Privacy Policy

Your privacy and confidentiality matter to me. This policy explains what personal information I collect, why I use it, how I look after it and the choices you have. It covers the use of my website, enquiries and the information I need when we work together.

WHO I AM

I am Marlene van Aardt, trading as Marlene van Aardt Counselling & Psychotherapy. I am the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.

Location: Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, United Kingdom
Email: support@marlenevanaardt.co.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 7946 648263

INFORMATION I COLLECT

When you visit the website

IONOS hosts this website. Technical information may be processed when a page is requested, including the page or file requested, the time of access, the referring page, browser and operating-system details, device type and an anonymised location derived from the IP address.

If you choose to allow optional services through the site's Privacy Settings, IONOS SiteAnalytics and Google Maps may also process information as explained in the Cookies and website services section below.

When you contact me

The website enquiry form asks for your name and email address, with a telephone number if you choose to provide one, and a brief message. If you contact me by email, telephone or another channel, I will also receive the information you choose to provide through that channel.

The website form is provided by IONOS and sends your submission directly to my practice Google Workspace email address. IONOS states that the form does not have a database or backend submission logs in which the submitted information is stored.

WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger are intended only for brief initial contact. If more detail is needed, I may ask you to continue through my practice email or website form. Please do not use social-media messaging for detailed clinical, medical or urgent information.

Please avoid including detailed clinical, medical or urgent information in the website form. You only need to provide enough information for me to respond and arrange a free consultation if you would like one.

If we work together

I may need information such as:

• your contact details;
• your GP and emergency-contact details where these are needed;
• your counselling agreement and relevant assessment information;
• appointment, attendance and payment records;
• relevant communications; and
• therapy notes and other information needed to provide the service safely and professionally.

Some of this may be health information or other special-category information that needs additional protection under data-protection law. I collect only what I reasonably need for the stated purpose.

WHY I USE YOUR INFORMATION AND MY LAWFUL BASES

I use personal information to:

• reply to enquiries and take steps you ask me to take before deciding whether we will work together;
• arrange and provide counselling, psychotherapy and agreed hypnotherapy work;
• manage appointments, payments and necessary practice administration;
• keep appropriate professional records;
• maintain the security and reliable operation of the website and practice systems;
• meet legal, tax, insurance and professional responsibilities; and
• respond appropriately where there is a serious safety, safeguarding, complaint or legal issue.

The lawful bases I rely on depend on why the information is needed:

Contract: to respond when you ask about working with me, take steps before we enter into an agreement and provide the agreed therapy service.

Legal obligation: where I must use or retain information to meet a legal duty.

Legitimate interests: where necessary to run a safe and accountable practice, maintain appropriate records, protect the security of my systems, manage complaints and establish or defend my legal rights. I consider the effect on your privacy before relying on this basis.

Consent: for optional website services such as IONOS SiteAnalytics and Google Maps. You can reject these services or change your choice through Privacy Settings.

Information about mental or physical health is special-category information and needs an additional legal condition. Where it is necessary to provide counselling, psychotherapy or related care, I rely on Article 9(2)(h) of the UK GDPR and Schedule 1, Part 1, condition 2 of the Data Protection Act 2018, together with my duty of confidentiality. Where information is necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim, Article 9(2)(f) may apply. In a genuine life-or-death emergency where a person is physically or legally unable to consent, the vital-interests condition in Article 9(2)(c) may apply.

Where I rely on consent for an optional purpose, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This will not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn or information I must keep on another lawful basis.

WHO HAS ACCESS AND WHEN INFORMATION MAY BE SHARED

I am the only person who routinely accesses and uses the practice's enquiry and client records. The following service providers process limited information as necessary to provide their services:

• IONOS, which hosts the website, provides the website form and SiteAnalytics, and processes technical website information;
• Google Workspace, which provides the practice email and protected electronic record storage; and
• Google Meet, used through the practice Google Workspace account for free video consultations and online therapy sessions.

Google Meet sessions are not recorded or transcribed, and meeting chat is not retained by the practice.

Google Maps is loaded only if you choose to accept it in Privacy Settings. If you choose to open Facebook, WhatsApp or another external service from a website link, that service receives information in accordance with its own privacy terms. Simply viewing this website does not send a Facebook or WhatsApp message. Any enquiry information that I retain from those channels follows the same enquiry-retention periods described below.

I do not sell personal information or share it for advertising. Information may be shared only where it is necessary and appropriate, for example:

• with a person or service you have asked me to involve;
• where there is a serious safety or safeguarding concern;
• where disclosure is required by law or a court;
• to obtain confidential professional supervision, normally without using names or other identifying details; or
• to obtain legal advice or insurance support where this is necessary and appropriate.

