Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy 

Last updated: 11 August 2026

ARTful Minds Counselling respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, stored and protected when you visit this website, make an enquiry, or use counselling, psychoeducation, coaching or related services provided by ARTful Minds Counselling.

ARTful Minds Counselling is an independent counselling practice operated by Adenike Rebecca Teichert, who is the data controller for personal information processed through the practice.

This policy is intended to comply with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), Data Protection Act 2018 and Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

1. Information I May Collect

The information collected depends on how you interact with ARTful Minds Counselling.

Website visitors and enquiries

This may include:

• your name
• email address
• telephone number, if you choose to provide it
• information included in an enquiry or contact form
• IP address, browser information and website usage information
• cookie and tracking preferences

Please avoid including highly sensitive personal or medical information in an initial website enquiry unless it is necessary.

Clients

If you become a client, I may also collect and process information including:

• contact and emergency contact details
• assessment and counselling information
• appointment and attendance records
• relevant correspondence
• brief counselling or session notes
• payment and transaction records
• information necessary for safeguarding, risk management or professional practice

Counselling may involve information about your physical or mental health and may also involve other sensitive information you choose to discuss. Some of this information is classified as special category personal data under UK data protection law and receives additional protection.

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

2. Why I Use Your Information

Personal information may be used to:

• respond to enquiries
• arrange and manage appointments
• provide counselling, psychoeducation, coaching or other agreed services
• communicate with you about your sessions
• maintain appropriate professional records
• process and account for payments
• manage safeguarding or risk concerns
• meet legal, regulatory, insurance and professional obligations
• maintain the security and functionality of this website
• understand website use where you have consented to relevant analytics or tracking technologies
• send marketing or promotional communications only where you have chosen to      receive them

I do not use counselling information for advertising or behavioural marketing.

3. Lawful Bases for Processing

Under UK data protection law, personal information must be processed on an appropriate lawful basis.

Depending on the circumstances, ARTful Minds Counselling may rely on:

• Contract: where processing is necessary to provide services you have requested or to take steps before entering into a counselling or other service agreement.
• Legitimate interests: where processing is reasonably necessary for the safe and effective administration of the practice, provided those interests do not override      your rights and freedoms.
• Legal obligation: where information must be processed to comply with the law.
• Consent: where you have made a genuine choice, for example in relation to certain      communications or non-essential website cookies.
• Vital interests: in exceptional circumstances where processing is necessary to protect someone's life.

Where special category information is processed, an additional condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR and, where applicable, the Data Protection Act 2018 is required. This may include conditions relevant to counselling, safeguarding, health or social care, substantial public interest, or explicit consent, depending on the circumstances.

4. Confidentiality and Sharing Information

Counselling is confidential, subject to the limits of confidentiality explained in the counselling agreement and at the beginning of therapeutic work.

I do not sell or rent your personal information.

Information will only be shared where there is an appropriate reason and lawful basis to do so. This may include:

• where you have given permission
• where disclosure is required by law or a court order
• where there is a safeguarding concern or a serious risk of harm
• where disclosure is otherwise permitted by law in order to protect you or      another person
• where a trusted service provider processes information on behalf of ARTful Minds Counselling
• where information is required for professional, legal, regulatory or insurance purposes

Client work is discussed in clinical supervision as part of safe and ethical professional practice. Identifying information is kept to the minimum necessary.

Where information needs to be shared, I aim to disclose only what is relevant and necessary.

5. Service Providers and Third Parties

ARTful Minds Counselling may use trusted third-party services to support the operation of the practice and website. These may include providers for:

• website hosting and website functionality
• email and communications
• online video or telephone sessions
• payment processing
• accounting and business administration
• website analytics and measurement
• secure digital storage or other technology used in running the practice

These providers may process limited personal information in order to provide their services and are subject to their own data protection obligations and privacy policies.

Payment providers process card and transaction information through their own secure systems. ARTful Minds Counselling does not need to retain your full card details.

This website may also contain links to third-party websites, including professional directories and social-media or professional-networking platforms. Their privacy practices are governed by their own privacy policies.

