Privacy Policy.
Marie Vaile Counselling
Last updated: October 2026
Your privacy is important to me. This Privacy Notice explains how I collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you visit my website, contact me or use my counselling services.
I handle your information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
1. Who I am
Marie Vaile Counselling is a counselling practice operated by Marie Vaile, a self-employed counsellor based in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan.
Marie Vaile Counselling
The Stables
Castleland Street
Barry
CF63 4LL
Email: info@marievailecounselling.com
Telephone: 07810 178180
For the purposes of data protection law, I am the data controller for the personal information I collect and process in connection with my counselling practice.
2. What information I collect
The information I collect depends on how you interact with me.
Website enquiries
If you contact me using the contact form on my website, I collect:
Your name
Your email address
The brief message you choose to send
This information is used to respond to your enquiry and, where appropriate, arrange an initial conversation or counselling appointment.
Please avoid including detailed or highly sensitive personal information in the website contact form. If you would like to discuss your circumstances in more detail, we can do this through a more appropriate method of communication.
Email and telephone enquiries
If you contact me by email or telephone, I may collect your name, contact details and any information you choose to provide when enquiring about counselling.
This information is used to respond to you, provide information about my services and, where appropriate, arrange counselling.
Counselling clients
If you become a counselling client, I may collect and record information necessary to provide safe and appropriate counselling. This may include:
Your name and contact details
Emergency contact details where appropriate
Appointment and attendance information
Information relevant to your counselling
Information about your physical or mental health where you choose or need to share it as part of counselling
Information about your circumstances, relationships and experiences
Counselling notes and records
Correspondence relating to your counselling
Payment information
Some of this information may be considered special category data, particularly information relating to your physical or mental health. This type of information receives additional protection under data protection law.
I only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing my counselling service and meeting my professional, ethical and legal responsibilities.
3. How I use your information
I may use your personal information to:
Respond to enquiries
Arrange and manage appointments
Provide counselling services
Maintain appropriate counselling records
Communicate with you about appointments
Process and record payments
Provide invoices or payment records where appropriate
Provide safe and appropriate professional care
Obtain professional supervision where appropriate
Meet my professional, ethical and legal responsibilities
Meet insurance, accounting and regulatory requirements
Respond to legal or safeguarding requirements where I am required to do so
I will only use your information for purposes that are relevant to the service I provide and the responsibilities associated with running my counselling practice.
4. Lawful basis for processing your information
Under UK data protection law, I need a lawful basis for processing your personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, I may rely on:
Contract – where processing is necessary to provide counselling services that you have requested.
Legitimate interests – for example, responding to enquiries and managing my counselling practice appropriately.
Legal obligation – where I am required by law to retain or provide certain information.
Consent – where consent is the appropriate legal basis for a particular use of your information.
Where I process special category information, such as health information, an additional condition under UK data protection law will apply.
5. Confidentiality
Counselling is a confidential service and I take confidentiality seriously.
Information you share during counselling will generally remain confidential. However, there are circumstances where confidentiality may need to be limited, including where:
There is a serious and significant concern about your safety or the safety of another person
There are safeguarding concerns
I am legally required to disclose information
Disclosure is necessary to meet professional or legal obligations
Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss any need to share information with you before doing so.
As part of my professional practice, I undertake clinical supervision. Client work may be discussed in supervision where appropriate. I take care to maintain confidentiality and avoid sharing identifying information wherever possible.
6. How your counselling records are stored
I use Halaxy to securely manage my counselling records and practice information.
Your counselling records may include personal and special category information, such as information relating to your mental or physical health.
Halaxy is a third-party service provider and processes information on behalf of practitioners. Halaxy's own privacy policy explains how it collects, stores and processes personal information.
I take reasonable steps to ensure that third-party services I use are appropriate for the type of information being processed.
7. How I protect your information
I take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect your personal information against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.
Electronic information is stored using password-protected and appropriately secured systems.
Access to counselling records is restricted and information is only accessed where there is a legitimate reason to do so.
Because counselling records can contain sensitive personal information, I take particular care when handling and storing this information.
8. Online counselling
I offer counselling sessions online using Google Meet.
If you choose to have counselling online, information necessary to arrange and conduct your session may be processed through Google and its services.
I recommend that you attend online counselling from a private location and use a password-protected device and secure internet connection wherever possible.
Google has its own privacy information explaining how it processes personal information through its services.
9. Payments
Payments for counselling are made by bank transfer (BACS).
I may retain information necessary to record and reconcile payments, including your name, payment date and amount paid.
Financial information is retained where necessary to meet accounting, tax and legal requirements.
I do not take or store your debit or credit card details.
10. Who I share your information with
I do not sell, rent or share your personal information for marketing purposes.
Where necessary and lawful, I may share information with:
My clinical supervisor, where appropriate
Halaxy, which I use to manage counselling records and practice information
Google, where necessary for online counselling through Google Meet
Relevant professional or regulatory bodies where required
Emergency services or relevant professionals where there is a serious and significant concern about safety
Relevant authorities where I am legally required to provide information
I will only share information where there is an appropriate lawful basis for doing so.
11. How long I keep your information
I retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet my professional, legal, insurance and accounting responsibilities.
Counselling records
I retain counselling notes and client records for 7 years after the end of counselling, in accordance with the requirements of my professional indemnity insurance.
At the end of this period, records will be securely deleted or destroyed unless there is a lawful reason why they need to be retained for longer.
Website enquiries
Information provided through my website contact form or an initial enquiry will generally only be retained for as long as necessary to respond to your enquiry and, where relevant, arrange counselling.
If you become a client, relevant information will form part of your counselling records and will be retained in accordance with the 7-year retention period above.
Financial records
Information relating to payments and invoices may be retained for as long as required to meet HMRC, accounting and other legal requirements.
When information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or destroyed.
12. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have rights including:
The right to be informed about how your personal information is used
The right to request access to the personal information I hold about you
The right to request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
The right to request deletion of your information in certain circumstances
The right to request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
The right to object to certain types of processing
The right to data portability in certain circumstances
These rights are subject to certain legal exceptions and may not apply in every situation.
If you would like to exercise any of your rights, please contact me using the details provided below.
13. Website cookies
My website is hosted using Squarespace and may use cookies and similar technologies.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to function, while others may be used for purposes such as analytics or remembering preferences.
The cookies used will depend on the features and settings enabled on my website.
You can manage cookies through your browser settings and, where applicable, the cookie controls provided on the website.
Squarespace also provides information about the cookies used by its platform.
14. Third-party websites
My website and social media pages may contain links to third-party websites and services.
Once you leave my website, I am not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those websites.
I recommend checking the privacy information provided by any third-party website you visit.
15. Changes to this Privacy Notice
I may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes to my services, the way I process information or changes in legal requirements.
The most recent version will always be available on this page, with the date of the latest update shown at the top.
16. Contact me
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how I handle your personal information, please contact me:
Marie Vaile Counselling
The Stables
Castleland Street
Barry
CF63 4LL
Email: info@marievailecounselling.com
Telephone: 07810 178180
If you are unhappy with how I have handled your personal information, please contact me first so that I have an opportunity to address your concerns.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe your personal information has not been handled appropriately.
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: ico.org.uk