Privacy Policy

Privacy Notice – Spark Matters

Last updated: 30 June 2026

Spark Matters is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data with care and respect. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you use our website or access our counselling services.

1. What is Spark Matters?

Spark Matters is a private counselling and psychotherapy practice based in the United Kingdom. For the purposes of data protection law, I am the data controller.

2. What Personal Data I Collect ?

I may collect and process the following types of personal data:

Contact and identification data: Name, email address, phone number, address, GP name etc.
Special category data (sensitive personal data): Information about your mental health, emotional wellbeing, and any other health-related information you share during counselling.
Session information: Notes taken during or after sessions (clinical records).
Website usage data: Information collected through cookies (see section 9).
Payment information: Details necessary to process payments (I do not store full card details).

3. How I Use Your Personal Data ?

I use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide counselling and psychotherapy services.
To communicate with you about appointments, cancellations, and session arrangements.
To maintain clinical records.
To comply with our legal and professional obligations (including safeguarding).
To improve my services and website.

4. Legal Basis for Processing Your Data

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

Consent – You have given clear consent for me to process your data for a specific purpose.
Contract – Processing is necessary for the performance of our counselling contract with you.
Legal obligation – I am required to process data to comply with the law (e.g. safeguarding or court orders).
Vital interests – In rare situations where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life.

Because I process special category data (health information), I also rely on additional conditions under UK GDPR, including explicit consent and substantial public interest.

5. Confidentiality and Its Limits

Confidentiality is central to my work. However, there are limited circumstances where we may need to share information without your consent, including:

If there is a risk of serious harm to yourself or others.
If there are safeguarding concerns involving children or vulnerable adults.
If required by law or court order.

I will always aim to discuss this with you first, where possible and appropriate.

6. How I Store and Protect Your Data ?

I take the security of your personal data very seriously. I store clinical notes securely and use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your information from unauthorised access, loss, or damage.

7. How Long will I Keep Your Data ?

We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined in this notice. Typically:

Clinical records are kept for 7 years after the end of therapy (in line with guidelines by ICO).
In some cases (e.g. work with children or complex cases), records may be kept for longer.

After this period, your data will be securely destroyed.

8. Who I may Share Your Data With ?

We do not sell or rent your personal data. We may share your information with:

Other healthcare professionals (with your consent, e.g. your GP).
My clinical supervisor (in anonymised form where possible).
Legal or regulatory bodies when required by law.

9. Cookies

My website uses cookies to improve your browsing experience. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings.

10. Your Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights:

Right to access your personal data
Right to have inaccurate data corrected
Right to erasure (“right to be forgotten”)
Right to restrict processing
Right to data portability
Right to object to processing
Right to withdraw consent at any time

Please note that some rights may be limited in a therapeutic context (for example, we may not be able to delete clinical notes immediately due to legal and professional requirements).

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact me using the details below.

11. Changes to This Privacy Notice

I may update this Privacy Notice from time to time. The latest version will always be available on my website.

12. Contact me

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how i handle your data, please contact me:

chhavi@sparkmatters.in (I aim to reply within 24 hours)

You also have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues, where I have registered my practice.

This is not an exhaustive list. Please email me to know about specific information that you may require regarding your data.

"Relationship is Therapy"You can talk to me about anything

Privacy Policy

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"Relationship is Therapy"

You can talk to me about anything