How we handle your information.

At Mind Healing Counselling, we take your privacy seriously. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect personal information when you use our website, contact us, or receive counselling services from us. We operate in accordance with the Irish Data Protection Acts and the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Who we are

Mind Healing Counselling is an Ireland-based counselling and psychotherapy practice. For the purposes of data protection, we are the data controller of any personal information you provide to us.

Contact: support@mindhealing.online
Phone: 085 129 8287

Information we collect

When you visit our website

If you accept analytics cookies on first visit, our site loads Google Analytics 4, which is provided by Google Ireland Limited. It collects standard information about how the site is used, including pages viewed, time on page, approximate region (derived from a truncated IP address), device and browser type, and the referring source. We have enabled IP anonymisation, which means your full IP address is not stored. We do not use the data for advertising, profiling, or any purpose other than understanding how the site is used so we can improve it.

You can decline analytics on the banner that appears on your first visit, in which case Google Analytics is not loaded at all. You can change your choice later by clearing your browser's site data for this site, which will make the banner reappear.

Our legal basis for this is your consent (Article 6(1)(a) of the GDPR). You can withdraw consent at any time by declining when prompted, or by using your browser's privacy controls to block cookies for this site.

When you contact us or book a session

We collect your name, email, phone (if provided), and the contents of your enquiry. If you book a session, this information is processed by our scheduling provider (Acuity Scheduling) and, for programme purchases, our payment provider (Stripe). Neither service receives the content of your therapy sessions.

When you attend counselling

Your counsellor keeps brief clinical notes to support the continuity of your care. These are stored securely and are subject to the strict confidentiality standards of APCP, BACP and IACP. You have the right to access your notes; please contact us to request this.

Confidentiality

Everything discussed in counselling is confidential. The only exceptions, explained in your first session, are where there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or others, or where disclosure is required by law (for example, a court order or child protection concern). Your counsellor will always try to discuss any disclosure with you where safely possible.

How we use your information

• To respond to your enquiries and arrange sessions
• To deliver and document your counselling care
• To process payments for programmes and sessions
• To provide receipts for sessions, where relevant
• To comply with legal, regulatory, and professional obligations

We do not use your information for marketing without your explicit consent, and we do not share it with third parties except those strictly required to deliver the service (e.g. Acuity Scheduling for bookings, Stripe for payments, and, if you accept analytics on first visit, Google Ireland Limited for site usage statistics).

How long we keep your information

Clinical records are retained in accordance with APCP, BACP and IACP guidelines, typically for seven years after the end of therapy, longer where required by law or where you were a minor at the time of treatment. Website enquiry data is kept for up to 12 months unless you become a client, in which case it forms part of your clinical record.

Your rights under GDPR

You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request erasure of your data (subject to legal and professional record-keeping obligations)
• Object to or restrict certain processing
• Receive your data in a portable format
• Lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission (dataprotection.ie)

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at support@mindhealing.online.

Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information, including encrypted video for sessions, secure cloud storage, access controls, and regular security reviews. No system is perfectly secure, but we take reasonable steps to protect your data.

Cookies

Essential cookies required for site functionality may be set without your consent (for example, to remember your cookie choice itself, stored locally in your browser). These are not used for tracking and are necessary for the site to work.

If you accept analytics on the banner shown to first-time visitors, Google Analytics 4 sets a small number of cookies to distinguish unique visitors and sessions. These cookies expire within two years and are not shared with advertisers. If you decline, no analytics cookies are set at all.

We do not use advertising cookies, retargeting pixels, or any other third-party tracking on this site.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we'll update the "Last updated" date above. For material changes, we'll notify active clients by email.

Contact us about privacy

If you have any questions or concerns about how we handle your data, please contact us at support@mindhealing.online.