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Privacy notice

Last updated: TODO — date this when it goes live

This page explains what happens to your information when you contact me through this website. I have tried to write it plainly rather than in legal language. If anything here isn't clear, please ask.

Who is responsible for your information

Kay Chalk, trading as Kay Chalk Counselling Service, is the data controller for information collected through this website.

What I collect, and when

If you use the contact form, I receive your name, your email address, the reason you selected, and whatever you write in the message. That is all sent to me by email. Nothing you type is stored on this website.

If you only read the site, nothing is collected. This website sets no cookies, uses no analytics, and makes no requests to other companies' servers. The fonts are served from this domain rather than from Google.

The one exception is the spam check on the contact form, described below, which loads only if you start using the form.

Why I am allowed to hold it

Needs Kay's confirmation before publishing. The lawful basis below is the common approach for counselling enquiries, but it is a judgement about your practice rather than a fact, and it is worth checking the wording with your insurer or BACP before this goes live.

I use your information to reply to your enquiry and, if we go on to work together, to arrange sessions. The lawful basis is legitimate interests — you have contacted me and would reasonably expect a reply.

If you choose to describe what you are struggling with, that is information about your health, which the law treats as more sensitive and protects more strictly. I hold it because it is necessary for providing counselling as a professional bound by a duty of confidentiality. You do not have to tell me anything about your situation in order to make contact — a short message is entirely enough.

Who else handles your information

Three companies process information on my behalf. Each is bound by a contract requiring them to protect it.

Who What they do Where
Cloudflare Hosts this website, and runs the spam check on the contact form. The spam check sees your IP address. It does not track you across other websites. Global network
Brevo Delivers your enquiry to my inbox and sends you the confirmation. Brevo keeps a copy of messages it has sent in its own logs. France and Germany
TODO — email provider Provides the mailbox your enquiry arrives in. TODO

I do not sell your information, share it for marketing, or pass it to anyone else — with one exception. If I believed you or someone else was at serious risk of harm, I might need to pass information to someone who could help. Wherever possible I would discuss that with you first. This is the same limit on confidentiality that applies to the counselling itself.

How long I keep it

If you enquire and we do not go on to work together, I keep your message for TODO — how long? and then delete it.

If we do work together, your records are kept for TODO — how long?, in line with my professional obligations and my insurer's requirements.

Needs Kay's decision. These two periods should match what the counselling contract says, so the two documents don't contradict each other.

Your rights

You can ask me to:

Just email me and I will respond within one month. There is no charge.

If you are unhappy with how I have handled your information, please tell me so I can put it right. You also have the right to complain directly to the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.

A note on email

Ordinary email is not fully private — it passes through several companies' systems on its way to me. For that reason, please don't feel you need to write anything detailed in a first message. A sentence is plenty, and we can talk properly once we are in a session.

Changes to this notice

If I change how I handle information, I will update this page and change the date at the top.