Who We Are
Hybrid Counselling is an online counselling service providing professional therapeutic support across the United Kingdom. We are the data controller responsible for your personal data.
If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your data, please contact us at info@hybridcounselling.co.uk.
What Data We Collect
We collect personal information in several ways depending on how you interact with our website and services.
Contact Form (via Formsubmit.co)
When you submit our contact form, we collect:
- Your name
- Your email address
- Your phone number (optional)
- Your message
Booking Form
When you book a session, we collect:
- Your name
- Your email address
- Your phone number
- Your selected service and appointment preferences
Payment Processing (via Stripe)
Payment card details are processed directly by Stripe, our payment provider. We do not store, process or have access to your full card information. Stripe is PCI DSS compliant and handles all payment data securely.
Website Usage
We collect basic analytics data about how visitors use our website, such as pages visited and general usage patterns.
How We Use Your Data
We use the personal data we collect for the following purposes:
- To respond to your enquiries and messages
- To arrange and manage your appointments
- To process payments for our services
- To provide the counselling service you have requested
- To send appointment reminders and relevant service communications
Legal Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, we process your personal data on the following legal bases:
- Consent — When you submit the contact form or provide your details voluntarily, you consent to us processing that information to respond to your enquiry.
- Contract — When you book a session or make a payment, processing your data is necessary for the performance of the contract between us.
- Legitimate interest — We may process data where it is in our legitimate interest to improve our services, provided this does not override your rights and freedoms.
Third-Party Services
We use the following third-party services to operate our website and deliver our services. Each has its own privacy policy governing how they handle data:
- Formsubmit.co — Processes contact form submissions and delivers them to our email address.
- Stripe — Processes payments securely. Stripe is PCI DSS compliant and does not share your payment details with us.
- Firebase / Google Cloud — Stores booking availability data to allow you to select appointment times.
- Google Fonts — Provides typography for the website. Google may collect basic usage data when fonts are loaded.
- Cloudflare — Hosts the website and provides security and performance services.
Data Retention
We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this policy:
- Contact form data is retained for as long as necessary to respond to your enquiry and any follow-up correspondence.
- Client records are retained in accordance with the BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) ethical framework guidelines.
- Payment records are retained as required by UK tax and financial regulations.
Your Rights
Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
- Right of access — You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
- Right to rectification — You can request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete data.
- Right to erasure — You can request that we delete your personal data where there is no compelling reason for its continued processing.
- Right to restrict processing — You can request that we limit how we use your data.
- Right to data portability — You can request that we transfer your data to another organisation or directly to you.
- Right to object — You can object to certain types of processing, such as processing based on legitimate interest.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at info@hybridcounselling.co.uk. We will respond to your request within one month.
Cookies
This website uses minimal cookies that are necessary for the site to function correctly. We do not use cookies for advertising or tracking purposes.
For full details about the cookies we use and how to manage them, please see our Cookie Policy.
How to Complain
If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data, we would like the chance to put things right. Please contact us first at info@hybridcounselling.co.uk so we can address your concerns.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent body set up to uphold information rights. You can contact the ICO at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal or regulatory reasons. We encourage you to review this page periodically.
Last updated: February 2026