Privacy Policy

At Transformative Talks Counselling, we prioritise protecting your personal data. It is essential for us to handle your information in a trustworthy, secure, and transparent manner. Antonio Ruffo is the Data Controller for Transformative Talks Counselling, registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under reference number ZC148009.

This policy outlines the personal information we collect, how it is used, how long it is kept, and your rights 

regarding your data under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

1. Data and Information We Collect

When you interact with us, we collect information at different stages of your therapeutic journey:

• Website Inquiries: When you complete the 'Get in Touch' form, you provide your name, email          address, phone number, and details about your message. We use this solely to respond to your inquiry.
• Initial Consultation & Ongoing Therapy: During your initial consultation, we request additional details including your date of birth, address, and relevant personal history.
• Administrative Records: We keep track of your appointment dates, times, and payment-related  transaction information.

2. How Your Information Is Used

We maintain professional records to support our role as counselling practitioners and to provide you with the best therapy possible. Your information is used strictly to inform your therapy and manage your appointments.

We treat your information with the highest level of confidentiality. It will never be shared with any third party without first obtaining your explicit consent, except in the following limited circumstances required by law or professional ethics:

• If we believe you or someone else is at serious immediate risk of harm.
• Under legal compulsion (such as a court order) or statutory obligations.

In any of these rare situations, your safety and professional standards remain our top priority.

3. Data Retention & Security

• Retention Period: To comply with professional insurance requirements and therapeutic best                  practices, your clinical records are securely retained for 7 years following the conclusion of your       therapy, after which they are securely destroyed.
• Data Security: When we transfer your records or contact information—whether electronically between secure devices or on paper—we take strict precautions to ensure your information is           encrypted, protected, and entirely private.

4. How We Contact You

Transformative Talks Counselling will reach out to you only in the following circumstances:

• Responding directly to your 'Get in Touch' inquiries.
• If you have missed a scheduled session and have not been in touch, we may contact you to check on your well-being and see if you wish to continue therapy.

5. Cookies Policy

Our website is hosted by IONOS. We use cookies and similar technologies to ensure proper website   

functionality and to understand how visitors interact with our content.

Cookies are small text files stored by your browser on your device (computer, smartphone, or tablet). The cookies used on the Transformative Talks Counselling website include:

• First-Party Cookies: Set directly by our website platform to ensure secure, proper site navigation and functionality.
• Analytical Cookies: Used completely anonymously to collect statistics about our website traffic, such as the number of visitors and which pages are viewed most frequently.

You can easily manage, block, or delete cookies at any time through your web browser settings.

6. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

In accordance with data protection laws, you hold the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Right to be informed: You have the right to know how your information is stored and used, as outlined in this  privacy policy.
• Right of access: You can request to see the records we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: You have the right to ask us to correct any inaccuracies or incomplete                 information in your record.
• Right to erasure/the right to be forgotten: You can request that your records be erased; however, please note that we may need to keep basic information to comply with our professional and legal obligations.
• Right to restrict processing: You can ask us to limit how we use your information.
• Right to data portability: Under certain circumstances, you may request your data to be copied so you can use it in another system; this applies only when processing is done by automated means.
• Right to object: You can request that certain information is not used or that it is only used for specific purposes.
• Right not to be subject to automated decision-making, including profiling.

Contact & Complaints

If you have any questions or concerns about how your information is stored or used, please contact Transformative Talks Counselling at antonio.ruffo@transformativetalkscounselling.co.uk and detail your concerns.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) or visit their website at ico.org.uk for more information.