Legal

Privacy Notice

Last updated: October 2026

This notice explains how personal information is collected, used, stored and retained in connection with this website and my psychotherapy practice. A fuller privacy notice, forming part of my client agreement, is provided before any intake information is collected.

Who is responsible for your information

The data controller is Micky Laurie Therapy Limited, trading as Micky Laurie Psychotherapy (registered in England and Wales, company number 17093232). Micky Laurie is the integrative psychotherapist who carries out the clinical work on the company’s behalf. Therapy is individual, online, for adults aged 18 and over who are physically in the UK during every session. You can contact me about privacy at hello@mickylaurietherapy.co.uk or on 07842 836 931.

The information I collect

I only collect what I need for the purpose concerned:

• Website enquiries: your name and email address, and any optional phone number, contact preference or message you choose to give.
• Arranging appointments: your contact details and the times we agree.
• Therapy: intake information, brief clinical notes, and the signed client agreement. This includes information about your health and wellbeing.
• Payments and accounting: records of payments for sessions.
• Supervision: limited information discussed in confidential clinical supervision to support safe, ethical practice.
• Concerns, complaints or claims: related correspondence, where relevant.

Please avoid including sensitive personal or medical details in a first website enquiry. Client privacy information is provided before intake information is collected.

Why I use it, and the lawful bases

Under UK GDPR I rely on the following lawful bases (Article 6):

• Responding to your enquiry and arranging an introductory call: my legitimate interests in responding to people who contact me, and taking steps at your request before entering a contract.
• Providing therapy and administering appointments: performance of our contract (the client agreement).
• Accounting and meeting legal duties: compliance with legal obligations.
• Safety and safeguarding, and establishing or defending legal claims: legal obligation or legitimate interests in protecting people, obtaining relevant professional advice and handling concerns or claims, as appropriate to the circumstances.

Health and other sensitive (special category) information is additionally processed under Article 9. For clinical information necessary to provide your care, I rely on the "provision of health or social care or treatment" condition, which is accompanied by a duty of confidentiality; where a particular purpose depends on your consent, I rely on explicit consent for that purpose. For establishing, exercising or defending legal claims, the relevant Article 9 legal-claims condition may apply. Specific consent is used where appropriate and may be withdrawn. Signing the client agreement is not blanket consent.

Who your information is shared with

I do not sell your information or use it for marketing. Service providers used for website enquiries, communication and record storage receive information needed for those services:

• Website hosting and enquiry form: the website is hosted on Netlify, and Netlify Forms processes and stores website submissions. Notifications support responding to enquiries. See Netlify’s privacy policy and data processing agreement.
• Email and file storage: I read and send email using Apple Mail. Email correspondence is also processed by the practice’s mailbox service. Clinical notes, completed forms and agreements are kept on a password-protected, disk-encrypted laptop and synchronise to Apple iCloud. See Apple’s privacy information.
• Video sessions: a suitable video platform is agreed with you before use, following a review of its suitability and privacy arrangements. Its provider information is shared before sessions.
• Payments: payment records are used to administer sessions and meet accounting obligations. Payment instructions and any relevant provider privacy information are supplied when sessions are arranged, before a service is used.
• Supervision: a professional clinical supervisor, under a duty of confidentiality.
• Other necessary disclosures: information may be shared with your specific permission, or where necessary and lawful for safeguarding, serious risk of harm, legal duties, professional advice, complaints or legal claims. Only necessary information is shared, and this is normally discussed with you first where lawful and safe.

Storage, security and international transfers

Clinical notes, completed forms and agreements are held on a password-protected laptop with disk encryption enabled, and copies synchronise to Apple iCloud. Laptop encryption does not establish the protection of cloud copies. Website submissions are also held by Netlify Forms and relevant correspondence is held in the practice mailbox.

Netlify and Apple operate internationally and may process information outside the UK. Their privacy and contractual information describe their processing and transfer arrangements. For information about the safeguards relevant to your information, including how to obtain a copy, contact hello@mickylaurietherapy.co.uk.

Cookies and website technology

This website does not use Google Analytics or other marketing or advertising cookies. The enquiry form uses a hidden spam-check field and sends information in the body of a POST request rather than a web address. The website serves its P052 and Nimbus Sans fonts directly, without requesting fonts from Google Fonts. The Instagram link is an ordinary link and loads nothing until you choose to follow it. If this changes, I will update this notice and seek consent where required.

How long I keep information

Record type	Retention
Clinical and care records (notes, agreements, consents and related care records)	Normally seven years after the final session. Insurance conditions require records to be kept for at least seven years after the last treatment.
Enquiries that do not proceed	Normally six months after the last contact.
Accounting records	Normally six years after the end of the relevant financial year, or longer where the law requires.
Longer retention when necessary	An ongoing complaint, an actual or reasonably anticipated legal claim, a legal requirement, or another documented necessity may justify keeping information for longer. I review the reason and keep only what remains necessary.

Retention covers associated correspondence, appointment records and cloud copies, and any copies held by the form provider, as part of the normal deletion process. Backup deletion follows the relevant systems’ processes and may not happen at the same instant as deletion of the working copy.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law you have rights over your personal information, including the right to be informed, and rights to access, rectification, erasure, restriction, objection, and data portability, which apply depending on the circumstances and lawful basis. Where I rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time without affecting earlier processing. Some rights are limited where I have a legal or professional obligation to retain records, for example clinical and insurance record-keeping. To exercise a right, contact me at hello@mickylaurietherapy.co.uk.

If you don't provide information

If you choose not to provide information that is necessary to arrange or deliver therapy safely and lawfully, I may be unable to offer or continue sessions. I will explain this if it arises.

Automated decisions

I do not make decisions about you using solely automated means, and I do not carry out profiling.

Complaints

If you have a concern about how your information is handled, you can contact me so I can try to put it right. You do not have to contact me before approaching the ICO. Data protection complaints and rights requests are handled within the applicable statutory time limits. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ICO complaints. Concerns about the therapy itself are handled through my complaints process and, as a BACP member, the BACP's process.

Contact

Micky Laurie Therapy Limited, trading as Micky Laurie Psychotherapy
Email: hello@mickylaurietherapy.co.uk
Phone: 07842 836 931