Privacy Notice
Last updated: August 2026
At Staying Connected Therapy, I take your privacy seriously. This privacy notice explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I use and protect it, and the rights you have in relation to your information.
I am the data controller for personal information processed in connection with my therapy practice.
Data controller:
Yvonne Fincham
Staying Connected Therapy
Email: yvonne@stayingconnectedtherapy.co.uk
What information I collect
The information I collect depends on how you interact with me.
If you contact me
If you contact me by email or through my website contact form, I may collect:
your name
your email address
the contents of your message
how you heard about my practice
Please avoid including detailed or highly sensitive information about yourself in the website contact form. The form is intended for an initial enquiry rather than sharing your therapy history.
If you become a client
If we begin working together, I will collect information that is necessary to provide therapy and manage our therapeutic relationship. This may include:
contact details
appointment information
GP surgery and emergency contact details
information discussed during therapy
information relevant to your therapeutic work
records relating to our work together
payment information where necessary
Some of the information discussed during therapy may be considered special category data under UK data protection law. This can include information about your physical or mental health, sexuality or other particularly sensitive aspects of your personal life.
Why I use your information
I use your personal information to:
respond to enquiries
arrange consultations and therapy sessions
provide and manage therapy
communicate with you about appointments
maintain appropriate professional records
process payments
meet my professional, legal and regulatory responsibilities
protect your safety, or the safety of others, where this is necessary
respond to requests about your personal information
I aim to collect and keep only information that is relevant and necessary for these purposes.
My lawful basis for using your information
UK data protection law requires me to have a lawful basis for using personal information.
For information such as your name, contact details and appointment information, I may rely on legitimate interests in running my practice and providing therapy, or on the steps necessary to arrange or provide therapy.
Therapy can also involve information that is considered special category data, which receives additional protection under UK data protection law.
Where I process special category information in connection with counselling, I rely on the relevant provisions of UK data protection law that allow this information to be processed for counselling and related purposes.
I will only use your information for appropriate purposes connected with my practice and will not sell your personal information.
How I store and protect your information
I take appropriate steps to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.
I use Google Workspace for my professional email and related business services. Information collected through my Client Information Form is stored securely within my Google Workspace account.
I use Google Meet to provide online therapy sessions. Google may process information as part of providing this service.
My website is hosted by Squarespace. Information submitted through my website contact form may be processed by Squarespace in order to provide that service.
I use appropriate security measures for my accounts and devices, including strong passwords and two-step verification.
Access to personal information is limited to what is necessary for my work.
Who I share your information with
I do not sell your personal information.
I may use trusted service providers to help me operate my practice. These currently include:
Google Workspace — professional email and related business services
Google Meet — online therapy sessions
Squarespace — website hosting and contact forms
These organisations may process personal information on my behalf as part of providing their services.
I may also discuss relevant aspects of our work with my professional supervisor as part of my ongoing supervision. I take care to protect your identity and only share information that is relevant to supervision. There may also be circumstances where I am legally or professionally required to share information, or where sharing information is necessary to protect someone's safety.
How long I keep your information
I will retain personal information only for as long as it is necessary, taking account of my professional, legal and regulatory responsibilities.
Website enquiries
I will normally retain information from website enquiries for 12 months after our last contact unless there is a specific reason to retain it for longer.
Therapy records
I will retain therapy records for at least seven years after the last occasion on which therapy was provided, in accordance with my professional and insurance requirements.
Where a client is under 18, records may need to be retained for longer, including for a period after the client reaches the age of 18, where required by relevant professional, legal or insurance requirements.
There may also be circumstances where information needs to be retained for longer, for example where there is an ongoing complaint, legal matter, safeguarding concern or other specific legal or professional requirement.
Financial records
Financial records will be retained for the period required by relevant tax and accounting requirements.
When information is no longer required, I will securely delete or dispose of it where appropriate.
Your rights
Depending on the circumstances, you have rights under UK data protection law. These may include the right to:
ask for a copy of the personal information I hold about you
ask for inaccurate information to be corrected
ask for information to be erased in certain circumstances
ask for processing of your information to be restricted in certain circumstances
object to certain processing
request the transfer of certain information to another organisation
These rights are not absolute, and there may be circumstances where I am legally entitled or required to retain or use information.
If you would like to exercise one of these rights, please contact me at:
yvonne@stayingconnectedtherapy.co.uk
I will respond to requests in accordance with applicable data protection law.
Cookies
My website uses cookies and similar technologies.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to function. Where consent is required for non-essential cookies, you can choose whether to accept or decline them using the cookie settings provided on the website.
You can change your cookie preferences through the cookie settings.
Website contact forms
If you use my website contact form, the information you provide will be used to respond to your enquiry.
Please avoid including detailed information about your mental health, personal history or other sensitive information in the contact form.
We can discuss what you would like support with during your consultation.
Changes to this privacy notice
I may update this privacy notice from time to time to reflect changes to my practice, the services I provide, or data protection requirements.
The most recent version will be available on my website.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how I have used your personal information, please contact me first so that I have an opportunity to address your concerns.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your personal information has been handled in a way that does not comply with data protection law.
Information about the ICO and how to make a complaint can be found on the ICO website.
ICO website:https://ico.org.uk/