Privacy Policy

Last updated: 2026

Wayfinder Counselling Services is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how it is used, how it is stored, how long it is kept and the rights you have in relation to your information.

Please read this Privacy Policy alongside my Counselling Agreement and information about confidentiality.

Who I am

Wayfinder Counselling Services is operated by Rebecca Goulder.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, I am the data controller responsible for your personal information.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or about how your personal information is handled, you can contact me at:

Email: info@wayfindercounselling.co.uk

What information I collect

Depending on the nature of our contact and counselling work, I may collect:

Your name and contact details, including your telephone number and email address
Your date of birth
Information provided when you contact me through my website or by email
Information provided during an initial assessment
Your GP or other relevant healthcare professional's details, where appropriate
Emergency contact details
Information relating to appointments and attendance
Payment information relating to counselling sessions
Counselling records and brief session notes
Information you choose to share during counselling about your life, experiences, relationships and emotional wellbeing
Relevant information relating to risk, safeguarding or safety concerns

Some of the information you share with me may be considered special category personal data under UK data protection law. This may include information relating to your physical or mental health and other sensitive personal information.

I will only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing counselling and managing our professional relationship.

How I collect your information

I may collect information from you when you:

Complete a contact form on my website
Contact me by email or telephone
Make an enquiry about counselling
Complete an assessment or client information form
Attend counselling sessions
Provide information during our work together
Make payment for counselling sessions

Why I use your information

I use your personal information to:

Respond to your enquiry
Communicate with you about counselling
Arrange and manage appointments
Provide counselling services
Maintain appropriate counselling records
Contact you regarding appointments or changes to appointments
Manage payments
Meet my professional, ethical and legal responsibilities
Respond appropriately to safeguarding or serious safety concerns

I will not sell your personal information or use it for unrelated marketing purposes.

Lawful basis for processing your information

I process personal information only where there is an appropriate legal basis to do so.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

Contract – where processing your information is necessary to provide counselling services and manage our agreement
Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for the safe and effective management of my counselling practice
Legal obligation – where I am required to retain or disclose information by law
Consent – where you have given permission for a specific use of your information

Where I process special category personal data, I will ensure that an appropriate additional condition applies under UK data protection law.

Confidentiality and sharing information

Counselling is confidential, and I will not normally share information about you without your knowledge or permission.

However, there may be exceptional circumstances where confidentiality cannot be maintained completely. These may include situations where:

I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or another person
There are safeguarding concerns involving a child or vulnerable adult
I am legally required to disclose information
A court or other legal authority requires disclosure
Disclosure is necessary to protect someone from serious harm

Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss any proposed disclosure with you before sharing information.

As part of my professional practice, I attend regular clinical supervision. I may discuss aspects of my work with my supervisor to ensure that I am working safely and ethically. Wherever possible, identifying information will be minimised.

My supervisor is also bound by professional and ethical duties of confidentiality.

How your information is stored

Client assessment forms, counselling agreements and counselling notes are kept in paper format.

Paper records are stored securely and are only accessible to me.

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

I keep identifying information separate from counselling notes wherever reasonably possible.

Online counselling

I offer online counselling using Doxy.me.

Online sessions take place through this platform. I take reasonable steps to ensure that the platform I use is appropriate for providing online counselling.

Clients are also responsible for ensuring, as far as possible, that they are in a private and confidential space during online sessions.

Payments

Payments for counselling sessions are made by bank transfer.

I may retain limited information relating to payments for accounting, tax and business administration purposes.

I do not store your bank card details.

Website contact form

If you contact me using the contact form on my website, I will collect the information you choose to provide, such as your name, email address, telephone number and the content of your message.

I will use this information only to respond to your enquiry and to discuss counselling services with you.

If counselling does not begin, your enquiry information will be securely deleted when it is no longer necessary to retain it.

How long I keep your information

I will only keep your personal information for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet my professional, legal, ethical and insurance requirements.

My current retention periods are:

Counselling records and client forms:
Six years from the date counselling ends, after which they will be securely destroyed.

Enquiry information where counselling does not begin:
Six months

Financial and payment records:
Kept for the period required by HMRC and other relevant legal requirements.

In some circumstances, records may need to be retained for longer, for example where there is an ongoing legal, insurance or professional matter.

Who I may share your information with

I will not normally share your personal information with third parties.

However, information may be shared where necessary with:

My clinical supervisor, within appropriate confidentiality arrangements
Emergency services or safeguarding agencies where there is a serious concern about safety
Healthcare professionals or other appropriate agencies where necessary and justified
Legal or regulatory authorities where I am legally required to provide information

I will only share information where there is an appropriate legal, ethical or safeguarding reason for doing so.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:

Request access to the personal information I hold about you
Ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected
Request that your information is erased in certain circumstances
Ask me to restrict how your information is used in certain circumstances
Object to certain types of processing
Request the transfer of certain information where applicable
Withdraw consent where I rely on your consent to process your information

Please note that some of these rights are not absolute. For example, I may need to retain certain information to meet legal, professional, insurance or accounting requirements.

If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact me at:

info@wayfindercounselling.co.uk

Making a complaint

If you have concerns about how I handle your personal information, please contact me in the first instance and I will do my best to address your concerns.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK authority responsible for data protection.

Further information is available from the Information Commissioner's Office.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in my practice, legal requirements or the way I handle personal information.

The most recent version will always be available on my website.