Background
I process personal data about you in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
This privacy notice lets you know what happens to any personal data that you give to me, or any that we may collect from or about you. It applies to all products and services, and instances where I collect your personal data.
This privacy notice applies to personal information processed by or on behalf of Blanca Balaguer Counselling (registered as Maria Blanca Balaguer Luesma – BACP registration no. 396843 ).
Data controller: Maria Blanca Balaguer Luesma
ICO registration number: ZB659733
Changes to this privacy notice
I may change this privacy notice from time to time by updating this page in order to reflect changes in the law and/or my privacy practices. We encourage you to check this privacy notice for changes whenever you visit my website: https://blancabtherapy.com/
What kind of personal information about you do I process?
Personal information that I’ll process in connection with all of my products and services, if relevant, includes:
- Personal and contact details (full name, DOB, pronouns, email, telephone no.)
- Safeguarding details (next of kin and GP details)
What is the source of your personal information?
I collect personal information from the following general sources:
- From you directly, via my website’s online form, email and or phone conversations
- Information generated about you when you use our products and services
What do I use your personal data for?
I hold this information to enable me to undertake my obligations to you in my professional role, and to communicate with you during the course of our work together.
- To understand how to best help you
- To follow guidance and best practice under the change to rules of governmental and regulatory bodies
- To develop new products and services and to review and improve current products and services
- To comply with legal and regulatory obligations, requirements and guidance
- To provide insight and analysis of my customers both for myself helping me improve products or services, or to assess or improve the operating of my businesses
- To facilitate the sale of one or more parts of my business
How do I store your data?
Storage:
- If the information/data has been sent by email, it’s stored on my gmail account
- Files are password-protected and stored on my laptop, which is also password-protected and only used by me.
- Physical paper documents and files are stored in a locked cabinet.
For how long is your personal information retained?
Unless I explain otherwise to you, I will hold your personal information based on the following criteria:
- For as long as I have reasonable business needs, such as managing my relationship with you and managing my business operations
- For as long as I provide goods and/or services to you
Client data and session notes are eliminated by deleting all email communication, encrypted files and any other physical document is destroyed.
Sharing your information with third parties
I do not share your information with any third parties except in the following situations:
- I may discuss your work in clinical supervision, in an anonymised form wherever possible.
- I may share your information with relevant professionals or authorities if I believe that you or another person is at risk of serious harm.
- I may share your information where required to do so by law.
- I will share your name and contact details with my clinical executor, so they may contact you in the event of my death or incapacity.
- I may share your information with your GP or next of kin if I believe that you are at risk of serious harm
This notice forms part of my working agreement with you.
What are the legal grounds for processing your personal data?
I rely on the following legal bases to use your personal data:
Where it is needed to provide you with our products or services, such as:
All stages and activities relevant to managing the product or service including enquiry, application, administration and management of accounts
Where it is in our legitimate interests to do so, such as:
a) To perform and/or test the performance of, our products, services and internal processes
b) To follow guidance and recommended best practice of government and regulatory bodies
c) For management and audit of our business operations including accounting
d) To carry out monitoring and to keep records of our communications with you and our staff (see below)
e) For market research and analysis and developing statistics
How and when can you withdraw your consent?
Where I am relying upon your consent to process personal data, you can withdraw this at any time by contacting me using the details below.
blancabtherapy@gmail.com
What are your rights under data protection laws?
Here is a list of the rights that all individuals have under data protection laws. They don’t apply in all circumstances. If you wish to use any of them, I will explain at that time if they are engaged or not. The right of data portability is only relevant from May 2018.
- The right to be informed about the processing of your personal information
- The right to have your personal information corrected if it is inaccurate and to have incomplete personal information completed
- The right to object to processing of your personal information
- The right to restrict processing of your personal information
- The right to have your personal information erased (the ‘right to be forgotten’)
- The right to request access to your personal information and to obtain information about how we process it
- The right to move, copy or transfer your personal information (‘data portability’)
Complaints
If you have a concern about how your personal data has been handled, for example, a request to access or delete your records that was not dealt with to your satisfaction, or a concern about whether your information was shared appropriately or stored securely, please raise it with me directly in the first instance.
Please note that this covers concerns about data handling only, not about the therapeutic relationship or professional conduct, which are dealt with separately (see how to make a complaint to the BACP).
To raise a data protection concern, please contact me. I will acknowledge your concern within 30 days and respond as promptly as possible.
If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk or on 0303 123 1113.
Data breaches
In the unlikely event of a data breach affecting your information, I will assess the risk and, where required, report it to the Information Commissioner’s Office and inform you directly without undue delay.
Your right to object
You have the right to object to certain purposes for processing, in particular to data processed for direct marketing purposes and to data processed for certain reasons based on our legitimate interests. You can contact me by going to the Contact section of my website to exercise these rights.
Contact
If you have any questions about this privacy notice, or if you wish to exercise your rights, you can contact me by going to the Contact section of my website.
Updated by Blanca on Mon 24th Aug, 2026