Privacy Policy

Introduction

ClearForge Works Ltd ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care and respect. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your rights regarding that information.

As a psychology and personal development practice, we take data protection particularly seriously. Your trust is essential to our work together, and we maintain rigorous standards to safeguard that trust.

Information We Collect

Personal Contact Information

When you reach out to us or become a client, we collect basic identifying information including your name, email address, postal address, and any other contact details you choose to provide.

Clinical and Therapeutic Information

During our work together, we maintain confidential records of our sessions, including notes about discussions, observations, treatment approaches, and progress. This information is essential for providing effective psychological support and maintaining continuity of care.

Payment Information

We collect information necessary to process payments for our services. Payment card details are processed through secure third-party payment processors and are not stored on our systems.

Website Usage Data

When you visit our website, we may collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, pages visited, and time spent on pages. This helps us understand how people use our site and improve the experience.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for specific, legitimate purposes:

• Providing psychological consultation and therapeutic services
• Maintaining accurate clinical records to ensure continuity and quality of care
• Communicating with you about appointments, scheduling, and administrative matters
• Processing payments and maintaining financial records
• Complying with professional, legal, and ethical obligations
• Improving our services and understanding how our website is used

We do not use your personal information for marketing purposes without your explicit consent. We do not sell or rent your information to third parties under any circumstances.

Legal Basis for Processing

Under UK data protection law, we rely on several legal bases for processing your information:

• Consent: You provide explicit consent for us to maintain clinical records and provide therapeutic services
• Contract: Processing is necessary to fulfill our service agreement with you
• Legal Obligation: We must process certain information to comply with professional regulatory requirements
• Legitimate Interests: We process some information where necessary for our legitimate business operations, provided this doesn't override your rights and interests

How We Protect Your Information

We implement robust security measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction:

• All clinical records are stored in encrypted, password-protected systems
• Physical records, if any, are kept in locked, secure locations with restricted access
• Our team receives regular training on confidentiality and data protection
• Access to personal information is limited to those who need it to provide services
• We use secure communication channels for sensitive information
• Our website uses SSL encryption to protect data transmission

Information Sharing and Disclosure

We maintain strict confidentiality and do not share your personal information except in limited, specific circumstances:

With Your Consent

We may share information with other healthcare providers or professionals when you explicitly authorize us to do so.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose information when required by law, such as responding to court orders or legal processes.

Professional Supervision

Our practitioners engage in clinical supervision where anonymized case material may be discussed for professional development purposes. Identifying details are removed from these discussions.

Risk of Harm

In rare situations where there is serious risk of harm to you or others, we may need to breach confidentiality to protect safety. We would discuss this with you whenever possible.

Service Providers

We work with carefully selected third-party service providers (such as payment processors, IT support) who may have access to personal information solely for performing services on our behalf. These providers are contractually bound to protect your information.

Data Retention

We retain clinical records for a minimum of seven years following the end of our therapeutic relationship, in accordance with professional guidelines and legal requirements. Some records may be kept longer where necessary for legal or regulatory purposes.

Administrative information such as contact details and payment records are retained for the periods required by tax and business regulations.

Once retention periods expire, we securely destroy or delete personal information in accordance with data protection principles.

Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have several important rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of Access: You can request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
• Right to Rectification: You can ask us to correct inaccurate information
• Right to Erasure: In certain circumstances, you can request deletion of your information, though this may be limited by professional record-keeping obligations
• Right to Restrict Processing: You can ask us to limit how we use your information in specific situations
• Right to Data Portability: You can request your information in a structured, commonly used format
• Right to Object: You can object to certain types of processing
• Right to Withdraw Consent: Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided at the end of this policy. We will respond to requests within one month.

Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. Essential cookies are necessary for the website to function. Optional cookies help us understand how visitors use our site. You can manage your cookie preferences through our cookie banner.

For detailed information about our cookie practices, please see our Cookies Policy.

Children's Privacy

Our services are designed for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect information from individuals under 18 through our website. If we work with clients under 18, we do so with appropriate parental or guardian consent and additional safeguards.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. When we make significant changes, we will notify current clients directly and update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your data protection rights, or have concerns about how we handle your information, please contact us:

Email: [email protected]
Post: Data Protection Officer, ClearForge Works Ltd, 42 Deansgate, Manchester M3 2EG, United Kingdom

Complaints

If you believe we have not handled your personal information appropriately, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator:

Website: ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113