Privacy Policy | Quintessence Counselling in Redditch

Quintessence Counselling Privacy Policy

Last updated: 18th June 2026

This privacy policy explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal information in my therapy practice.

I am Kat Quinn, a counsellor and owner of Quintessence Counselling, working both online and in person from my private counselling office at Tardebigge Court, Redditch (near Bromsgrove) in Worcestershire.

I am the data controller for the personal information I collect through my practice. This means I am responsible for deciding how personal information is used and for keeping it safe.

This privacy policy applies to people who contact me about therapy, or on behalf of somebody else, current and former clients, and visitors to my website.

I take privacy, confidentiality and data protection seriously. Counselling often involves sensitive information, including information about mental health, relationships, personal history, family life, identity, work, risk, trauma, medication or wellbeing. I aim to collect only the information I need to provide therapy safely, ethically and professionally.

If you become a client, this privacy policy should be read alongside my counselling agreement. The agreement will include a shorter privacy and data protection section and will direct you back to this full notice for more detailed information about how your personal information is collected, used, stored and protected.

If you have any questions about this privacy policy, or about how your information is handled, you can contact me at:

Email: kat@quintessencecounselling.co.uk

Website: www.quintessencecounselling.co.uk

Practice address: Tardebigge Court, Unit 19b, Hewell Lane, Redditch, Worcestershire, B97 6QW
ICO registration number: ZA346938
Professional membership: National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society NCS19-07537

Important note about crisis support

Quintessence Counselling is not an emergency or crisis service, and my website, email and phone are not monitored 24 hours a day.

If you are in immediate danger or feel unable to keep yourself or someone else safe, please contact emergency support. This may include:

calling 999
attending A&E
contacting NHS 111
contacting your GP
contacting the Samaritans on 116 123

What personal information I collect

The information I collect depends on whether you are making an enquiry, starting counselling, attending sessions, or visiting my website.

If you contact me to ask about counselling, I may collect:

your name
your email address
your phone number
any information you choose to include in your enquiry
your preferred way of being contacted
availability or appointment preferences
brief information about what you are looking for support with
where you heard about Quintessence Counselling, if you choose to tell me

Please avoid sending unnecessary sensitive information by email, text or website contact form at the enquiry stage. You only need to share enough information for me to understand your enquiry and respond appropriately.

If you begin counselling with me, I may also collect:

your full name
age or date of birth
address
email address
phone number
preferred contact method
GP details
emergency contact details, where appropriate
relevant medical, mental health, medication or wellbeing information
information about your personal history, relationships, work, identity, family, circumstances and reasons for seeking counselling
appointment, attendance and payment information
correspondence between us
brief clinical notes
information relevant to risk, safeguarding, ethical practice or professional responsibilities

Some of this information is classed as special category data under UK data protection law. This may include information about health, mental health, sexuality, ethnicity, religion, identity, trauma, risk, or other sensitive areas where these are relevant to counselling.

Why I collect and use your information

I use personal information to:

respond to counselling enquiries
arrange appointments
assess whether I am able to offer an appropriate counselling service
provide counselling safely and ethically
keep appropriate clinical records
communicate with you about sessions
manage attendance, payments and appointments
support clinical supervision
meet legal, professional, insurance and ethical responsibilities
manage risk, safeguarding or emergencies where necessary
keep accounting and tax records
respond to data protection requests or complaints
protect both you and me if there is ever a complaint, legal issue or insurance matter

I do not sell your personal information, and I do not use client information for marketing.

Lawful basis for using your information

Under UK GDPR, I must have a lawful basis for collecting and using personal information. The lawful bases I may rely on include:

Contract: I may use your information where it is needed to arrange, provide and manage counselling services.

Legitimate interests: I may use your information where it is needed to run my private practice safely and professionally. This includes responding to enquiries, keeping appropriate records, managing appointments, supporting client safety, and protecting my practice if there is a complaint, insurance issue or legal matter.

Legal obligation: I may need to use or keep information to comply with the law, such as tax/accounting requirements, safeguarding duties, court orders or other legal processes.

Vital interests: In rare circumstances, I may need to use or share information to protect someone’s life or safety, such as in a medical emergency or serious risk situation.

Special category data: Counselling can involve sensitive information, including health, mental health, relationships, identity and personal circumstances. Where I process this type of information, I do so because it is necessary to provide counselling safely and ethically, and because I work within professional confidentiality obligations.

Consent: Consent is important in counselling, but it is not always the only lawful basis for using or keeping information. Where I ask for your specific consent, I will explain what I am asking for and whether you can withdraw that consent.

