Privacy Policy for Sam Talk Therapy
Operated by Counselling & Psychotherapy Ltd
Effective Date: April 2026
1. Who We Are
Sam Talk Therapy is operated by Counselling & Psychotherapy Ltd, a company registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 16678274. Registered Address: Upper Room, 12 Southwick Street, Brighton, England, BN42 4AD. ICO Registration Number: C1901535. Contact Email: sam@samtalktherapy.com. For the purposes of UK data protection law, we are the data controller of your personal data.
2. What Information We Collect
We may collect and process the following categories of personal data: Contact Data: your name, email address, phone number, and any information you provide when making an enquiry. Enquiry Data: details submitted via contact forms, email, or other communication channels. Client Data: if you engage in therapy, this may include personal information and special category data such as information relating to your physical or mental health. Technical Data: IP address, browser type, and usage data collected through cookies or analytics tools.
3. Lawful Basis for Processing
We process your personal data under UK GDPR using the following lawful bases: Consent when you submit an enquiry or agree to contact. Contract to provide counselling services. Legal Obligation where required, including safeguarding or court orders. Legitimate Interests to operate and improve our services. For special category data, we rely on explicit consent and provision of health care services under Article 9(2)(h) UK GDPR.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use your information to respond to enquiries, provide counselling services, maintain clinical records, manage appointments and payments, meet professional and ethical obligations including BACP and ACC requirements, and improve our website and services.
5. Confidentiality and Its Limits
All information shared within therapy is treated as confidential. However, confidentiality may be breached where there is risk of serious harm to you or others, safeguarding concerns, or legal obligation such as a court order. Any such disclosure will be made in accordance with professional and legal requirements.
6. Data Sharing
We do not sell or share your personal data for marketing purposes. Your data may be shared where necessary with clinical supervisors in anonymised form where possible, IT and website service providers including website hosting providers, email service providers, and form processing tools such as WPForms, and legal or regulatory authorities if required. Where online therapy is provided, data may be processed via secure video platforms such as Zoom. All third parties are required to handle your data securely and lawfully.
7. Online Therapy and Communications
Where therapy is conducted online, we use secure platforms such as Zoom. While reasonable steps are taken to ensure confidentiality and security, no online platform can be guaranteed to be completely secure. By engaging in online therapy, you acknowledge and accept these risks. Email communication is used for administrative purposes and may not be fully secure, so sensitive information should be limited where possible.
8. Data Retention
We retain personal data only as long as necessary: Enquiry data up to 12 months. Adult client records retained for a minimum of 7 years after the end of therapy. Clients under 18 retained until age 25 or 26 where applicable. These timeframes reflect professional, legal, and insurance requirements.
9. Data Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data, including secure storage, password protection, and restricted access. However, no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure.
10. Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the right to access your personal data, request correction of inaccurate data, request erasure of your data, restrict or object to processing, request data portability where applicable, and withdraw consent at any time. To exercise your rights, contact sam@samtalktherapy.com.
11. Cookies
Our website may use cookies to improve user experience and analyse website traffic. You can control cookie settings through your browser.
12. Complaints
If you are not satisfied with how your data is handled, you may contact the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk.
13. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date.