1. Who We Are
Mindful Talk Therapy Scotland ("we", "us", "our") is a private counselling and psychotherapy practice based at East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire. We are the data controller for any personal information you share with us.
Our therapists are members of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), and the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). We are bound by their respective codes of ethics, which include strict confidentiality obligations.
Contact: ian.mindfultalktherapyscotland@gmail.com · +44 7752 412161
2. What Personal Data We Collect
We collect only the information necessary to provide you with a safe and effective therapy service:
- Contact information: name, email address, phone number
- Health information: presenting difficulties, mental health history, current medication (where relevant to safe and effective treatment)
- Session notes: brief notes taken during or after sessions to support continuity of care
- Emergency contact details: in case of a safeguarding concern or risk to life
- Payment information: billing records (we do not store card details — payments are processed securely)
- Technical data: if you use our website, standard server logs (IP address, browser type, pages visited) may be collected automatically
3. How We Use Your Data
We use your personal data only for the following purposes:
- To provide counselling and therapy services to you
- To manage appointments and send reminders
- To respond to your enquiries
- To maintain clinical records as required by our professional bodies
- To fulfil legal obligations (e.g. safeguarding, legal proceedings)
We never use your data for marketing to third parties, sell your data, or share it without your consent — except where legally required (see section 5).
4. Legal Basis for Processing
We process your data under the following lawful bases (UK GDPR Article 6 and Article 9):
- Contract: processing is necessary to deliver the therapy service you have engaged us for
- Vital interests: in rare cases involving risk to life or safeguarding
- Legal obligation: where we are required by law or a court order
- Explicit consent: for any additional processing (e.g. case study use, testimonials)
For special category health data (Article 9), we rely on: substantial public interest (mental health services) and provision of health or social care.
5. Confidentiality & Disclosure
Everything you share in therapy is treated as strictly confidential. However, there are limited circumstances where we may need to share information without your consent:
- If we believe there is a serious risk to your life or the life of another person
- If we are required to by a court order or legal process
- If there is a safeguarding concern involving a child or vulnerable adult
- As part of clinical supervision (all supervisors are bound by the same confidentiality obligations)
Where possible, we will discuss any disclosure with you first.
6. Data Retention
We retain your records in line with guidance from our professional bodies:
- Adult client records: 7 years after the end of therapy
- Under-18 client records: until the client reaches age 25, or 7 years after end of therapy (whichever is longer)
- Enquiry data (non-clients): 12 months from last contact
After this period, records are securely deleted or destroyed.
7. Data Security
We take the security of your personal data seriously:
- Clinical notes are stored securely with password protection and encryption
- Online sessions are conducted via end-to-end encrypted platforms (e.g. Zoom with waiting rooms enabled)
- Emails containing personal information are handled with care
- We regularly review our security practices
8. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access: request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to rectification: ask us to correct inaccurate data
- Right to erasure: request deletion of your data (subject to our legal/professional retention obligations)
- Right to restrict processing: ask us to limit how we use your data
- Right to data portability: receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
- Right to object: object to processing based on legitimate interests
- Right to withdraw consent: where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at ian.mindfultalktherapyscotland@gmail.com. We will respond within 30 days.
9. Cookies & Website Data
Our website uses only essential cookies required for basic functionality. We use Google Maps embeds on some pages, which may set cookies from Google. We do not use advertising cookies or tracking pixels.
You can control cookies through your browser settings at any time.
10. Third-Party Services
We may use the following third-party services in delivering our service:
- Zoom: for online therapy sessions (Zoom's privacy policy applies to their platform)
- Google Maps: embedded maps on our website
- Email: standard email providers for correspondence
11. Complaints
If you have a concern about how we handle your data, please contact us first at ian.mindfultalktherapyscotland@gmail.com. If you remain unsatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
12. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Continued use of our services after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
Mindful Talk Therapy Scotland
East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire
📞 +44 7752 412161 · ✉ ian.mindfultalktherapyscotland@gmail.com
