Last updated: October 2026

At Julia Jessop Counselling, I take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Notice explains what personal information I collect, why I collect it, how I use and store it, and your rights in relation to your personal information.

Who I am

I am Julia Jessop, a qualified counsellor and NCPS Accredited Registrant, trading as Julia Jessop Counselling.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, I am the data controller for the personal information I hold about you.

I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

If you have any questions about how your personal information is used, you can contact me at:

Email: juliajessopcounselling@protonmail.com

What information I may collect

Depending on how you contact me and whether you become a client, I may collect information including:

• Your name

• Email address and telephone number

• Emergency contact details

• Information you provide when making an enquiry

• Appointment information

• Information relevant to your counselling, including your personal circumstances, emotional wellbeing, health and history

• Counselling notes and records

• Payment and transaction information

• Correspondence between us

Some of the information you share with me may be classed as special category data under UK GDPR, including information relating to your physical or mental health, beliefs, ethnicity or sexual orientation. This type of information is given additional protection under data protection law. ICO

Why I use your information

I may use your personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries

• Arrange and manage counselling appointments

• Provide counselling services to you

• Communicate with you about your sessions

• Maintain appropriate counselling records

• Process payments and maintain financial records

• Meet my professional, ethical, insurance and legal obligations

• Respond appropriately to safeguarding concerns or legal requirements

Lawful basis for processing your information

Under UK GDPR, I must have a lawful basis for processing your personal information.

For general personal information, I may rely on:

Contract – where processing is necessary in order to provide counselling services to you.

Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for the safe and effective running of my counselling practice, provided that your rights and interests do not override those interests.

Where I process sensitive personal information, including health information, I will only do so where there is an appropriate legal basis under UK data protection law.

UK GDPR gives additional protection to special category data and requires an additional condition to be met before it can be processed. ICO

Confidentiality

Information shared during counselling is treated confidentially.

As part of professional and ethical practice, I undertake regular clinical supervision. Client work may be discussed in supervision, but identifying information will be kept to a minimum wherever possible.

There are some circumstances where confidentiality may need to be broken, for example where there is a serious risk of harm, a safeguarding concern, a legal requirement or a court order.

Where possible and appropriate, I would aim to discuss this with you before sharing information.

I will never sell your personal information.

How your information is stored

I take reasonable steps to keep your personal information safe and secure.

Electronic information is stored using password-protected and appropriately secured systems.

Any paper records are stored securely and are not accessible to unauthorised people.

Where I use third-party services, such as email, website hosting, online counselling platforms or payment providers, I take reasonable steps to use services with appropriate privacy and security measures.

How long I keep your information

Counselling records will normally be retained for six years after our work together ends.

After this period, they will be securely destroyed or deleted unless there is a lawful reason for retaining them longer.

I will not keep personal information for longer than is reasonably necessary.

Sharing your information

I will not routinely share your personal information with other people or organisations.

Information may be shared where necessary with:

• My clinical supervisor, with identifying information kept to a minimum wherever possible

• Service providers used to operate my counselling practice

• Relevant professionals or authorities where there is a safeguarding concern or serious risk of harm

• Organisations or individuals where disclosure is required by law or court order

Only information that is necessary and appropriate will be shared.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:

• Ask for access to the personal information I hold about you

• Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected

• Ask for your information to be deleted in certain circumstances

• Ask me to restrict how your information is processed

• Object to certain types of processing

• Request the transfer of your information where applicable

Some of these rights are not absolute and may depend on the lawful basis on which your information is being processed.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact me using the email address above.

Complaints about your personal information

If you have concerns about how I have handled your personal information, please contact me in the first instance so that I have an opportunity to address your concerns.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Changes to this Privacy Notice

I may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in my counselling practice, professional guidance or data protection law.

The current version will always be available on this website.