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Last updated: 6th January 2026
RJT Counselling & Training Services is committed to protecting your personal data and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information in compliance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK Data Protection laws.

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Data Controller

The Data Controller responsible for your personal data is Robert Topping of RJT Counselling & Training Services.

We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) under registration number ZA545167. You can verify this registration on the ICO website here: https://ico.org.uk/.

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Information We Collect

For Counselling Clients

When you begin counselling with us, we collect personal information to form a counselling contract and support your care. This typically includes:

- Name
- Postal address
- Email address
- Telephone number
- GP contact details
- Next-of-kin contact details

We also keep concise, anonymised, and coded progress notes about your counselling sessions. These notes may include sensitive personal information such as race, ethnic origin, religion, political opinions, health, sex life, or sexual orientation.

Information is recorded both electronically and in written form.

For Learners on Training Programmes

When you enrol in one of our training programmes, we collect personal information required for registration with our accreditation bodies. This usually includes:

- Name
- Postal address
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Next-of-kin contact details

We keep brief progress notes as required by the training standards. Data is stored electronically and in written form.

For Young People Under 16

Where appropriate, parental or guardian consent will be obtained for young clients under 16, except where the young person is deemed competent to make their own decisions (Gillick competency). If the young person is not deemed competent, consent must be provided by a parent or guardian before any personal data is collected.

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Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data based on one or more of the following legal grounds:
- Your consent
- The necessity to perform a contract with you
- Compliance with legal obligations
- Protection of your vital interests (e.g., health and safety)

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How We Use Your Information

Your data is used to provide counselling, mentoring, and training services of a high ethical standard and to meet our legal and professional obligations.

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Who We May Share Your Information With

Counselling is a confidential relationship. However, we may need to share information in certain circumstances, such as:
- To protect you or others from serious harm or risk
- When legally required (e.g., court orders)
- With emergency services, your GP, social services, or police
- With your next-of-kin in emergencies

We will seek your consent before sharing your information except where urgent safety concerns prevent this.

As an accredited member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), we engage in clinical supervision with a qualified supervisor. Supervision involves confidential discussion of client work to ensure ethical and effective practice. Your information will be anonymised and handled with strict confidentiality in supervision.

We do not share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes.

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Data Received from Third Parties

From time to time, personal data may be shared with us by third parties (e.g., referral agencies). This data will be used solely for the purposes intended and handled in compliance with GDPR and the UK Data Protection Act. Documents containing such information will be returned to the referring organisation after the intervention.

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Data Retention

We securely store your records for five years from the end of your therapy or training programme, after which all data is securely destroyed, in line with our insurance and professional requirements.

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Your Rights Under GDPR

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of Access: Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you
- Right to Rectification: Request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete data
- Right to Erasure: Request deletion of your data where there is no legal reason to retain it
- Right to Restrict Processing: Request limitation on how we use your data
- Right to Data Portability: Request your data in a portable format
- Right to Object: Object to the processing of your personal data based on legitimate interests or direct marketing
- Right to Withdraw Consent: Withdraw consent at any time for processing based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at:
Email: robert@rjtcounselling.co.uk

To verify your identity, please provide a copy of an official ID (e.g., passport or driving license) and proof of address.

We will respond to your request within one month of receipt. This service is provided free of charge.

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Data Protection Complaints

If you are unhappy with how we handle your personal data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at https://ico.org.uk/.

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Cookies

Our website uses cookies to improve user experience and functionality. Cookies are small text files stored on your device. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some website features.

For detailed information about cookies, visit https://www.aboutcookies.org or https://www.allaboutcookies.org.

For details on cookies used by our website provider Wix, please see their Privacy Policy at https://www.wix.com/about/privacy.

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Use of Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services, which may collect and process your personal data in accordance with their own privacy policies:

- Wix – Website hosting and management. See Wix’s Privacy Notice: https://www.wix.com/about/privacy
- Facebook – Social media promotion. See Facebook’s Privacy Policy: https://www.facebook.com/policy.php
- Zoom – Online counselling sessions via video. Zoom sessions are not recorded and use SSL encryption. See Zoom’s Privacy Policy: https://zoom.us/privacy
- iZettle – Payment processing. See iZettle’s Privacy Policy: https://www.izettle.com/gb/privacy

We review these services regularly to ensure compliance with GDPR.

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Security of Your Data

We implement appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, loss, or alteration.

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Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to external websites. We do not control these sites and are not responsible for their content or privacy practices. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any external sites you visit.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how your data is handled, please contact:
Robert Topping
Email: robert@rjtcounselling.co.uk