Introduction

Ciaran's Therapy & Counselling has prepared this Privacy Policy to explain how we collect, use and protect your personal information when you use our website or contact us.

Throughout this policy, references to "we", "us" and "our" refer to Ciaran's Therapy & Counselling.

We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly, in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We only collect information that is necessary to provide our services and respond to your enquiries.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact us using the details provided on our Contact page.

Information We Collect

When you contact us

If you contact us through our website or by email, we may collect:

  • Your name

  • Your email address

  • Your telephone number (if provided)

  • Any information you choose to include in your enquiry

We will only use this information to respond to your enquiry or to arrange an appointment with you.

If you become a client

If you choose to access counselling services, we may collect additional information necessary to provide safe and effective support. This may include:

  • Your name and contact details

  • Postal address

  • Date of birth

  • Emergency contact details

  • GP details

  • Relevant information relating to your circumstances and the reason you are seeking counselling

This information is treated as confidential and stored securely.

Booking Appointments

Appointments are booked through our online scheduling system. In order to manage your appointments, we may collect:

  • Name

  • Contact details

  • Appointment information

Payment details are processed securely by Stripe. We do not store your card details ourselves.

How We Use Your Information

We only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, including:

  • Responding to enquiries

  • Arranging and managing appointments

  • Providing counselling services

  • Meeting our legal and professional obligations

We will never sell your personal information or share it with third parties for marketing purposes.

How Your Information Is Stored

Your information is stored securely using trusted third-party service providers where necessary to operate the practice.

These include:

  • Squarespace – website hosting and content management

  • Squarespace Scheduling – appointment booking

  • Stripe – secure payment processing

  • Google Workspace – email and business administration

Access to personal information is restricted to authorised personnel only.

Certain website administration tasks may also be carried out by our marketing agency, The Marketing Department, who may have limited access to website systems where necessary to maintain the website. They will only access personal information where required to provide technical support and are bound by strict confidentiality obligations.

Website Analytics

Like most websites, we collect anonymous information about how visitors use our website to help improve it.

This may include:

  • Browser and device information

  • Pages visited

  • Time spent on pages

  • Clicks and navigation

  • IP address

This information is collected automatically through Squarespace's analytics tools and is used only to understand website performance and improve the user experience.

Cookies

This website uses cookies to help it function correctly and to understand how visitors use the site.

When you first visit the website, you will be asked whether you wish to accept non-essential cookies. You can change your cookie preferences at any time through your browser settings.

Fonts

This website uses fonts provided by Google Fonts. To display these fonts correctly, Google may receive limited technical information such as:

  • Your IP address

  • Browser type

  • Device information

This information is handled in accordance with Google's own privacy policies.

Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

  • Request access to the personal information we hold about you.

  • Request that inaccurate information is corrected.

  • Request that your information is erased where appropriate.

  • Request that processing of your information is restricted.

  • Object to certain types of processing.

  • Request a copy of your information in a portable format.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal information, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Further information about your rights can be found at www.ico.org.uk.

Contact

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