Privacy notice

Who I am

I’m Jen Pepler, the counsellor behind Coate Counselling. I am the data controller for the personal information described in this notice and I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

If you have a question about this notice or how I handle your information, email hello@coatecounselling.co.uk or write to:

What information I collect

When you make an enquiry, you may provide your name, email address, phone number, preferred way to be contacted and a short message. I may also receive relevant contact information from a GP, another health professional, a parent or someone you trust when they contact me on your behalf.

If we work together, I may collect information needed to provide counselling and administer the service. This can include contact and appointment details, information about your health, wellbeing and personal circumstances, and brief written notes from sessions.

Please keep an initial email brief and do not include detailed clinical or emergency information. You decide what to share, and the enquiry form asks only for enough information to make contact.

Why I use your information

I use personal information to respond to enquiries, arrange an introductory conversation, decide with you whether my service is appropriate, provide counselling, manage appointments and payments, keep necessary records, meet professional and legal responsibilities, and protect legal rights.

When you are considering or receiving counselling, I rely on taking steps at your request before entering an agreement and on performing our counselling agreement. I may also rely on legitimate interests for administering my practice, keeping necessary records and protecting legal rights, and on legal obligations where they apply.

Information about health and wellbeing can be special category data. Where I use this information, I also rely on an appropriate condition under data-protection law, such as explicit consent where appropriate or the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

Enquiries and counselling records

If you decide not to proceed after an enquiry, I normally delete the information you supplied within one week. I can delete it sooner if you ask, unless I have a legal reason to retain it.

During counselling, I keep personal details and session notes securely. Electronic notes are encrypted. Counselling is confidential, but I may need to share information where I believe there is a serious risk to you or someone else, where safeguarding responsibilities apply, or where the law requires it. Where it is appropriate and safe to do so, I will discuss this with you first.

My usual practice is to retain counselling records for one month after our work ends and then destroy them securely. I may retain specific information for longer where this is necessary to meet a legal, regulatory, insurance, accounting or safeguarding requirement.

Website, email and service providers

When you submit the enquiry form, Cloudflare processes the details you provide and sends them to my email address. I do not save form submissions in a website database. My email provider then handles the delivered message.

I use Cloudflare Turnstile to protect the form against spam. It processes technical information, such as your IP address and browser details, to verify the request. This verification is used for security, not advertising. The form records delivery status without putting your message in application logs.

Cloudflare Pages hosts this website and may process limited access and security information, such as an IP address, browser details and request time. A necessary browser-storage preference remembers your cookie choice.

Google Tag Manager container GTM-KVJG472N loads with analytics, advertising and personalisation storage set to denied. I do not currently use any optional analytics, advertising or personalisation tag. Selecting “Understood” only remembers that you have seen the cookie notice; it does not enable optional storage. Read the separate cookie and storage notice for details and how Google uses information from sites that use its services.

If we meet online, Zoom may process the technical information needed to provide the call. I use essential providers only where needed to run my practice. Some providers may process information outside the UK; where this happens, I expect the provider to use an approved transfer mechanism and appropriate safeguards.

Sharing and security

I do not sell your personal information. I share it only when needed with essential service providers, or where a professional, legal or safeguarding responsibility requires disclosure. I limit any disclosure to what is necessary.

I use encrypted devices and software and take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access, loss or misuse. I do not use your information for marketing, profiling or solely automated decisions.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data-protection law may give you rights to access and receive a copy of your information, correct inaccurate information, ask for deletion or restricted use, object to certain uses, and receive some information in a portable format. These rights can have legal limits.

Contact me using the details above if you would like to ask a question or exercise a right. I may ask for information needed to confirm your identity.