Privacy Policy

Ascend Therapy Privacy Notice

This privacy notice tells you what to expect us to do with your personal information.

Contact details

Telephone: 07359 454389

Email: anna@ascendtherapy.uk

What information we collect, use, and why

We collect or use the following information to provide services and goods, including delivery:

  • Names and contact details
  • Addresses
  • Date of birth
  • Payment details (including card or bank information for transfers and direct debits)
  • Health information (including dietary requirements, allergies and health conditions)
  • Account information
  • Website user information (including user journeys and cookie tracking)
  • Records of meetings and decisions
  • Information relating to compliments or complaints

We also collect or use the following special category information to provide services and goods, including delivery. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:

  • Health information

We collect or use the following information for the operation of customer accounts and guarantees:

  • Names and contact details
  • Payment details (including card or bank information for transfers and direct debits)
  • Account information, including registration details
  • Information used for security purposes
  • Marketing preferences

We also collect or use the following special category information for the operation of customer accounts and guarantees. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:

  • Health information

We collect or use the following information to comply with legal requirements:

  • Name
  • Contact information
  • Any other personal information required to comply with legal obligations
  • Safeguarding information

We collect or use the following personal information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims:

  • Names and contact details
  • Account information
  • Purchase or service history
  • Witness statements and contact details
  • Relevant information from previous investigations
  • Customer or client accounts and records
  • Financial transaction information
  • Correspondence

We also collect the following special category information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:

  • Health information

Lawful bases and data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.

Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are set out in brief below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:

  • Your right of access – You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where we get personal information from and who we share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for.
  • Your right to rectification– You have the right to ask us to correct or delete personal information you think is inaccurate or incomplete. 
  • Your right to erasure– You have the right to ask us to delete your personal information. 
  • Your right to restriction of processing– You have the right to ask us to limit how we can use your personal information. 
  • Your right to object to processing– You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.
  • Your right to data portability– You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you. 
  • Your right to withdraw consent– When we use consent as our lawful basis you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. 

If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.

To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

Our lawful bases for the collection and use of your data

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to provide services and goods are:

  • Consent – we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.
  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for the operation of customer accounts and guarantees are:

  • Consent – we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for legal requirements are:

  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.
  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.

Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims are:

  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.
  • Legitimate interests – we’re collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. Our legitimate interests are:
    • We have a legitimate interest in collecting and using personal information to effectively manage and respond to client queries, complaints, and potential claims. This allows us to ensure the quality and safety of our counselling services, maintain accurate records of interactions and sessions, resolve issues fairly, and defend or address any formal complaints or legal claims where necessary. The use of personal information in this context benefits both the client and the practice by ensuring concerns are properly investigated, safeguarding issues can be appropriately identified and addressed, and service quality is continuously monitored and improved. We only use the minimum amount of personal information necessary to handle each matter, and access is restricted to relevant personnel only. We also apply appropriate safeguards such as confidentiality, secure record-keeping systems, and professional ethical standards. The impact on individuals is minimised because information is only used for the specific purpose of resolving the query, complaint, or claim, and is not shared more widely than necessary. On balance, these benefits outweigh any potential privacy impact, as careful handling of complaints and claims is essential to protecting both client wellbeing and maintaining professional accountability.

For more information on our use of legitimate interests as a lawful basis you can contact us using the contact details set out above.

  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.

Where we get personal information from

  • Directly from you
  • Suppliers and service providers
  • Third parties:
  • We may receive personal information from third parties where relevant to the provision of counselling services. This will primarily be from the client themselves, for example where they provide information about their personal circumstances, history, or relevant background during intake or ongoing sessions. We may also receive information from service providers who support the delivery of our services, such as booking systems, payment processors, website providers, email and communication platforms, and online video conferencing tools.

How long we keep information

We retain personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected. This includes providing counselling services, meeting legal, regulatory, and professional obligations, and handling any complaints or claims.

Typically, we retain client counselling records for up to 7 years after the end of the therapeutic relationship. Transaction records relating to payments (such as invoices, payment confirmations, and booking records) are retained for up to 6 years in line with legal, tax, and accounting requirements. Where no therapeutic relationship is formed, enquiry data (including communications via email, text, telephone call or messaging services such as WhatsApp) is retained for up to 3 months from the date of last contact before being securely deleted.

Payments are processed securely by Stripe, which acts as an independent data controller for the financial information required to complete transactions. We do not store full payment card details.

After these periods, personal data is securely deleted.

Who we share information with

We use the following categories of data processors who process personal information on our behalf to help us deliver counselling services:

Hostinger (web hosting provider) This data processor does the following activities for us: Hostinger provides website hosting services and supports the secure operation of our website.

WordPress (website content management system) This data processor does the following activities for us: WordPress is used to manage and run our website, including pages, forms, and content. It may process limited personal data submitted through the website.

Zoho Mail (email service provider) Zoho Mail is used to send, receive, and store email communications relating to counselling services and administration.

Cloud storage and data management providers These providers may be used to securely store client records, notes, and administrative documents.

Setmore (booking and scheduling system) Setmore is used for appointment booking and scheduling. It processes client contact details and appointment information.

Stripe (payment processing provider) Stripe processes secure online payments for counselling sessions and handles financial transaction data. We do not store full card details.

Forms.app (online forms provider)
Forms.app is used to collect client intake forms, consent forms, and assessment information. It securely stores submitted form data.

Doxy.me (online video therapy platform)
Doxy.me is used to provide secure online counselling sessions via video. We do not record sessions.

Others we share personal information with

  • Organisations we need to share information with for safeguarding reasons
  • Professional or legal advisors
  • Relevant regulatory authorities
  • Organisations we’re legally obliged to share personal information with
  • Emergency services
  • Suppliers and service providers

How to complain

If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a data protection complaint to us:

Email: anna@ascendtherapy.uk

If you remain unhappy with how we’ve used your data after raising a complaint with us, you can also complain to the ICO. 

The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint