Privacy Policy and Cookies
Last Updated: October 2026
At Glenda McIntosh Therapy, I am committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains when and why I collect personal information, how I use it, how I keep it secure, and your rights under UK data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who I Am
Glenda McIntosh is the data controller responsible for your personal data. My practice is based in North Shields, Newcastle. If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how your data is handled, please contact me at: glendam.therapy@gmail.com.
2. Information I Collect
Depending on how you interact with my website and services, I may collect and process the following data:
- Identity & Contact Data: Name, email address, telephone number, and messages submitted via my contact form or email correspondence.
- Clinical & Special Category Data: Sensitive information regarding your health history, medical background, and confidential session notes, which are gathered to support your therapeutic journey and ensure safe, ethical care.
- Technical & Usage Data: Information about your visit to this website, including your IP address, browser type, device information, and browsing patterns collected via analytics.
- Financial Data: Basic payment or bank reference details if you pay for sessions or CPD courses via bank transfer. Note that I do not store full payment card details directly on this website.
3. How and Why Your Data is Used
I collect and process your personal data only where I have a lawful basis to do so under UK GDPR. Typically, this includes:
- Contractual Obligations: To provide professional psychotherapy, counselling, clinical supervision, or CPD training services, and to manage session bookings and cancellations.
- Legitimate Interests: To respond to your enquiries, maintain website security, and improve website functionality and user experience.
- Legal and Ethical Obligations: To comply with professional and ethical frameworks of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and insurance requirements, and to protect vital interests in safeguarding scenarios.
- Consent: Where you have explicitly consented to analytics cookies or newsletter/enquiry communications.
4. Cookies and Google Analytics
This website uses cookies—small text files placed on your device—to help the site function correctly and provide a better user experience. Specifically, I use Google Analytics to monitor how visitors interact with the site.
- What is tracked? Google Analytics collects aggregated data such as pages visited, session duration, and device types. IP anonymisation is enabled.
- Your Choice: You can choose to accept or refuse non-essential cookies via your browser settings or cookie consent banner.
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique users and tracks site usage. | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Stores and updates a unique value for each page visited. | 24 hours |
| _gat | Google Analytics | Throttles request rate to limit data collection on high-traffic sites. | 1 minute |
5. Data Security and Retention
I take the security of your personal and clinical data very seriously. Appropriate technical and organisational measures are implemented to prevent unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. Personal and clinical information is stored securely and accessed exclusively by me.
In line with professional standards, clinical insurance guidelines, and ethical frameworks, client records and session notes are retained for seven years following the end of therapy, after which they are securely and permanently destroyed.
6. Data Sharing and Confidentiality
Your privacy and confidentiality are central to my practice. I do not sell, trade, or rent your personal data to third parties. Your data is only shared in the following limited circumstances:
- Clinical Supervision: As a requirement of UKCP accreditation, clinical work is discussed anonymously with my clinical supervisor, who is also bound by strict professional confidentiality.
- Legal or Safeguarding Obligations: If there is an ethical or legal obligation to prevent serious harm (such as immediate risk of harm to self or others, terrorism, or drug trafficking), information may be shared with relevant authorities.
- Legal/Professional Advisors: Where required for professional insurance or legal compliance.
7. Your Rights Under UK GDPR
Under UK data protection law, you have several rights regarding your personal information:
- The right to access: You can request copies of the personal data I hold about you.
- The right to rectification: You can request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.
- The right to erasure: You can request the deletion of your data (subject to legal, professional, or ethical retention requirements such as the 7-year clinical record rule).
- The right to restrict or object: You can object to processing or request restriction of your data processing under certain circumstances.
- The right to data portability: You can request that I transfer your data to another organisation or directly to you.
8. Complaints Procedure
If you have any concerns or complaints about how your personal data is handled, please contact me directly at glendam.therapy@gmail.com so I can address and resolve your concerns.
If you are not satisfied with my response, or believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the statutory right to lodge a complaint with the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues:
Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://ico.org.uk