Last updated: 24.08.26

Your privacy matters, and so does your trust. This policy explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I keep it safe, and the choices and rights you have.

WHO I AM

I am Laura Heslop, a psychotherapist and counsellor practising as Laura Heslop Therapy, based in Beverley and working with clients in person, online and by telephone.

For the purposes of data protection law, I am the “data controller” for the information I hold about you. This means I am responsible for how your personal data is looked after.

– Contact email: hello@laurahesloptherapy.co.uk 

– ICO registration number: ZC229445

I only collect what I need to respond to you and to provide therapy safely. Depending on how you get in touch and whether we go on to work together, this can include:

When you enquire or book a free consultation:

– Your name

– Your email address, and your phone number if you give it

– Anything you choose to tell me in your message about why you are getting in touch

Enquiries come through the contact form on this website, or directly by email or phone.

When you become a client:

– Your contact details and, where relevant, an emergency contact and your GP details

– Information about your health, wellbeing and circumstances that we discuss so I can support you properly. This is sensitive information, and I say more about how I protect it below.

– Brief, private session notes and any assessment or agreement we complete together

When you visit this website:

– Some limited technical information may be collected through cookies. You can read exactly what is used, and manage your choices, in my Cookies Policy.

SENSITIVE (SPECIAL CATEGORY) INFORMATION

Because therapy involves talking about your health and wellbeing, some of the information I hold counts as “special category” data under data protection law. This is given extra protection, and I treat it with the care it deserves. I keep it to the minimum needed, store it securely, and only ever share it in the limited situations set out below.

WHY I USE YOUR INFORMATION, AND MY LAWFUL BASES

The law asks me to have a valid reason, called a “lawful basis”, for using your information. Mine are:

– To respond to your enquiry and arrange a consultation – because it is in our mutual legitimate interests to reply to you and take the steps you have asked for before we agree to work together.

– To provide therapy and manage our sessions – because we have an agreement (a contract) for me to provide that service to you.

– To use health and wellbeing information within therapy – because you give your explicit consent when we begin working together, and because the law specifically allows the use of this information for the provision of health and social care by a professional bound by a duty of confidentiality (UK GDPR Article 9(2)(h)).

– To meet legal, insurance and safety obligations – for example keeping records my professional body and insurer require, or acting where there is a serious risk of harm. Where needed, this can include establishing or defending a legal claim (Article 9(2)(f)) or complying with a legal obligation.

WHO I SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH

I never sell your information, and I never share it for marketing. I only share it where it is necessary and appropriate. That can include:

– My clinical supervisor. Like all ethical therapists, I discuss my work in confidential supervision to keep the quality of your care high. I keep this anonymous wherever possible.

– Trusted service providers who help run my practice, and only for that purpose. These currently include:

• Google Workspace
• Hostinger 

– Others, only where the law requires it or there is a serious risk of harm – for example a GP, emergency services, a safeguarding team, or my professional body. Wherever I safely can, I will talk to you first.

WHERE YOUR INFORMATION IS STORED, AND KEEPING IT SAFE

Client records and notes are kept securely and are only accessible to me. Anything held on my computer is password protected, and I store the minimum I need. Paper records, if any, are kept locked away.

Some of the online services I use may store information on servers based outside the UK. Where that happens, I take reasonable steps to check that appropriate safeguards are in place so your information stays protected to UK standards.

HOW LONG I KEEP YOUR INFORMATION

Enquiries that do not turn into ongoing work are kept only for a short time and then deleted, both from my email and from the website where the contact form stores them. For clients, I keep records for 7 years after the client has left, in line with my professional body’s guidance and my insurance requirements, after which they are securely destroyed.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have rights over the information I hold about you. You can ask me to:

– See a copy of your information

– Correct anything that is wrong or incomplete

– Delete your information, in certain circumstances

– Restrict or object to how it is used, in certain circumstances

– Withdraw any consent you have given, at any time

Just contact me and I will help. I will respond within one month. There is normally no charge. I may need to confirm your identity first, and in some cases I may need to keep certain records where the law requires it.

MAKING A COMPLAINT

If you are ever unhappy with how I have handled your information, please tell me first so I can put it right. You can raise a concern with me using the contact details above. I will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and respond as quickly as I can.

If you are still not satisfied, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator, at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or by calling 0303 123 1113.

COOKIES

This website uses a small number of cookies. You can read what they do and manage your preferences in my Cookies Policy.

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

I may update this policy from time to time. When I do, I will change the date at the top of the page.