Confidentiality

Counselling is confidential, but confidentiality is not absolute. I will not share what you tell me unless there is a lawful, ethical, professional, safeguarding or risk-related reason to do so. Where information does need to be shared, I aim to share only what is necessary and proportionate. There are some situations where I may need to share information. These include:

if I believe there is a serious or immediate risk of harm to you or someone else
if there is a safeguarding concern involving a child, vulnerable adult or person at risk
if I am required to do so by law, court order or legal process
if disclosure is necessary to prevent or detect serious crime
if there is a medical emergency, and information is needed to protect life
if I need to contact your GP, emergency contact, emergency services or safeguarding services
if I need to consult my clinical supervisor, while protecting your identity as far as reasonably possible
if information is required by my professional body, insurer or legal adviser in relation to a complaint, claim or ethical matter

Where possible and appropriate, I would aim to discuss this with you before sharing information. However, I may not be able to do this if it would increase risk, delay urgent help, prejudice safeguarding action, undermine the purpose of the disclosure, or if I am legally prevented from doing so.

Clinical supervision

As part of ethical counselling practice, I attend regular clinical supervision.

Supervision helps me reflect on my work, practise safely and provide an effective service. I may discuss aspects of client work in supervision, but I aim to minimise identifying details wherever possible.

My supervisor is also bound by confidentiality and professional standards.

Clinical notes and records

I keep brief clinical notes to support safe and ethical practice. My clinical notes are assigned to a coded ID. The code that identifies you is kept separately from the notes, so that your notes are not directly identifiable if viewed on their own.

These notes may include:

session dates
brief themes discussed
relevant risk or safeguarding information
agreed actions or important decisions
information relevant to therapeutic work
attendance or administrative details

How I store your information

Most client information is stored on paper.

Paper records may include:

registration forms
privacy/data protection acknowledgement forms
counselling agreements
coded clinical notes
unique ID code information

Paper records are stored securely in locked filing cabinets. Registration/contact information, clinical notes and the unique ID code are kept separately so that notes remain as unidentifiable as possible.

Your phone number and/or email address may also be stored on my password-protected mobile phone and within my email accounts for the purpose of contacting you about sessions.

Any relevant information from email or text message exchanges may be recorded within your notes where clinically or administratively necessary. I use appropriate security measures, such as locked storage, password protection, passcode protection, device security and restricted access.

How long I keep your information

I keep information only for as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected.

Enquiries that do not become counselling clients

If you make an enquiry but do not go on to become a client, I will usually delete the enquiry and related correspondence within 30 days, unless there is a clear reason to keep it for longer.

Current and former clients

Client paper records, including registration forms, clinical notes and unique ID code information, are kept separately for 7 years after counselling ends. This is because of insurance, professional and legal requirements. After this time, paper records are securely destroyed by shredding.

Emails, texts and phone contact details

I usually delete your phone number and email address from my mobile phone/computer within 1 month of our work ending, unless there is a clear reason to keep it for longer.

Text messages and email communication are deleted when no longer needed and usually within 1 month of us finishing work together, unless the content needs to be recorded in your notes or retained for legal, professional, safeguarding, complaint, insurance or accounting reasons.

Financial records

Payment, invoice and accounting records may be kept for the period required for tax and accounting purposes.

When records may be kept longer

There may be circumstances where I need to keep records for longer, for example, if there is a safeguarding concern, legal issue, complaint, insurance claim, professional body matter, or another legitimate reason.

Sharing your information

I will not share your personal information unless there is a clear, lawful and proportionate reason to do so.

Where necessary, I may share limited information with:

my clinical supervisor
your GP, emergency contact, emergency services or safeguarding services, where there is a serious risk or safeguarding concern
a court, solicitor or legal authority, if legally required
my professional body, where required in relation to a complaint or ethical matter
my insurer or legal adviser, where necessary in relation to a complaint, claim or legal issue
my accountant or tax adviser, where necessary for financial records
my appointed clinical executor, if I die or become unable to continue working
trusted digital service providers who process data on my behalf

I aim to share the minimum amount of information necessary for the purpose.

Clinical executor / clinical will

I have appointed a clinical executor.

This means that, in the unfortunate event that I die, become seriously ill, or am no longer able to continue working, a trusted professional person would be able to access the minimum information needed to contact current clients and manage records appropriately.

The clinical executor would be bound by confidentiality and would only access information if necessary.

Their role would usually be to notify clients and help manage the safe closure or transfer of my practice. They would not automatically become your therapist.

Online counselling

If we work together online, sessions will take place using Microsoft Teams.

I will take reasonable steps to protect confidentiality from my side. I ask that you also choose a private space where you cannot easily be overheard or interrupted.

Online platforms may process technical information such as IP address, device information, connection information or usage data. You may wish to read the privacy policy of the platform we use.

I do not record online counselling sessions, and clients are not permitted to record sessions either, unless this has been discussed and agreed in advance by both parties.

AI tools, transcription and recording

I do not record, transcribe or use AI tools to process counselling sessions.

I may use digital tools for general practice administration, writing, planning, training, education or business support. I do not put identifiable client material into public AI tools or systems that are not suitable for confidential clinical information.