Where possible and appropriate, I would discuss a disclosure with you first and share only what is necessary.

INTERNATIONAL PROCESSING

IONOS states that SiteAnalytics data is not passed to third parties. Google Workspace, Google Maps, Facebook and WhatsApp may process information outside the UK.

Where a service provider makes a restricted international transfer of practice information, the transfer must be covered by UK adequacy regulations, appropriate contractual safeguards or another lawful transfer mechanism. Google's Cloud Data Processing Addendum provides for recognised transfer solutions and standard contractual clauses, including the UK supplementary terms, where they are required. Facebook, WhatsApp and Google Maps process information under their own privacy terms when you choose to use those external services. You can contact me if you would like further information about the safeguards relevant to information I control.

HOW INFORMATION IS STORED AND PROTECTED

Enquiry emails, therapy notes and client records are held electronically in the practice Google Workspace. There are no paper client records and no client-record copies are downloaded, synchronised or backed up to a computer, phone, personal cloud account, external drive or other location outside the practice Google Workspace.

The Google Workspace Cloud Data Processing Addendum has been accepted and EU data-protection law has been certified as applicable to the practice account. IONOS's standard Data Processing Agreement forms part of the terms applying to the practice's MyWebsite Now contract.

I use appropriate account, password and access controls. Service providers may process data and maintain service backups as described in their contracts and technical documentation.

HOW LONG INFORMATION IS KEPT

• Enquiries that do not become clients: the enquiry and any attachments are normally deleted from the practice's email or messaging account six months after the last contact.

• Enquiries that become client relationships: only necessary information is transferred to the client record, and the original enquiry is normally deleted from the practice's email or messaging account within 30 days after onboarding is complete.

• Therapy and client records: normally kept for five years after therapy ends.

• IONOS website analytics information: IONOS states that this is retained for eight weeks.

• Website privacy preference: the site's first-party consent-preference cookie lasts for 30 days.

• Google Meet: the practice does not retain a recording, transcript or meeting chat.

• Financial and legal records: kept for the period required by the applicable tax, insurance or legal obligation, or while they are necessary for an active complaint or legal claim. The period depends on the type of record and the requirement that applies.

Relevant information may be retained longer where this is necessary for an active complaint, safeguarding matter or legal requirement. Any exception will be limited to what is necessary, the reason will be recorded and the need for continued retention will be reviewed.

CONFIDENTIALITY

What you discuss in therapy is treated as confidential. Confidentiality is not absolute: information may need to be disclosed where there is a serious risk of harm, a safeguarding concern or a legal requirement. The counselling agreement explains these boundaries in more detail. Where possible and appropriate, I would discuss this with you before taking action.

COOKIES AND WEBSITE SERVICES

You can use Privacy Settings on the website to accept, reject or change optional services.

Privacy-preference cookie

The website stores your service choices in a first-party cookie called “gox_cookie_consent”. This is needed to remember your selection and expires after 30 days.

IONOS SiteAnalytics

SiteAnalytics is presented as an optional service in the website's Privacy Settings. If accepted, it processes the referring page, requested page or file, browser and operating-system details, device type, time of access and an anonymised location derived from the IP address. IONOS says that SiteAnalytics uses a tracking pixel or server-side logs, does not use analytics cookies, is used for statistical evaluation and technical optimisation, retains the information for eight weeks and does not pass it to third parties.

If you reject the optional services through the privacy banner, IONOS states that SiteAnalytics is disabled and does not collect the information listed above.

Google Maps

The embedded Google map is blocked unless you accept Google Maps. If you accept it, Google may receive information such as your IP address and may use cookies or process location and usage information under Google's terms. You can refuse the service and still use the rest of the website.

Services not used

The website does not use Google Analytics, advertising or behavioural-targeting tools. The IONOS Website Translator feature is not activated.

You can reopen Privacy Settings from the website and change your optional-service choices. You can also manage or delete cookies through your browser settings.

YOUR DATA-PROTECTION RIGHTS

Depending on the information and the lawful basis used, you may have the right to:

• ask for a copy of your personal information;
• ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;
• ask for information to be deleted in circumstances where the right applies;
• ask for processing to be restricted;
• object to certain processing;
• receive information you provided in a portable format where processing is automated and based on consent or contract; and
• withdraw consent where processing relies on consent.

Your right to object

Where I rely on legitimate interests, you have the right to object to that processing. I will consider your circumstances and stop unless there is a compelling lawful reason to continue.

To ask a question or exercise a right, email support@marlenevanaardt.co.uk. I may need to confirm your identity before releasing or changing personal information.

If you are concerned about how I have handled your information, please contact me first so I can try to put things right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office:

Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

I will review this policy when the way I use personal information changes and at suitable intervals to keep it accurate.

Last updated: 9 September 2026