Privacy Policy

Last updated: 31st May 2026

I am committed to respecting and protecting your privacy.

Who I am

I am Alison Brake, and I provide counselling services. This Privacy Policy explains how I collect, use, store and protect your personal data.

What information I collect

I may collect and store the following personal information:

  • your name, email address and phone number when you contact me through my website

  • personal details collected during our work together, such as your date of birth and GP details

  • information you provide by email, text message or other electronic communication

  • electronic notes of our sessions

  • recordings of sessions, where you have given specific consent

How I use your information

I use your personal data for the following purposes:

  • to respond to your enquiry

  • to provide counselling services and manage our therapeutic work together

  • to keep appropriate clinical records

  • for professional requirements and professional development

  • to act where there may be a risk of serious harm to you or to others

Therapeutic executor

I share limited client contact details with my therapeutic executor, a qualified professional in the counselling profession. They would only use this information to contact clients if I were to become seriously ill, incapacitated or die, so that clients can be informed and supported appropriately.

How long I keep your information

I keep personal data only for as long as necessary.

  • Contact details and personal information such as GP details and date of birth are kept for the duration of our work together and for 1 month afterwards.

  • Emails containing information relevant to our therapeutic work may be transferred to your electronic notes and then deleted.

  • Emails relating only to appointment arrangements are kept until the relevant appointment has passed.

  • Session notes are kept for 6 years.

  • Recordings of sessions are kept for the duration of our work together and, in some cases, longer where needed for professional development, if you have consented to this.

How your information is stored

All electronic data is stored securely in password-protected locations. Where third-party providers are used, such as my website host or email provider, I take reasonable steps to ensure your data is handled securely.

Sharing your information

Your information will be kept confidential unless there is a legal, ethical or safeguarding reason to share it, such as where there is a risk of serious harm to you or others, or where I am required to do so by law.

Your rights

Under data protection law, you have rights over your personal data, including the right to:

  • request access to the personal data I hold about you

  • ask for inaccurate information to be corrected

  • ask for your data to be erased where appropriate

  • ask for processing to be restricted in certain circumstances

  • object to processing in certain circumstances

  • make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact me at: alison@alisonbrake.com

Complaints

If you have concerns about how your data is stored or used, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office: www.ico.org.uk

Website enquiries

If you contact me through this website, your personal data will be processed in accordance with this Privacy Policy.