Privacy Policy
Your privacy
State of Mind Counselling respects your privacy. This notice explains how your personal information is collected, used and protected.
Who is responsible for your information
State of Mind Counselling provides counselling through Louise Knowler and Emma Williams. Your counselling agreement identifies the therapist responsible for your care and personal information.
For privacy enquiries, contact info@stateofmindcounselling.co.uk, stating which therapist you work with.
Information collected and how it is used
Your therapist collects information needed to arrange and provide counselling. This may include contact details, relevant background and health information, counselling agreements, session notes, correspondence and assessment answers.
Information is used to communicate with you, understand your needs, provide counselling and maintain appropriate records. Relevant information may also be used to address complaints, legal claims or safeguarding concerns.
Please avoid including unnecessary identifying information about other people in online forms.
Lawful basis and consent
Your therapist uses personal information where necessary to arrange and provide the counselling services you request. Information may also be processed to meet legal obligations or legitimate interests, such as responding to complaints or legal claims.
Sensitive information, including mental health information, requires an additional legal condition. Your therapist explains the applicable basis and any consent required in your counselling agreement. Reading this privacy notice does not itself constitute consent.
Where consent is relied upon, you can withdraw it by contacting your therapist. They will explain how this affects ongoing counselling and whether information needs to be retained on another lawful basis.
Confidentiality
Information is treated confidentially in accordance with your counselling agreement.
Relevant aspects of counselling may be discussed in professional supervision, with identifying details minimised.
Information may be disclosed where legally required or where there is a lawful and justified reason to address a serious safeguarding concern. Where appropriate and possible, your therapist will discuss this with you first.
Service providers and data location
Services supporting the practice may process information on behalf of your therapist, including website hosting, email, appointment booking, online forms and record storage.
Processing locations depend on the service used and may include countries outside the UK. Where this occurs, appropriate safeguards are required under UK data-protection law.
For details of the services used for your counselling, contact info@stateofmindcounselling.co.uk.
Security
Appropriate security measures are used to protect your information and restrict access to authorised people.
Client codes may be used to reduce the use of names, but coded information is not necessarily anonymous.
Retention
Client consultation records are retained for at least five years in accordance with the relevant therapist’s insurance requirements. Your therapist’s counselling agreement provides the applicable retention period and when it begins.
Information may be kept longer where necessary for a complaint, legal claim, safeguarding matter or other legal obligation. When no longer required, it is securely deleted or destroyed.
If you decide not to proceed with counselling, assessment information is deleted within two weeks of the assessment date, unless there is a lawful reason to retain it.
Your rights
You can request access to your information and correction of inaccuracies.
Depending on the circumstances and lawful basis, you may also request deletion, restriction of use or transfer of certain information, or object to its use. Where processing relies on legitimate interests, you have a right to object.
These rights are subject to legal conditions and exceptions. Your therapist will explain any limitations when responding.
Where processing relies on consent, you can withdraw it without affecting the lawfulness of earlier processing.
Contact info@stateofmindcounselling.co.uk to make a request. Requests are normally answered within one month, subject to lawful extensions or exceptions.
Data breaches
Any personal-data breach will be assessed and reported to the Information Commissioner’s Office and affected individuals where legally required.
Concerns and complaints
Please contact your therapist if you have concerns about your information.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Last updated: 1 October 2026