Privacy Policy for Anchor Point Counselling Services

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Effective Date: 06 June 2026

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Anchor Point Counselling Services, anchored in Coleraine, Ballymoney, Portstewart & Portrush is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in accordance with UK GDPR and applicable data protection laws. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect information relating to clients, prospective clients, website visitors, and anyone who contacts the service.

 

We collect only the information necessary to provide safe, ethical, and effective counselling services, including personal identification details such as your name, address, date of birth, email address, and telephone number, as well as clinical and sensitive information including presenting issues, session notes, relevant medical or mental health history, emergency contact details, and GP information where provided.  

 

We may also collect communication data such as emails or messages sent to us, website analytics that do not identify individuals, and cookies required for website functionality. Your information is used to provide counselling and therapeutic support, manage appointments and communications, maintain accurate clinical records, ensure safety and safeguarding where necessary, meet legal, ethical, and professional obligations, and improve website performance and user experience.

 

We process personal data under lawful bases including contract, where counselling services have been requested; consent, for specific optional activities such as contacting a GP; legitimate interests, for service administration and communication; vital interests, where there is a risk of serious harm; and legal obligation, where disclosure is required by law or regulatory bodies. Everything shared during counselling is treated as confidential.

 

Confidentiality will only be breached where you provide explicit consent, where there is a risk of serious harm to yourself or others, where a child or vulnerable adult is at risk, where disclosure is required by law or court order, or where terrorism, money laundering, or serious crime is disclosed.

 

Wherever possible, you will be informed before any disclosure is made. Digital records are stored on encrypted and password-protected systems, while any paper records are kept in secure locked storage.

 

Access to clinical information is restricted to the counsellor, and no information is shared with third parties for marketing or commercial purposes. In line with professional guidelines, adult client records are retained for seven years after the final counselling session, records relating to children are retained until the client reaches the age of 25, and enquiries that do not result in therapy are deleted after six months.

 

Once retention periods have expired, information is securely destroyed. Under UK GDPR, you have the right to access your personal information, request correction of inaccurate information, request deletion, restrict processing, object to processing, and request data portability, although some rights may be limited in certain clinical or legal circumstances.

 

Anchor Point Counselling Services may use trusted third-party providers for secure email, website hosting, appointment scheduling, and payment processing where applicable. These providers comply with UK GDPR requirements and process only the minimum information necessary to deliver their services.

 

No personal data is sold, traded, or used for advertising purposes. Our website uses essential cookies to ensure security and functionality, and may use analytics cookies to understand website performance; however, these do not identify individual users.

 

You may disable cookies through your browser settings if you wish. In the event of a data breach, affected individuals will be notified without undue delay, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) will be informed where legally required, and appropriate steps will be taken to minimise harm and prevent recurrence.

 

For clients under the age of 18, parental or guardian consent may be required, confidentiality will be respected unless there is a risk of harm, and records will be retained in accordance with safeguarding guidelines.

 

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding your personal information, please contact Anchor Point Counselling Services by email at anchorpointcounsellingservices@gmail.com.

 

If you believe your personal information has been mishandled, you have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk or by telephone on 0303 123 1113.

 

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, professional requirements, or service practices, and the most current version will always be available on the website.