Privacy Policy

I am Nicole Backhouse, a BACP accredited psychotherapist working as a sole trader from Claydon, Lechlade, Gloucestershire. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (registration number ZC281821). If you have any questions about this page or your information, email me at [email protected].

If you contact me through the enquiry form, I collect your name, email address and, if you choose to give it, your phone number, along with anything you write in your message. If you sign up to my writing, I collect your name and email address. If someone refers you to me, such as your GP, school or a parent, I may also receive information about you from them.

I use your details to reply to your enquiry, and to send my writing to people who have asked for it. Nothing else; I do not use your information for marketing or share it for anyone else’s purposes.

If an enquiry does not lead to therapy, I delete it within 12 months. If you sign up to my writing, I keep your details until you unsubscribe, which you can do at any time using the link in every email.

Some services handle information on my behalf: my IT and email providers, my newsletter service, Substack; and WhatsApp, which many clients choose to use to contact me. They only process it to provide those services; I never sell your information. Some of these providers store data outside the UK; where they do, they use legally approved safeguards to protect it.

You can ask to see the information I hold about you, have it corrected, or have it deleted, by emailing me at the address above. You also have the right to restrict or object to how I use your information, and to ask for a copy in a portable format. I will respond within one calendar month. If you are unhappy with how I have handled your information, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk.

What you say in therapy stays confidential. There are limits: if I believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, if there is a safeguarding concern about a child or vulnerable adult, or if the law requires me to disclose (for example, a court order), I may have to share information. Wherever possible, I will discuss this with you first. Like all accredited therapists, I also discuss my work with a clinical supervisor, without anything that identifies you.

I keep brief notes of our sessions, stored securely in a locked cabinet and in encrypted, password-protected storage. I keep adult records for seven years after therapy ends; for clients under 18, I keep them until they turn 25. I have a clinical will; if I die or become unable to work, a nominated colleague will contact you, and will look after or securely destroy your records.

My website uses only the cookies it needs to work, unless you agree to more through the cookie banner. Which cookies it uses, and how to change your choice, are set out on the Cookie Policy page.