Privacy Notice

Lighter Minds Ltd – Counselling, Therapy and Wellbeing Services

Last updated: August 2026

Your privacy matters to me. As a counsellor, I understand that you may share highly personal and sensitive information with me, and I take my responsibility to protect that information seriously.

This privacy notice explains what information I collect, why I collect it, how it is used and stored, when it may be shared and the rights you have regarding your personal information.

I handle personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable UK data protection legislation.

I also practise in accordance with the BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions.

Who is responsible for your information?

Lighter Minds Ltd
Lainy Wills
Email: info@lighterminds.co.uk
Telephone: 01164 565438
ICO registration number: ZB743283

If you have any questions about how I use your personal information, please contact me using the details above.

What information might I collect?

The information I hold will depend on your relationship with me but may include:

your name
address
telephone number
email address
date of birth
emergency contact details
GP or other healthcare professional details where appropriate
appointment and attendance information
information relating to payments
correspondence between us
brief counselling/session records
information you choose to share about your physical or mental health
information concerning relationships, family circumstances and significant life events
safeguarding or risk information where relevant
information supplied by somebody referring you to my service

Because counselling involves discussing your wellbeing and personal circumstances, some of the information you provide may be classed as special category personal data under UK data protection law.

I only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing a safe and professional service.

Why do I use your information?

I may use your information to:

respond to enquiries
arrange and manage appointments
provide counselling, therapeutic or wellbeing services
communicate with you about our work together
maintain appropriate professional records
manage payments and accounts
fulfil my professional, ethical, safeguarding and legal responsibilities
protect you or another person where there is a serious safeguarding concern
establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary

I will not sell your personal information.

I will not use information you have disclosed during counselling for unrelated marketing purposes.

My lawful basis for processing your information

Data protection law requires me to have a lawful reason for processing personal information.

Depending upon the circumstances, my lawful bases may include:

providing a service under our counselling agreement or taking steps at your request before entering into that agreement
complying with a legal obligation
pursuing legitimate interests connected with running a safe and professional counselling practice
protecting someone’s vital interests in an emergency

Where I process special category information, including information concerning your physical or mental health, I will also ensure that an appropriate additional condition under UK data protection law applies.

Where consent is the appropriate legal basis, you may withdraw that consent. Withdrawal of consent does not affect processing that was lawful before consent was withdrawn, and there may be circumstances in which I am legally or professionally required to retain particular information.

Confidentiality

What you tell me during counselling is treated as confidential. However, confidentiality is not absolute.

There may be exceptional circumstances where I need or am legally required to share relevant information. These can include situations involving:

serious risk of harm to you or another person
safeguarding concerns involving a child or vulnerable person
a legal requirement, court order or other obligation to disclose information
other circumstances where disclosure is legally and ethically justified

Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, I would normally aim to discuss a disclosure with you first.

I will only disclose information that is necessary and relevant to the situation.

Clinical supervision

Professional supervision is an important part of ethical counselling practice.

I regularly discuss my clinical work with a qualified supervisor to ensure that I am practising safely and effectively.

Wherever possible, information discussed during supervision is anonymised or limited so that clients are not unnecessarily identifiable.

My supervisor is also bound by professional confidentiality.

How your information is stored

I take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access or disclosure.

Depending upon how we work together, information may be stored using password-protected electronic systems and/or securely stored paper records.

Where possible, identifying/contact information is kept separately from counselling notes.

Access to client information is restricted to those who have a legitimate reason to access it.

Online and telephone counselling

If we work remotely, sessions may take place using services such as Zoom or telephone.

Please be aware that online and telecommunications providers process some technical information as part of providing their services.

I do not record counselling sessions unless this has been specifically discussed with you and you have given appropriate consent.

You should also consider your own privacy when attending online sessions and, where possible, participate from somewhere you feel comfortable speaking confidentially.

Email, text messages and other electronic communication

Email, text messaging and other electronic communications can never be guaranteed to be completely secure.

I therefore recommend avoiding highly sensitive information in ordinary emails or messages where possible.

Communications relating to your counselling may form part of your client record where appropriate.

How long will I keep your information?

I do not keep personal information indefinitely.

Client counselling records are normally retained for 6 years after counselling ends, unless there is a legal, safeguarding, insurance or other legitimate reason for retaining particular information for longer.

Information relating to enquiries from people who do not subsequently become clients will normally be deleted after 6 months.

Financial information that I am legally required to retain will be kept for the period required by applicable tax and accounting legislation.

When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or destroyed.

Sharing your information

I do not routinely share your personal information with other people or organisations.

Where necessary and lawful, information may be shared with:

my professional supervisor
healthcare professionals
safeguarding services
emergency services
legal or regulatory authorities
courts where legally required
professional advisers or insurers where necessary
organisations providing essential administrative, IT or communications services to my practice

Where third-party organisations process information on my behalf, I take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate data protection arrangements are in place.

Your rights

Depending upon the circumstances, data protection law gives you rights concerning your personal information. These may include the right to:

be informed about how your information is used
request access to personal information I hold about you
request correction of inaccurate information
request deletion of information in certain circumstances
request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
object to certain types of processing
request transfer of information where the right to data portability applies
withdraw consent where processing relies upon consent

Some of these rights are subject to legal exceptions and may not apply in every situation.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact me.

Subject Access Requests

You can ask me for a copy of the personal information I hold about you. This is known as a Subject Access Request.

I will respond in accordance with the timescales required by data protection law.

There may occasionally be information that I am legally permitted or required to withhold or redact, for example where disclosure would adversely affect another person’s rights.

Website visitors and cookies

My website may collect limited technical information when you visit it.

Some websites use cookies or similar technologies to function correctly, understand website usage or provide additional features.

Where cookies are not strictly necessary, they will only be used where the appropriate consent has been obtained.

Further details should be provided through the website’s Cookie Policy/Cookie Settings.

Links to other websites

My website may contain links to third-party websites or resources.

I am not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites, and I recommend reviewing their privacy information before providing them with personal information.

Complaints about your personal information

If you have concerns about how I have handled your personal information, please contact me first so that I have an opportunity to address the issue.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection regulator.

Changes to this notice

I may update this privacy notice from time to time to reflect changes in my practice, technology, professional guidance or the law.

The current version will be available on my website.

A final word

Counselling relies upon trust. Protecting your privacy and treating the things you share with me respectfully and confidentially are fundamental parts of the way I practise.

If you have any questions about confidentiality, your records or how I use your personal information, please feel free to ask me.