Privacy Policy: Transform Counselling

  Introduction

Your privacy is very important to me, and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose it was given. I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018, which is closely aligned with GDPR.

This privacy notice explains what I will do with your personal information from the 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 discuss any questions you may have about my data protection policy. You can contact me via email.

“Data controller” is the term used to describe the person or organisation that collects, stores, and is responsible for people’s personal data. In this instance, the data controller is me. I am also the data controller for any personal data collected through my website.

I am registered with the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner (JOIC), registration number 58144.

Contact details: Transform Acupuncture and Counselling 39 Hill Street, St Helier, JE2 4UA Phone: 07797 764582 Email: charlotte@transformacupuncture.co.uk

My lawful basis for holding and using your personal information

Under the Data Protection (Jersey) Law 2018, I must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. These vary depending on the stage of our work together.

If you are currently having therapy or are in contact with me to consider therapy

I process your personal data because it is necessary for the performance of our contract.

If you have finished therapy

I use legitimate interests as my lawful basis for holding and using your personal information.

Special category personal information

The law requires additional protection for sensitive information such as health, ethnicity, sexuality, or religious beliefs.

My lawful basis for processing special category information is:

• Consent (initially, when you begin therapy)
• Legal claims (I retain counselling records in case they are needed to defend against potential legal claims)

How I use your information

Initial contact

When you contact me with an enquiry about counselling, I collect information to help me respond. This may include your name, email address, and telephone number. Sometimes your GP, another health professional, or a trusted individual may send me your details when making a referral.

If you decide not to proceed, I delete your personal data within 30 days. If you would like it deleted sooner, please let me know.

While you are accessing counselling

Everything you discuss with me is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if:

• There is risk of serious harm to yourself or others
• I am required by law to disclose information (e.g., Prevention of Terrorism or Money Laundering Acts)
• I am required by a court order to do so
• There are child protection concerns where a child could be at risk of harm or neglect
• In supervision (required by BACP), where cases are discussed but names are omitted

I will always try to speak to you first unless safeguarding concerns prevent this.

I keep a record of your personal details to help the counselling service run smoothly. This includes your name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, GP details, emergency contact, and your consent for me to use this information if needed. These details are stored securely on Cliniko and/or in paper format and are not shared with any third party.

I keep written notes of each session. These are stored securely on Cliniko and/or in a locked filing cabinet. Notes may include relevant information such as occupation or religion.

For security reasons, I do not retain text messages for more than one month. If a message contains relevant information, I transfer it into your file. Email correspondence is treated similarly.

After counselling has ended

I retain your records for 8 years in line with professional guidance and legal obligations. After this period, they are securely destroyed.

If you would like your information deleted sooner, please let me know.

Third‑party recipients of personal data

I sometimes share personal data with third‑party providers who carry out specific tasks on my behalf. These providers act as data processors, and I ensure that:

• They only use your data for the specific task
• They meet appropriate security standards
• A contract is in place governing their use of your data

The providers I use are:

• Microsoft Office 365 – to send and receive emails, create invoices, and write letters to third parties such as medical professionals or insurers.
• GoDaddy – to host my website and provide Office365 Professional. GoDaddy acts as a data processor when hosting my website.
• SumUp – to process card payments, send payment links, and issue refunds.
• HSBC – to receive payments made by bank transfer.
• Cliniko – my booking and note‑taking software. Cliniko stores data securely on servers located in Australia, which means your data may be transferred outside Jersey. Cliniko meets international security and privacy standards, and I ensure appropriate safeguards are in place.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Request a copy of the personal information I hold about you
• Ask me to correct any mistakes
• Ask me to delete your personal information
• Ask me to limit how I use your personal information
• Object to certain types of processing
• You can withdraw your consent for me to process special category information at any time. This will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before consent was withdrawn.

If you have seen me as a couple, both partners must consent before I can release any information. Couples therapy notes are written as a single record relating to the relationship, not separate individual records.

You can read more about your rights at: www.oicjersey.org

To make a request, please email: charlotte@transformacupuncture.co.uk

If you have any concerns about how I handle your personal data, please contact me so I can address the issue. You can do this by emailing charlotte@transformacupuncture.co.ukor writing to me at:

Transform Acupuncture and Counselling 39 Hill Street St Helier JE2 4UA

I take all concerns seriously and will do my best to resolve any issues you raise.

If you remain unhappy with how I have handled your personal information, you can make a formal complaint to the Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner (JOIC), which oversees data protection law in Jersey.

You can contact JOIC at: www.oicjersey.org Jersey Office of the Information Commissioner 2nd Floor, 5 Castle Street, St Helier, JE2 3BT Telephone: +44 (0)1534 716530

Data security

I take the security of your data very seriously. I use password‑protected devices (laptop and mobile phone), secure software systems (Cliniko, SumUp, banking), and store paper notes in a locked filing cabinet.

Visitors to my website

When someone visits my website, standard internet log information and visitor behaviour patterns are collected by my website host, GoDaddy. This helps me understand things like how many people visit different parts of the site. This information is processed in a way that does not identify anyone, and I do not allow GoDaddy to attempt to identify visitors.

I use legitimate interests as my lawful basis for processing this type of data.

I also use Google Analytics to help me understand how people use my website so I can continually improve the service I offer. You can read Google’s privacy notice here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

My website is hosted and managed using GoDaddy’s website builder. You can read GoDaddy’s privacy policy here: https://www.godaddy.com/en-uk/legal/agreements/privacy-policy

Like most websites, this site uses cookies to help it function efficiently and to understand how visitors use it. You can read more about the cookies used on this site here: www.transform-counselling/privacy-policy 

No personally identifiable information is collected through cookies or analytics tools. If you complete a contact form on my website, the information you submit is stored temporarily by the website host before being securely sent to me by email.

END

Last updated August 2026