Privacy Notice
Last updated: 23 July 2026
This privacy notice tells you what to expect me to do with your personal information if you contact me or work with me for psychotherapy.
Contact details
Name: Ellis Beardsmore
Email: hello@ellisbeardsmore.com
Website: www.ellisbeardsmore.com
What information I collect, use, and why
I collect and use personal information to provide psychotherapy, run my practice safely, manage appointments and payments, and meet legal and professional obligations.
Personal information (to provide therapy and manage appointments)
This may include:
Name and contact details (and address if relevant)
Appointment information (times, attendance, cancellations)
Pronoun preferences (if you choose to share them)
Emergency contact details and support network details (if you choose to share them)
Payment details (for example bank transfer payments and references)
Special category information (more sensitive)
Therapy often involves “special category” (more sensitive) information. I may collect and use this information to provide psychotherapy and support safe practice, including:
Health / mental health information you share
Information about sex life and sexual orientation (where relevant and shared in therapy)
Brief session notes
I may keep brief session notes to support safe, consistent therapy.
Queries, complaints, or claims
If you contact me with a query or complaint, I may use your contact details and the information needed to respond.
Lawful bases and your data protection rights
Under UK data protection law, I must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information.
Lawful bases I rely on
Depending on the situation, my lawful bases are usually:
Contract – using your information to provide psychotherapy and manage our agreement (appointments, payment, and the therapy service)
Legal obligation – for example tax and accounting requirements, or where disclosure is required by law
Legitimate interests – running my practice in a safe and professional way (for example record keeping and receiving clinical supervision), where this does not override your rights
Consent – in some cases (for example, if you ask me to share information with someone else). You can withdraw consent at any time.
Your rights
You have rights over your personal information, including:
Right of access – ask for a copy of your personal information
Right to rectification – ask me to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Right to erasure – ask me to delete your personal information (this does not apply in all situations)
Right to restriction – ask me to limit how I use your personal information (in some situations)
Right to object – object to the way I use your personal information (in some situations)
Right to data portability – ask for your information in a portable format (in some situations)
Right to withdraw consent – where I rely on consent, you can withdraw it at any time
To make a request, please email hello@ellisbeardsmore.com. Unless there are legal reasons I can’t share something, I will respond within 30 working days. If it helps, we can also look at your request together in a session.
Where I get personal information from
Directly from you (for example via email, in sessions, or through information you choose to provide)
Services I use (online sessions and client portal)
To run sessions and manage the practice I may use:
Zoom (for online sessions)
Sessionly (practice administration, brief notes, emergency contact details, and client portal/app functionality)
Proton Mail (email)
These services may store or process some personal information in order to work. Some of these services may store or process information outside the UK. Where this happens, they use appropriate safeguards to protect your information.
Who I share information with
I keep what you share in therapy confidential, and I don’t share it without your permission unless:
there is a serious risk of harm to you or someone else
a child or vulnerable adult is at risk (safeguarding)
I’m required by law to share information (for example, a court order)
there are concerns relating to terrorism or serious crime
Supervision
To support safe and ethical practice, I receive individual, group, and peer supervision. In supervision I talk about my work in a way that doesn’t identify you, unless it is necessary for safe practice.
Safeguarding and emergencies
Where necessary, I may share relevant information with organisations involved in safeguarding, or with emergency services.
How long I keep information
I keep therapy records (including brief notes and the signed therapy contract) for 7 years after therapy ends, and then securely delete/destroy them, unless I need to keep something longer for legal reasons.
For financial record-keeping: if you pay me by bank transfer, your account details will appear on my bank statement. I don’t share my bank statements with anybody unless I’m legally required to (for example, if audited by HMRC). I keep bank statements and accounts for 6 years after the tax return in which they are included.
Reports
If I’m asked to provide a report about therapy sessions (for example, at your request), I would share it with you for approval before providing it to the person requesting it. Any report would then be stored with your record in line with the retention periods in this notice.
How I keep information safe
I take care to protect your information, for example by using secure services and password protection and limiting access to information to what’s needed for my work. No system is perfect, but I take reasonable steps to keep information safe.
If something goes wrong (data breaches)
In the unlikely event of a data breach (for example, loss or theft of data), I will take appropriate steps to investigate and reduce harm. Where required, I will report it to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and to you within 72 hours.
Automated decisions
I don’t use automated decision-making or profiling about you.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about my use of your personal information, please contact me first:
Email: hello@ellisbeardsmore.com
If you remain unhappy with how I’ve used your data after raising a complaint with me, you can complain to the ICO.
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF
Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Updates to this notice
I may update this notice from time to time. The latest version will be available on my website.