Privacy Statement - Edelweiss Therapy

 

Your privacy is very important to me and you can be confident that your personal

information will be kept safe and secure during our counselling process and will only be

used for the purpose it was given to me. I adhere to current date protection legislation,

including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679)(the GDPR), the Data

Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive)

Regulations 2003 and the recent Data Use and Access Act 2025 (DUAA)

 

This privacy notice tells you what I will do with your personal information from initial point

of contact through to after your therapy has ended, including:

- Why I am able to process your information and what purpose I am processing it for.

- Whether you have to provide it to me

- How long I store it for

- Whether there are other recipients of your personal information

- Whether I intend to transfer it to another country

- Whether I do automated decision-making or profiling

- Your data protection rights

 

I am happy to chat through any questions you might have about my data protection policy.

‘Data Controller’ is the term used to describe the person/organisation that collects and

stores and has responsibility for people’s personal data. In this instance, the data controller

is me.

 

I am registered with the Information Commissions Office, my registration number is

C1395315. My postal address is Magpies Nest, Alverdiscott Road, Bideford, EX39 4DA

 

My lawful basis for holding and using your personal information

The GDPR states that I must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. There

are different lawful bases depending on the stage at which I am processing your data. I have

explained these below:

 

If you have had therapy with me and it has now ended. I will use legitimate interest as my

lawful basis for holding and using your personal information.  If you are currently having therapy or if you are in contact with me to consider therapy, I will process your personal data where it is necessary for the performance of our contract.

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The GDPR also makes sure that I look after any sensitive personal information that you may

disclose to me appropriately. This type of information is called ‘special category personal

information’. The lawful basis for me processing any special categories of personal

information is that it is for provision of health treatment (in this case counselling) and

necessary for a contract with a health professional (in this case, a contract between me and

you).

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How I use your information

Initial contact

When you contact me with an enquiry about my counselling services I will collect

information to help me satisfy your enquiry. This will include your name, email address and

contact telephone number. Alternatively, your GP or other health professional may send

me your details when making a referral or a parent or trusted individual may give me your

details when making an enquiry on your behalf.

 

If you decide not to proceed, I will ensure all your personal data is deleted within 3 working

days. If you would like me to delete this information sooner, just let me know.

 

While you are accessing counselling

Rest assured that everything you discuss with me is confidential. That confidentiality will

only be broken if:

- you give your explicit permission

- Where I (your counsellor) is compelled to do so by the law, for example, Terrorism Act

2000, Drug Trafficking Act 1994, Proceeds of Crime Act 2003, Money Laundering

Regulations 2007 and the Road Trafficking Act 1991.

- If there is serious risk of harm to you, the client, or another person

- Where there is a child protection issue from the Children’s Act 1989

- Hate Crime

- Domestic Abuse

- Domestic Violence and Abuse

- If a Judge or Coroner legally order the release of session notes

- Female Genital mutilation

- Modern Slavery

- Criminal Exploitation

I will always try to speak to you about this first, unless there are safeguarding issues that

prevent this.

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I will keep a record of your personal details to help the counselling service run smoothly.

These details are kept securely on my personal and private computer which is password

protected and not shared with any third party.

 

I keep written records of each session, these are kept in a locked cabinet and/or on a

password protected file on my computer. These notes do not include your name, instead I

use a unique reference for each client for added security.

 

For security reasons I do not retain text messages for more than 7 days. If there is relevant

information contained in a text message I will transfer the information to your secure file.

Likewise, any email correspondence will be deleted after 7 days if it is not important. If

necessary I will transfer the information to your secure file.

 

After counselling has ended

Once counselling has ended your records will be kept for 5 years from the end of our contact

with each other and are then securely destroyed. If you want me to delete your information

sooner than this, please tell me.

 

Your Rights

I try to be as open as I can be in terms of giving people access to their personal

information. You have a right to ask me to delete your personal information, to limit

how I use your personal information, or to stop processing your personal

information. You also have a right to ask for a copy of any information that I hold

about you and to object to the use of your personal data in some circumstances. You

can read more about your rights at www.ico.org.uk/your-data-matters

 

If I do hold information about you I will:

- Give you a description of it and where it came from

- Tell you why I am holding this, tell you how long I will store your data and how I

made this decision.

- Tell you who it could be disclosed to

- Let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form.

You can also ask me at any time to correct any mistakes there may be in the personal

information I hold about you.

To make a request for personal information I may hold about you, please put the

request in writing addressing it to me at fiona@edelweiss-therapy.com

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If you have any complaint about how I handle your personal data, please do not

hesitate to get in touch with me by writing or emailing to fiona@edelweiss-therapy.com.  In accordance with UK data protection laws, I will acknowledge your complaint in writing within 30 days of receipt, investigate the matter thoroughly and respond to you without undue delay.  I will provide you with a clear outcome and explain any actions taken.

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I welcome any suggestions for improving my data protection procedures.

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Please note that under current UK regulations, you are required to attempt to resolve any data protection grievances directly with me first.  If we are unable to resolve the issue together, you retain the right to escalate your complaint to the ICO with is the statutory body that oversees data protection law in the UK.  For more information, go to ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

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Doorbell Camera & Recordings, Security Camera & Recordings

 

For safety and security reasons, I use a video doorbell at Edelweiss Therapy.  This captures video and/or audio of anyone approaching the property.  For the same reasons, I use a security camera which captures video of anyone at the rear of the property on the approach to the therapy room.

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Recordings are stored securely on the app that is password protected and only accessed by me and are automatically deleted after 30 days.  If you require me to delete the footage sooner than this, please let me know.

 

Data Security

 

I take the security of the data I hold about you very seriously and as such I make every effort to make sure it is kept secure. I keep any written records in a locked filing cabinet (away from my therapy room) or on my personal computer which is password protected and not used by any third parties. These are in line with my insurance provider - Holistic Insurance

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Visitors to my website

 

When you visit my website, certain information may be collected automatically by my website hosting provider and website analytics services.  This may include information such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited and the date and time of your visit.

 

I use this information to understand how visitors use my website to improve its performance and ensure it remains secure and accessible.  This information is generally processed in a way that does not identify individual visitors.  Where website analytics are used, I rely on my legitimate interests as the lawful basis for processing this information, as it helps me monitor and improve my website and services.

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My website is hosted by Wix.  Information submitted through the website may be temporarily processed or stored by the hosting provider before being securely transmitted to me.  If you complete a contact form on my website, the information you provide will be used solely for the purpose of responding to your enquiry and discussing counselling services.  I will not use this information for marketing purposes without your consent.

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My website may use cookies or similar technologies to support website functionality and help me understand how the website is used.  You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

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For further information about how third-party providers process personal data, please refer to their privacy notices:

• Wix Privacy Notice                    https://www.wix.com/about/privacy

• Google Privacy Policy:               https://policies.google.com/privacy

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Edelweiss Therapy - Counselling Services

Magpies Nest, Alverdiscott Road, Bideford, EX39 4DA

07850533888

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COPYRIGHT © 2026 EDELWEISS THERAPY – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.