Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy.

Your privacy matters to me. Please read this policy carefully as it explains how I collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you use my website or work with me as a client. It also sets out your rights in relation to that information and how to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.

I am the data controller responsible for your personal information and I am subject to the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Last reviewed in April 2026.

Key terms

I, me, my — Joanna Hamilton, Sole Trader, trading as Joanna Hamilton

Personal information — any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual

Special category information — sensitive personal information including health data, which I may collect as part of providing therapeutic services

What personal information I collect

I may collect and use the following personal information about you:

•       Your name, email address and telephone number

•       Information you share with me through contact forms, consultation calls or direct communication

•       Health and wellbeing information shared as part of the therapeutic process, including information about mental health, trauma history and personal circumstances

•       Payment and billing information when you book sessions or purchase services

•       Information about how you use my website, including pages visited and time spent on the site

•       Feedback, testimonials or communications you share with me by email, phone or social media

This information is necessary for me to provide my services to you. If you choose not to share certain information, this may affect my ability to provide the most appropriate support.

How I collect your personal information

I collect most of this information directly from you — for example when you:

•       Complete a contact or enquiry form on my website

•       Book a free consultation call or a therapy session

•       Complete an intake or client consultation form

•       Communicate with me by email, phone or social media

•       Sign up to my newsletter or email list

I may also collect limited information indirectly through my website analytics, which tracks browsing behaviour in an anonymised way.

How and why I use your personal information

Under UK GDPR, I can only use your personal information where I have a lawful basis for doing so. The lawful bases I rely on are:

•       Contract — to provide the therapy services you have requested and to manage our working relationship

•       Legal obligation — to comply with my professional and regulatory obligations, including those set by the NCH and QCHPA

•       Legitimate interests — to manage and improve my practice, communicate with you about services, and ensure the security of my systems

•       Consent — for marketing communications and for processing special category health information shared as part of the therapeutic process

I use your personal information for the following purposes:

•       To provide integrative therapy, somatic hypnotherapy and related services

•       To manage bookings, appointments and payments

•       To maintain confidential client notes in line with my professional obligations

•       To send you information about my services, including Ember Circle gatherings and other offerings, where you have consented to receive this

•       To respond to your enquiries and communicate with you about our work together

•       To comply with my obligations as a registered member of the NCH and QCHPA

Special category information

As a therapist, I will inevitably receive sensitive personal information about your health, mental wellbeing and personal history as part of our work together. I treat all of this information with the utmost care and confidentiality. I only process special category information with your explicit consent, and I store it securely in accordance with my professional obligations.

All therapeutic work is conducted in line with the ethical frameworks of the NCH and QCHPA, which require me to maintain confidentiality except in limited circumstances where there is a serious risk of harm to you or others.

Confidentiality and its limits

Everything shared within our therapeutic relationship is confidential. I will not share your personal information with anyone outside of our work together without your consent, except in the following circumstances:

•       Where I am legally required to do so

•       Where there is a serious and credible risk of harm to you or to another person

•       Where required by my professional regulatory bodies

If I ever need to break confidentiality, I will wherever possible discuss this with you first.

Who I share your information with

I do not sell, rent or share your personal information with third parties for marketing purposes. I may share limited information with:

•       Payment processing providers, to handle transactions securely

•       My website hosting provider and email platform, where data is processed securely

•       My professional supervisor, in an anonymised form as required by my professional obligations

•       Regulatory or legal authorities, where I am required to do so by law

Any third parties I work with are required to handle your information securely and in accordance with UK data protection law.

How long I keep your information

I retain client records for a minimum of 7 years after our last session, in line with professional guidance for therapeutic records. This is to:

•       Respond to any questions or complaints that may arise

•       Comply with my professional and legal obligations

•       Support continuity of care if you return to work with me

Marketing contact information is held until you unsubscribe or ask me to remove it. Website enquiry information is held for as long as is reasonably necessary to respond to your enquiry.

After the relevant retention period, your information will be securely deleted or destroyed.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal information:

•       The right to access — you can request a copy of the personal information I hold about you

•       The right to rectification — you can ask me to correct any inaccurate information

•       The right to erasure — you can ask me to delete your information in certain circumstances

•       The right to restrict processing — you can ask me to limit how I use your information

•       The right to data portability — you can ask me to provide your information in a portable format

•       The right to object — you can object to me processing your information in certain circumstances

•       The right to withdraw consent — where I am relying on your consent, you can withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact me at johamiltontherapy@gmail.com. I will respond within one month.

Marketing communications

I may send you occasional emails about my services, including information about the Ember Circle, new offerings or relevant resources. I will only do this where you have given your consent to receive marketing communications.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting me directly at [your email address]. I will never share your email address with third parties for marketing purposes.

Cookies and website analytics

My website uses cookies and analytics tools to understand how visitors use the site. This information is collected anonymously and is used only to improve the website experience. You can adjust your cookie preferences through your browser settings at any time.

Links to other websites

My website may contain links to other websites. I am not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and would encourage you to read their privacy policies before sharing any personal information with them.

How I keep your information secure

I take the security of your personal information seriously. I use secure, encrypted systems for storing client information and communication, and I follow best practice guidance from my professional bodies in relation to record-keeping and data security.

Client notes and sensitive information are stored securely and are only accessible to me.

Changes to this policy

I may update this privacy policy from time to time. When I do, I will update the date at the top of this page. I encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how I protect your information.

How to contact me

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or how I handle your personal information, please contact me:

Joanna Hamilton

Email: johamiltontherapy@gmail.com

Website: www.joannahamilton.co.uk