Your Privacy - Understanding privacy rights & confidentiality

While I maintain robust digital security privacy rights & confidentiality, no internet-based service can be entirely risk-free. I operate with full openness, adhering strictly to UK legislation and ethical guidelines to keep you safe.

Privacy rights & confidentiality

I manage your personal data with care and sensitivity, following UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. When you reach out, you agree to me handling your details for our clinical work. I also uphold the UK Equality Act to foster a welcoming space for everyone. Your unique identity is respected here, and I maintain a zero-tolerance policy against harassment, ensuring you feel comfortable and prioritised throughout your sessions with Integrative Counselling Services.

Managing your information

Upon visiting this site, I gather your name and email to respond to enquiries. If we start therapy, I collect health details and emergency contact info for your safety. We will sign a professional agreement, and I'll keep concise, anonymised notes as required by my governing bodies. These records are held securely to assist your progress, ensuring your therapeutic journey remains confidential, professional, and focused exclusively on your mental health.

Secure use of technology

To support our sessions, I might utilise digital platforms to craft tailored resources. I never input your name or personal markers into these systems. All content is generated anonymously because your privacy and growth are my focus. This contemporary approach allows me to offer high-quality therapeutic support while keeping your private life strictly protected. Maintaining the confidence you place in me is the foundation of my digital ethics.

Ethics and our confidentiality

As an accredited registrant of the NCPS and registered member of the BACP, I am bound by rigorous ethical frameworks. These standards ensure your wellbeing is always the priority. Privacy is fundamental to our therapeutic relationship; I only disclose information if required by law or if there is an urgent risk to your safety or of those directly connected to you, typically after a discussion with you. For continuity, a Practice Executor can access contact info if I am incapacitated, and I always use anonymised notes for supervision.

Knowing your data rights

How long I keep your information: In line with data minimisation principles, I only hold your personal data for as long as is necessary to provide your counselling, fulfill my legal and professional obligations, and address any potential questions or complaints. Once this period ends, your data is securely destroyed or permanently anonymised. You also have rights regarding Transparency, Access to records within 30 days, Accuracy of your details, and Erasure, though certain clinical records must be kept to meet legal requirements.

Staying up to date with UK law I am dedicated to maintaining the highest level of care for your data. This practice is fully compliant with UK data protection laws, including the UK GDPR and all current regulatory standards. If you have any concerns about how your details are managed, please reach out to me at rachel.rayfield@lightcircle.co.uk so we can address them. I treat all privacy enquiries with the utmost importance and aim to reply within 30 days. My aim is to be transparent about how and why your information is processed. If you are dissatisfied with my response or believe your data is being handled incorrectly, you have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) via www.ico.org.uk.

Understanding our use of cookies

To ensure Light Circle Counselling provides a seamless and supportive digital experience, I use cookies and similar tracking technologies on my website. These small data files are placed on your device to help the site function effectively, understand how you interact with the content, and improve my services. While some cookies are essential for technical reasons, others help me tailor the online experience to better meet the needs of those seeking support for burnout and overwhelm.

Summary of cookie usage

I utilise first-party cookies, which I manage directly, and third-party cookies from trusted partners like Google, Bing, Facebook, and Instagram for analytics and marketing purposes. These technologies allow me to gain insights into website traffic and provide interactive features. Specifically, I use:

• Essential Cookies: Necessary for the website to operate securely.
• Analytics & Performance: Helping me understand user engagement.
• Marketing & Preferences: Tailoring content and remembering your choices.

Essential Cookies

This website is built and hosted on the Wix platform. Like most websites, it uses cookies and similar technologies.

Essential (strictly necessary) cookies
These cookies are needed for the site to work properly and cannot be switched off in our systems. For example, they help to:

Keep the site secure and protect against fraud and abuse
Remember your actions as you move between pages (session management)
Make sure forms, contact pages and member login areas work correctly
Route traffic between servers so the site loads reliably
We rely on our legitimate interests to use these essential cookies, as they are necessary to provide you with the online services you request.

Analytics and performance cookies
With your consent, we may use cookies and similar technologies to understand how visitors use the site (for example, which pages are visited and how often). This helps me improve the content and services I offer.
Marketing and advertising cookies
Because this site uses tools such as Google Ads and Facebook Ads, third parties may set cookies to:

Measure the effectiveness of adverts
Help show relevant adverts on other websites or social media platforms

These cookies are only used with your consent.

Cookie banner and your choices
This site uses a cookie banner (provided by Consentik CMP) to help you manage your preferences. Non‑essential cookies (such as analytics and marketing cookies) are not used unless you choose to allow them.

You can:

Accept or reject non‑essential cookies when you first visit the site
Change your cookie preferences at any time using the cookie banner or your browser settings

Wix and third‑party cookies
Because this site is built on Wix and uses additional apps (such as Members Area, Wix Forms, advertising tools and billing tools), Wix and these third parties may set their own cookies. The exact cookies used can change over time as services are updated.

For the most up‑to‑date information about the cookies used by Wix and its apps, please see Wix’s own cookie policy and the privacy/cookie notices of any third‑party services (such as Google and Meta/Facebook). If you have any questions about how cookies are used on this site, you can contact me using the details in this Privacy Policy.

However two examples are:

SSR-caching
This essential Wix cookie helps cache and efficiently render pages on our website. It improves loading speed, performance, and site stability. It is used for the proper operation of the website and expires after 24 hours.

hsu
This essential Wix security cookie supports the secure operation of the website. It helps protect against security threats and is used only for essential site functionality. It expires at the end of the browsing session.

Managing your data and choices

In line with my commitment to your privacy, data collected through these technologies is typically retained for 90 days. Because I use global service providers, some information may be processed on secure servers located outside of your home jurisdiction, including the United States, always with the aim of maintaining high protection standards. You have full control over non-essential cookies and can update your preferences at any time through the Cookie Consent Manager on this site. If you have any questions regarding these digital tools, please reach out to me at rachel.rayfield@lightcircle.co.uk.