Last updated: 31/07/2026

Your privacy matters to me. This policy explains what personal information I collect when you contact me or use my counselling services, why I collect it, how I keep it safe, and what rights you have over it.

I handle your information in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), and the Ethical Framework of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), of which I am a [member / registered member / accredited member] (membership number [XXXXXX]).

Arrow of Hope Counselling is run by Lara Parkinson, a sole-practitioner counsellor based in Essex. For data protection purposes, I am the "data controller" of your personal information.

You can contact me about anything in this policy by email or phone:

• Email: lara@arrowofhopecounselling.com
• Website: arrowofhopecounselling.com
• ICO registration number: [insert once registered]

I work from a private practice address, which I share with clients directly when we arrange sessions. If you need a postal address for a data protection request, please email me and I'll provide one.

Depending on how you interact with me, this may include:

• Contact details — name, email, phone number, and where relevant, date of birth or an emergency contact
• Enquiry and intake information — what you share when you first get in touch or complete an intake/assessment form, such as why you're seeking counselling, relevant background, and your GP's details
• Session and clinical notes — records of our work together, which may include sensitive information about your mental health, relationships, and personal circumstances. This is "special category data" under UK GDPR, and I handle it with extra care
• Payment records — invoices and payment history. I don't store your card details; these are processed securely by [payment provider]
• Correspondence — emails, messages, or booking-system communications between us
• Website enquiries — anything you send me through the contact form on my website, such as your name, email address, and message
• Website data — some technical/usage data collected via cookies (see Cookies, below)

What you share with me in session is confidential. I discuss my work in regular clinical supervision, as required by my professional body, but anonymise this wherever possible, so my supervisor doesn't know who you are.

There are a small number of situations where I may need to break confidentiality:

• If I believe you, or someone else, is at serious risk of harm
• If I'm legally required to disclose information — for example, under safeguarding law or a court order
• If you give me permission to share information with another professional, such as your GP

Wherever possible, I'll discuss this with you first, unless doing so would increase the risk to you or someone else.

I don't sell or share your information for marketing purposes. I may share limited information with:

• My clinical supervisor — anonymised wherever possible
• GoDaddy — my website host and provider of the site's contact form. Anything you send me through the website is stored on GoDaddy's systems
• [Booking / practice-management software provider] — to manage appointments
• [Payment provider] — to process payments
• Microsoft Teams
• My accountant — for bookkeeping and tax
• Your GP or another professional — only with your consent, or in a safeguarding emergency
• Regulators or authorities — where legally required (for example, BACP, or a court)

Some providers, including GoDaddy, may store or process data outside the UK. Where that happens, appropriate legal safeguards are in place, such as the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or the UK extension to the EU–US Data Privacy Framework.

Please don't use the website contact form to share detailed personal or sensitive information about yourself. A short message to arrange an initial conversation is all that's needed — we can discuss the rest securely once we're in touch.

I keep clinical records for a minimum of seven years after our last contact, in line with BACP good practice guidance and my professional indemnity insurance requirements. If you were under 18 when we worked together, I keep records until your 25th birthday, or seven years after our last session — whichever is longer.

Enquiries from people who don't go on to become clients are kept for a shorter period, typically [X months], then deleted.

Under UK GDPR, you have the right to:

• Ask what personal information I hold about you, and get a copy (a "subject access request")
• Ask me to correct inaccurate information
• Ask me to delete your information, in some circumstances
• Ask me to restrict how I use it, or object to how I'm using it
• Ask for your information in a portable format
• Withdraw consent at any time, where I'm relying on consent
• Complain to me directly if you're unhappy with how I've handled your data — I'll aim to respond within 2 days
• Complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113

To exercise any of these rights, contact me at lara@arrowofhopecounselling.com

I currently only offer counselling to adults aged 18 and over.

My website is built and hosted using GoDaddy's Websites + Marketing platform. It uses two kinds of cookies:

• Essential cookies — needed for the site to work properly, such as remembering your cookie choice and keeping forms and pages functioning. These are set automatically
• Optional cookies — used to understand how visitors find and use the site 

When you first visit, a cookie banner lets you accept or decline optional cookies. If you decline, no tracking or analytics cookies are loaded. You can change your mind at any time by clearing your browser cookies and choosing again.

I take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information, including password-protected devices and secure practice-management software.

I may update this policy from time to time — for example, if my practices change or the law changes. The date at the top shows when it was last updated.

If you have any questions about this policy or how I handle your information, visit the contact us page.