Privacy
Privacy notice
This notice explains how I look after personal information at Rainey Days Counselling Service, from a first enquiry through to after counselling has ended. It also explains what this website does with information. It covers the areas set out in the BACP privacy notice guide for practitioners.
Your privacy matters. I keep personal information safe and use it only for the purpose it was given to me. I follow the UK General Data Protection Regulation, the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations.
Who is responsible
I, Lorraine Nightingale, am the data controller. That means I decide how personal information is used for Rainey Days Counselling Service. I am a Registered Member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP), membership number 422522.
I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office. My registration number is ZC279890.
You can ask me about this notice by email at raineydayscounsellingservice@gmail.com or by phone on 0161 964 1229. There is no published practice address. Please use email or phone.
Why I am able to use your information
If you contact me about counselling, or you are having counselling, I use your information because it is needed for that work.
After counselling has ended, I keep the record so that it can be referred to if a question or concern is later raised about the work.
What you tell me about your health, feelings and life is sensitive information. I rely on your agreement to keep it for the counselling. I may then need to keep the record so that it is available if a legal question arises about the work.
You do not have to give me information. If you choose not to, I may not be able to offer or continue counselling in a way that is safe and useful.
When you first get in touch
If you email or call, I use what you tell me, such as your name, contact details and what you would like help with, so that I can reply and we can see whether working together feels right.
If you decide not to go ahead, tell me if you would like me to delete those enquiry details. I do not keep them for longer than I need in order to respond.
Sometimes another person, such as a family member or another professional, makes the first contact. I will share this notice with you when we are in direct contact.
During counselling
What you discuss with me is confidential. I keep the contact details needed to arrange sessions, and brief notes of our work, so that the counselling can continue with care.
I will only share what you have told me if:
- I believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or to someone else
- the law requires me to
- you ask me to, or you agree that I should
I will try to talk with you before I share anything, unless speaking to you first would increase the risk.
I discuss my counselling work with a clinical supervisor, as expected by the BACP Ethical Framework. I do this without using your name or other details that would identify you, unless there is a safeguarding reason to do otherwise.
After counselling has ended
When our work ends, I keep the record for a limited time and then destroy it securely. The length of time is confirmed in the counselling agreement. You can ask me to consider deleting it sooner. I may need to keep it for longer if the law requires that, or if a concern about the work is still open.
Who else may receive information
I do not sell your information, and I do not use it to send marketing messages.
- Emails sent to raineydayscounsellingservice@gmail.com are received through Google’s email service.
- Visits to this website are delivered by Cloudflare. The host may process technical connection data, such as an IP address, so the pages can be shown securely. Counselling notes are not stored on the website.
- My clinical supervisor may hear about the work in the way described above.
- Another professional, such as a GP, receives information only if you agree, or if one of the confidentiality limits above applies.
- BACP or the Information Commissioner’s Office may receive information if a complaint, a professional-conduct matter, or a legal duty requires it.
This website
You can read these pages without creating an account. The site does not use an enquiry form, a mailing list, or analytics or advertising cookies.
The Instagram and LinkedIn icons leave this website. Those sites’ own privacy notices then apply.
Sending information outside the UK
I do not deliberately send counselling records outside the UK. Email and website hosting may involve the provider processing messages or technical data on systems that are not only in the UK.
I do not use your information to make automated decisions about you, and I do not use it for profiling.
Keeping information secure
I take care to keep records secure. I will explain the practical arrangements, including whether notes are kept on paper or on a device, when we begin work.
Your rights
You can ask me:
- for a copy of the information I hold about you
- to correct something that is wrong
- to delete your information, or to limit or stop how I use it, where the law allows
- to object to my use of your information in some cases
If I hold information about you, I will tell you what it is, where it came from, why I hold it, how long I expect to keep it, and who it may be shared with. I will give you a copy in a form you can read.
Please put a request in writing to raineydayscounsellingservice@gmail.com. You can read more about these rights on the Information Commissioner’s Office website.
If you are unhappy
Please contact me first if you are unhappy with how I have handled your information. I welcome the chance to put things right.
You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, which oversees data protection in the UK. Details are on the ICO complaints page.
A concern about the counselling itself, rather than about your information, can be raised with BACP professional conduct.
Changes
Last updated October 2026.