Privacy Policy

Your privacy and trust are very important to me. This Privacy Policy explains how I, Rebecca Dennis, use and protect any information you share when you contact me through this website, including via the enquiry form.

1. Who we are

This website is run by Rebecca Dennis Counselling, a counselling practice based in Bude, Cornwall, UK.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your data is used, you can contact me:

Email: info@rebeccadenniscounselling.co.uk

2. What personal data we collect

The only personal data collected through this website is what you choose to send via the enquiry form. This may include:

  • Your name
  • Your email address
  • The content of your message or enquiry

Please avoid sharing very sensitive personal details in the contact form. We can talk about anything more personal or detailed once we are in direct contact.

3. Why we collect your personal data

Your information is collected and used so that I can:

  • Read and understand your enquiry
  • Respond to you about counselling services
  • Arrange appointments or share practical information if you decide to work with me
  • Provide counselling services if we agree to work together

Your details are not used for marketing, newsletters, or any other unrelated purpose.

4. Legal basis for processing your data

Under UK data protection law (including UK GDPR), I rely on the following legal bases to process the personal information you send through this website and in the course of counselling:

  • Legitimate interests – I have a genuine and legitimate interest in being able to respond to people who contact me about counselling services, and it is reasonable for you to expect this when you send an enquiry.
  • Consent – when you submit the enquiry form, you choose to share your information with me so that I can respond to you. In some situations, I may also ask for your explicit consent to process certain information.
  • Contractual necessity – if you become a client, I need to process certain information in order to provide counselling services to you and to fulfil our counselling agreement (for example, contacting you about appointments and keeping appropriate records of our work together).

5. How long we keep your data

Enquiry data: Emails and messages sent through this website are kept for up to 12 months from the date of your last contact and then deleted, unless we begin an ongoing therapeutic relationship.

Client records: If we work together, I am professionally required to keep your counselling records (such as brief session notes and basic contact details) for up to 7 years after our work ends, in line with BACP and insurance guidelines. After this time, they are securely destroyed or deleted.

6. Who we share your data with

I do not sell, trade, or share your personal data with third parties for marketing or advertising.

Your information is only shared with the following service providers, where this is necessary for running the website and receiving your messages safely:

  • Email provider – enquiry messages are delivered to my email account, which is provided by a GDPR-compliant email service provider.
  • Website platform (WordPress.com / Automattic) – this website is hosted by WordPress.com (Automattic). They may process basic technical data as part of providing hosting and related services. Automattic has a Data Processing Agreement (DPA) in place and is committed to GDPR-compliant data protection practices.

These providers only process your data so they can deliver their services (for example, website hosting and email), and they do so under their own privacy policies and security standards.

In addition, I may need to share information if required to do so by law or where I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else. In such situations, I will usually try to discuss this with you first, unless it is unsafe or inappropriate to do so.

7. How we keep your data secure

I take the security of your information seriously. Data sent through this website is transmitted securely using HTTPS (an encrypted connection) and stored on servers that are designed to comply with GDPR requirements.

Emails and electronic records are stored using password-protected, encrypted accounts and devices, and I only keep the minimum information needed to respond to your enquiry or provide counselling. I review what is held regularly to make sure it is still needed and appropriately protected.

8. Your rights

Under data protection law, you have several rights in relation to the personal data I hold about you. These include:

  • Right of access – you can ask for a copy of the personal data I hold about you.
  • Right to rectification – you can ask me to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
  • Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”) – in some circumstances you can ask me to delete your information.
  • Right to restrict processing – in some situations you can ask me to limit how your data is used.
  • Right to data portability – in certain circumstances you can ask for your information to be transferred to you or another service provider in a commonly used, machine-readable format.
  • Right to object – you can object to your data being used in certain ways, for example if you believe I no longer need it.

These rights may apply differently depending on the situation and the type of information involved, but I will always take your request seriously and explain what is possible.

9. How to exercise your rights

If you would like to see, change, delete, or transfer the information I hold about you, or you have any concerns about how your data is handled, please contact me:

Email: info@rebeccadenniscounselling.co.uk

I will aim to respond to your request within one month, as required by data protection law.

10. Your right to complain to the ICO

If you are unhappy with how I have handled your personal information, please contact me first so I can try to resolve your concerns in a supportive and respectful way.

If you are still not satisfied, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK authority that oversees data protection:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: https://ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

11. Cookies

This website uses basic cookies that are necessary for it to function properly, such as remembering certain settings or helping to keep the site secure.

I do not use cookies on this site to track you across other websites, and I do not run advertising or analytics that identify you personally.

Because this site is hosted by WordPress.com, there may be some standard WordPress cookies in use. You can find more information about these in the Automattic Cookie Policy.

12. Changes to this Privacy Policy

From time to time I may update this Privacy Policy, for example if the law changes or if I change how I work with clients. Any important changes will be posted on this page so you can see the most up-to-date information.

13. Last updated

Last updated: September 2026