Counselling records may contain special category personal data under data protection legislation. This may include information concerning physical or mental health, racial or ethnic origin, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation or sex life, where relevant to the services provided.
We take particular care with this information and limit its collection and use to what is necessary for appropriate and lawful purposes.
Administrative and financial information
We may collect appointment bookings, attendance and cancellation records, referral information, invoices, payment records and correspondence necessary to administer our services.
Website and technical information
Depending on how our website is configured, we may collect technical information such as IP addresses, browser type, device information, pages visited and information collected through cookies or similar technologies.
4. How we collect personal information
We may collect personal information:
Directly from you when you contact us, make an enquiry, complete a form or attend an appointment.
During assessments and counselling sessions.
When you book, amend or cancel an appointment.
From an organisation referring or funding your counselling, where applicable.
From another professional or authorised person where there is a lawful basis to obtain the information.
Automatically through our website, where applicable.
Where information is obtained from someone other than you, we will provide any information about that collection required by data protection legislation, subject to applicable exceptions.
If you provide information about another person, please ensure that it is relevant and that you are entitled to share it.
5. Why we use your personal information
We use personal information for the following purposes:
To respond to enquiries and arrange initial assessments.
To provide counselling, psychotherapy and relationship therapy.
To assess suitability for our services and support safe and appropriate practice.
To maintain appropriate clinical and administrative records.
To arrange appointments and communicate with clients.
To manage invoices, payments and accounts.
To obtain professional supervision and support safe, ethical practice.
To meet applicable legal, professional, regulatory and insurance requirements.
To manage complaints, safeguarding concerns and legal claims.
To administer referrals and employer-funded counselling services.
To maintain the security and operation of our website and business.
To provide information about our services where permitted by law.
We do not sell clients' personal information or use confidential counselling notes for advertising.
6. Our lawful bases for processing information
We process personal information only where an appropriate lawful basis applies under Article 6 of the UK GDPR.
Depending on the purpose and circumstances, the lawful basis may include:
Contract: Processing necessary to take steps at your request before entering into an agreement or to provide the services agreed with you.
Legitimate interests: Processing necessary for our legitimate business and professional interests, such as administering our practice, maintaining appropriate records, managing complaints and protecting against legal claims, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
Legal obligation: Processing necessary to comply with applicable legal requirements, including relevant financial and record-keeping obligations.
Consent: Where consent is the appropriate lawful basis for a particular activity, such as certain optional communications or the use of non-essential website cookies. You may withdraw consent where the processing relies on consent.
Vital interests: Where necessary to protect someone's life in circumstances where this lawful basis applies.
Where we process special category personal data, including information concerning health, we must also satisfy an additional condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR and any further requirements of the Data Protection Act 2018 that apply.
Depending on the particular processing, an applicable condition may include explicit consent or the health or social care condition, where its legal requirements are met.
The appropriate lawful basis and special category condition will depend on the activity concerned. We will document the basis and condition relied upon for our processing activities and provide further information where required.
Consent to receive counselling is not automatically the same as consent being the legal basis for processing personal information.
7. Confidentiality and professional supervision
Confidentiality is central to our counselling practice. We respect your privacy and take appropriate steps to protect information shared during counselling.
Our counsellors may discuss relevant aspects of their work in professional supervision to support safe, effective and ethical practice. Wherever possible, information will be anonymised or minimised so that clients cannot readily be identified.
Where identifiable information needs to be discussed or disclosed, we will consider our confidentiality obligations, the applicable lawful basis and whether the disclosure is necessary and proportionate.
Our counsellors are expected to follow applicable professional codes of conduct, ethical standards and confidentiality requirements.
Confidentiality is not absolute. There may be circumstances in which information needs to be shared to protect someone from serious harm, comply with a legal obligation or respond to another situation where disclosure is lawfully justified. These circumstances are explained in the following section.
8. When we may share your information
We do not routinely share the content of counselling sessions with third parties. However, information may be shared where necessary, proportionate and lawful.
With your consent
We may share relevant information with your GP, another healthcare professional, an employer-funded counselling scheme or another organisation where you have provided appropriate consent or authorisation.
Employer-funded counselling and referrals
Where an employer or another organisation funds or arranges counselling, we may share the administrative information necessary to manage the service, such as appointment attendance or invoicing information, in accordance with the arrangements agreed and the information provided to you.
The content of counselling sessions will not routinely be disclosed to an employer or referring organisation. Any exception must have an appropriate lawful basis and be consistent with our confidentiality obligations.
Safeguarding and serious risk
Where we have concerns about the safety of a client or another person, we may need to share relevant information with appropriate services, such as emergency services, safeguarding teams or healthcare professionals.
We will consider the circumstances carefully and disclose only information that is necessary and lawfully justified. Where appropriate and safe, we will discuss the proposed disclosure with you.