If I ever considered using an AI tool, transcription tool or recording system in relation to counselling sessions, I would discuss this with you first. I would explain what the tool was, why it was being considered, what information would be processed, what risks and safeguards may apply, and what alternatives were available.

Email, text and phone communication

Email, text messages and phone contact may be used for practical communication about counselling, such as arranging appointments or responding to enquiries.

These methods are useful but may not be completely secure. Please avoid sending highly sensitive information by email or text unless necessary.

If you contact me by email or text, I may record relevant information in your notes where clinically or administratively necessary.

Website visitors, cookies and analytics

My website is hosted by Wix.

When you visit my website, some technical information may be collected automatically. This may include information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, pages visited, the time and date of your visit, and general website usage information.

This information may be collected through Wix, website security tools, cookies, analytics tools or search-performance tools connected to my website.

My website may use cookies or similar technologies to help the website work properly, support security, remember cookie preferences, improve performance, and understand general website use.

Where non-essential cookies or analytics tools are used, my website cookie banner is intended to provide the relevant notice, choice or consent options. You can also control or delete cookies through your browser settings.

I may use website analytics or search-performance tools, such as Google Analytics and/or Bing Webmaster Tools, to understand general website traffic and how people find or use my website. This information is used for general business and website improvement purposes. I do not use this information to identify individual counselling clients.

If you are concerned about someone seeing that you have visited a counselling website, you may wish to delete your browsing history and cookies from your device. Please be aware that deleting cookies or browsing history may affect other websites, saved preferences or saved logins.

Website contact form

If you submit information through the contact form on my website, the information you provide is sent to my email account so that I can respond to your enquiry.

Please do not include unnecessary sensitive information in the contact form. You only need to provide enough information for me to respond to your enquiry.

Third-party providers and digital services

I use a small number of third-party providers to run my practice and website. These may include:

Wix for my website and website contact form
my email providers, including Names.co.uk and/or Microsoft/Hotmail
website analytics or search-performance tools, such as Google Analytics and/or Bing Webmaster Tools, if active on my website
social media platforms for my public professional/business presence
banking/payment systems for receiving payments
accounting, tax, legal, insurance or professional advisers where needed

These providers may process personal data in line with their own privacy policies and/or as processors on my behalf.

I aim to use reputable providers with appropriate security and data protection arrangements. Some providers may process or store information outside the UK. Where this happens, I aim to rely on the safeguards or transfer arrangements provided by those organisations where required by data protection law.

Social media

Quintessence Counselling may have a public professional presence on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter/X or other social media sites. I use these platforms for general professional and business purposes, such as sharing information or advertising my counselling practice.

To maintain professional and ethical boundaries, I do not add or accept current or former clients as friends or personal contacts on social media. I also do not communicate with clients through social media private messages. If you contact me this way, I may ask you to contact me through a more appropriate method, such as email.

Please be aware that if you like, follow, comment on or share content from my social media pages, this may be visible to others depending on your own privacy settings and the platform’s terms.

Each social media platform has its own privacy policy and terms of use.

Your data protection rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights over your personal information. These may include:

the right to be informed about how your information is used
the right to access a copy of your personal information
the right to ask for inaccurate information to be corrected
the right to ask for information to be deleted in some circumstances
the right to ask for processing to be restricted in some circumstances
the right to object to certain processing
the right to data portability in some circumstances
the right to complain about how your information has been handled

Some rights are not absolute. For example, I may need to keep certain records for legal, professional, safeguarding, insurance, complaint-related or tax/accounting reasons. There may also be limits on what can be disclosed where information includes third-party data, risk information, safeguarding issues, legal restrictions or relevant exemptions.

If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact me using the details at the top of this notice.

I will respond to data protection rights requests within one month. If a request is complex or if I need to consider whether an exemption applies, I may need longer. If this happens, I will let you know.

Data protection concerns and complaints

If you have a concern about how I have handled your personal information, you can make a data protection complaint directly to me.

You can do this by submitting your complaint in writing to kat@quintessencecounselling.co.uk

Please include:

your name
what your concern is about
what you would like me to look into
how you would prefer me to respond

I will acknowledge your data protection complaint within 30 days of receiving it.

I will take appropriate steps to look into your complaint, make any necessary enquiries, keep you informed where appropriate, and tell you the outcome without undue delay.

If you are not satisfied with my response, or if you would prefer to contact the UK regulator directly, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this privacy policy

I may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in my practice, legal requirements, professional guidance, professional body requirements, or the systems I use.

The latest version will be available on my website.

Acknowledgement

If you become a counselling client, your counselling agreement will ask you to confirm that you have had access to this privacy policy. This is to ensure you have been given clear information about how your personal information is collected, used, stored and protected.

Quintessence Counselling

· Tardebigge Court ·

Counsellor in Redditch, Worcestershire

Quintessence Counselling Privacy Policy