6. International Data Transfers and Online Services

Some technology providers used for website, communication, video conferencing, payment or administrative purposes may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, appropriate safeguards are relied upon where required by UK data protection law.

If counselling is provided online to a client outside the UK, the therapeutic service remains operated from the United Kingdom and information is handled in accordance with applicable UK data protection requirements, alongside any other legal requirements that may apply.

7. Cookies, Analytics and Tracking Technologies

This website uses cookies and similar technologies for website functionality and may use analytics or measurement technologies to understand how the website is used.

Some cookies are necessary for the website to function correctly.

Where consent is legally required, non-essential analytics or tracking technologies should only be activated after you have made your cookie choices.

You can accept, reject or manage non-essential cookies through the cookie controls provided on the website, where available. You can also manage cookies through your browser settings.

Information collected through analytics may include information such as device type, browser, approximate location, pages visited and interactions with the website.

Cookie and tracking practices may change as website services are updated. This policy will be reviewed when significant changes are made.

8. How Information Is Stored and Protected

Appropriate technical and organisational measures are used to protect personal information.

These may include:

• password-protected devices and accounts
• secure storage
• encryption where appropriate
• access controls
• keeping identifying information separate from counselling notes where practicable
• limiting access to information to what is necessary
• securely disposing of information when it is no longer required

No method of electronic storage or communication can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but reasonable steps are taken to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.

9. How Long Information Is Kept

Personal information is kept only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and in accordance with relevant legal, professional, safeguarding, insurance and record-keeping requirements.

Client counselling and consultation records are retained for a minimum of five years, in accordance with the requirements of ARTful Minds Counselling's current professional indemnity insurance.

Records may be retained for longer where there is a lawful, safeguarding, professional or insurance-related reason to do so. When records are no longer required, they are securely destroyed or deleted.

Enquiry information that does not lead to an ongoing professional relationship will not be retained longer than reasonably necessary.

Financial and business records may be retained for the periods required by tax and accounting law.

10. Young People

ARTful Minds Counselling may provide services to young people where this falls within the practitioner's professional competence and scope of practice.

Where personal information relating to a young person is processed, particular care is taken to consider their privacy, confidentiality, understanding and rights.

The way information is handled may depend on the young person's age, capacity and circumstances, as well as safeguarding responsibilities and any applicable rights or responsibilities of a parent or person with parental responsibility.

The limits of confidentiality and how information will be handled are discussed appropriately before or at the beginning of therapeutic work.

11. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you rights to:

• request access to personal information held about you
• ask for inaccurate information to be corrected
• ask for information to be erased in certain circumstances
• ask for processing to be restricted in certain circumstances
• object to certain types of processing
• request data portability where applicable
• withdraw consent where processing relies on consent

These rights are not absolute and may be limited where there is a lawful reason to continue processing or retaining information.

You will not normally be charged for exercising your data protection rights.

I may need to take reasonable steps to verify your identity before releasing personal information.

12. Data Protection Questions and Complaints

If you have a question, concern or complaint about how your personal information has been handled, please contact ARTful Minds Counselling in the first instance:

Email: artfulmindscounselling@gmail.com

I will respond to data protection requests and concerns without undue delay and within the timeframes required by applicable data protection law.

If you remain dissatisfied, you also have the right to raise your concern with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection regulator.

Information about data protection rights and making a complaint is available from the Information Commissioner's Office.

13. Professional Standards

Adenike Rebecca Teichert is a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP) and an Accredited Member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (MNCPS Acc.).

Client information is handled with regard to applicable data protection law and relevant professional and ethical requirements, including confidentiality, safeguarding, record keeping and clinical supervision.

Professional ethical obligations do not replace legal data protection requirements, and this policy is intended to explain how personal information is handled within ARTful Minds Counselling.

14. Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy will be reviewed periodically and may be updated when there are changes to the law, professional requirements, services, technology or the way personal information is processed.

Any significant changes will be reflected on this page and the Last updated date will be amended accordingly.