Legal obligations and legal claims
We may disclose information where required by law, pursuant to a valid court order, or where necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.
Professional advisers and service providers
We may share necessary information with professional advisers, insurers, accountants and service providers that support our operations, such as secure IT providers, appointment-booking systems and communication platforms.
Access will be limited to what is necessary, and appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards will be applied.
We do not permit third parties to use counselling information for their own unrelated purposes.
9. How we protect your information
We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction, alteration or disclosure.
Depending on the systems used and the nature of the information, these measures may include:
Password-protected devices and accounts.
Restricted access to client records.
Secure storage of electronic and paper records.
Appropriate safeguards for email, online bookings and electronic communications.
Confidentiality obligations for counsellors, staff and relevant service providers.
Secure disposal of records when they are no longer required.
Procedures for identifying, assessing and responding to personal data breaches.
We review our arrangements as appropriate and take reasonable steps to maintain suitable protection. However, no method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
10. How long we keep your information
We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, taking account of applicable legal obligations, professional guidance, safeguarding considerations and insurance requirements.
Our documented Data Retention Schedule sets out the retention periods applicable to different categories of information, including, where relevant:
Client assessment forms and counselling notes.
Contact details and appointment records.
Financial and invoicing records.
Referral and employer-funded counselling records.
Safeguarding and risk-management records.
Complaints, insurance and legal claim records.
Different categories of records may need to be retained for different periods.
When information is no longer required, we will arrange for its secure deletion or destruction unless there is a lawful reason to retain it for longer.
If you request deletion of your personal information, we will consider your request in accordance with data protection legislation. The right to erasure is not absolute, and we may need to retain certain records where a lawful exemption or other valid reason applies.
11. Online and telephone counselling
Where counselling is provided online or by telephone, we use the contact details and relevant technical information necessary to arrange and deliver sessions.
We encourage clients to attend sessions from a private location and use a secure internet connection and device where possible.
We ask clients not to record sessions unless this has been discussed and expressly agreed in advance. Our counsellors will not routinely record sessions.
Online communications may carry privacy and security risks. We take reasonable precautions but cannot guarantee the security of communication systems operated by third parties.
Where we use third-party video conferencing, booking or communication platforms, those providers may process certain information in accordance with their own privacy notices and the arrangements in place with us.
12. Cookies and website analytics
Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to support its operation, maintain security and, where configured, understand how visitors use the website.
We will provide appropriate information about the cookies and technologies actually used on our website. Where consent is legally required, non-essential cookies will not be set before valid consent is obtained.
You can manage your cookie preferences through the website's cookie settings where available. Browser settings may also allow you to control certain cookies.
Further information about the cookies used on our website should be provided in a separate Cookie Policy or cookie notice where appropriate.
13. Your data protection rights
Under applicable data protection legislation, you may have the right to:
Access the personal information we hold about you.
Rectify inaccurate or incomplete information.
Request erasure of personal information where the legal requirements are met.
Restrict processing in certain circumstances.
Object to processing carried out on particular lawful bases.
Request data portability where the relevant legal conditions apply.
Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.
Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
These rights are subject to legal conditions and exemptions. For example, the right to erasure is not absolute, and certain counselling records may need to be retained for a lawful reason.
To exercise your rights, please contact us using the details in Section 18. We may need to verify your identity before responding.
We will respond within the timeframe required by applicable data protection legislation.
14. Complaints and concerns
If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so that we can investigate and respond.
You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.
Website: https://ico.org.uk/
Telephone: 0303 123 1113
The ICO website provides further information about your rights and how to make a complaint.
15. Children and young people
Where we provide services to children or young people, we take particular care to protect their personal information and consider their age, understanding, capacity and welfare.
We explain privacy and confidentiality in an age-appropriate way and consider applicable legal requirements, safeguarding responsibilities and professional guidance.
Information may need to be shared with a parent, guardian, safeguarding professional or another appropriate person in certain circumstances. Any such decision will take account of the child's rights and welfare, confidentiality obligations and the applicable legal requirements.
16. Third-party websites
Our website may contain links to third-party websites. If you follow these links, you will be subject to the privacy policies and practices of those websites.
We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites. We recommend reviewing their privacy notices before providing personal information.
17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, business practices, technology or applicable legislation.
The latest version will be published on our website, together with the date it was last updated.
18. Contact us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data protection rights or have a concern about how we use your personal information, please contact us.
Inspirational Counselling Ltd
Website: www.inspirationalcounselling.co.uk
Email: info@inspirationalcounselling.co.uk
Telephone: 0113 873 0544
Mobile: 07795 330788
Business address: Pure Office, Turnberry Park Road, Gildersome, Leeds, LS27 7LE
We will handle your enquiry in accordance with our legal and professional obligations.