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Privacy Policy

Echidna Counselling

Website Privacy Policy

Last updated: July 2026

At Echidna Counselling, your privacy is very important to us.

This privacy policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our website.

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1. Who we are

Echidna Counselling is a UK-based counselling service. For the purposes of data protection law, we are the data controller.

Contact details:

 
2. Information we collect through the website

When you visit our website, we may collect the following information:

  • Personal data you provide: If you contact us via a web form, email, or direct message, we may collect your name, email address, phone number, and any other information you choose to include.

  • Technical data: Our website may collect anonymised data about your device, browser type, IP address, pages visited, time spent on site, and referring website, using cookies or third-party analytics services such as Google Analytics.

  • Cookies: Our site uses cookies to ensure functionality and improve your experience. Strictly necessary cookies are used to make the site work. Non-essential cookies, such as those used for analytics, are only set once you have given consent via our cookie banner. You can change or withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie settings on our website, or through your browser settings.

 
3. How we use your information, and our lawful basis

We use your information only for the following purposes:

  • To respond to your enquiries — lawful basis: legitimate interests (or, where your enquiry leads to counselling, taking steps to enter into a contract with you).

  • To improve the website and user experience — lawful basis: legitimate interests, or your consent where this involves non-essential cookies or analytics.

  • To maintain the security of our site — lawful basis: legitimate interests.

  • To comply with any legal obligations — lawful basis: legal obligation.

We do not use your personal information for marketing purposes or share it with third parties for advertising.

 
4. Third-party services

We may use trusted third-party services that help us operate our website. These may include:

  • Website host: Wix.com

  • Analytics providers: e.g. Google Analytics

  • Email contact tools

These services may process data such as cookies and usage information. We ensure all third-party providers we use are GDPR-compliant. For more on how these services use your data, please refer to their individual privacy policies (e.g. Google Privacy & Terms).

Some of these providers may process personal data outside the UK. Where this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as the UK's International Data Transfer Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or that the destination country is covered by UK adequacy regulations.

 
5. Your rights

You have the right to:

  • Access any personal information we hold about you

  • Correct inaccuracies

  • Request erasure of your data

  • Object to or restrict certain uses of your data

  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent

To exercise any of these rights, please contact echidnacounselling@gmail.com.

 
6. Complaints process

If you consider that we have handled your personal information in a way that infringes data protection law, you have the right to complain to us directly. You can make a data protection complaint by writing, by email, or by telephone, using the contact details in section 1 above. All suggestions for improving our data protection procedures are also welcomed.

When we receive a data protection complaint, we will acknowledge receipt within thirty days. We will then take appropriate steps to look into the complaint, which may include asking you for further information, and will keep you informed of progress without undue delay. Once our investigation is complete, we will tell you the outcome without undue delay, including an explanation of any action taken as a result.

If you are not satisfied with our response, or with how your complaint has been handled, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's statutory body responsible for upholding information rights. This right applies whether or not you have complained to us first. For more information, or to make a complaint, go to https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

 
7. Data retention

We retain your data only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes outlined above or as required by law. Enquiry form submissions not leading to therapy are deleted within 90 days. Please refer to our full Privacy Notice for clients for details on how therapy-related data is managed. 

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If you go on to access counselling with us, your information will then be handled in line with our full Privacy Notice for clients.

 
8. Children's privacy

Our website is not intended for or directed at individuals under 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors.

 
9. Updates to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy occasionally to reflect changes to our website, services, or legal obligations. The updated version will be posted on this page with the revised date.

 
Questions?

If you have any concerns or would like more information, please email us at echidnacounselling@gmail.com.

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