Privacy Policy

Section 01

Who is responsible for your data

The data controller for this website is:

Sobbia Saleem
Trading as Sobbia Saleem Therapy & Wellbeing
Glasgow & Online, UK and internationally
sobbiasaleemtherapy.com

I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration number 00014346959.

For any data-related enquiries, please contact: contact@sobbiasaleemtherapy.com

Section 02

What personal data is collected

Contact enquiries

When you use the contact form on this website, I collect the information you provide, which typically includes:

• Your name
• Your email address
• Any details you choose to share about what brings you to therapy

You choose how much to share. There is no obligation to say anything about yourself beyond what is needed to reply to you.

Clinical records

If you become a client, session notes and records relating to our therapeutic work together will be created and stored securely. These are considered special category data under UK GDPR because they relate to your health and mental wellbeing.

Communications

Any emails, messages, or other communications you send will be retained as part of the record of our work together.

Website usage

This site uses Plausible Analytics to understand how the site is used in aggregate, for example which pages are visited most often and where traffic comes from. Plausible collects no personal data, sets no cookies, and stores nothing on your device. See Section 10 for full details.

Section 03

The lawful basis for processing your data

UK GDPR requires a lawful basis for processing personal data. The bases used here are:

Legitimate interests

Responding to your initial enquiry and establishing whether we might work together, before any contract is in place, is processed on the basis of legitimate interests. The legitimate interest is being able to respond to people seeking therapeutic support.

Contractual necessity

Once therapy begins, processing your data is necessary to fulfil our therapeutic agreement: scheduling sessions, maintaining records, and providing the service.

Special category data

Health information (including mental health) is special category data and requires an additional lawful basis. This is processed under Article 9(2)(h) of UK GDPR, which covers processing necessary for the provision of health care and treatment by a health professional subject to professional confidentiality obligations.

Section 04

How your data is used

Your data is used only for the purposes for which it was collected:

• To respond to your enquiry and arrange an initial consultation
• To provide and maintain our therapeutic work
• To keep clinical records as required by professional standards and ethical guidelines
• To communicate with you about appointments, cancellations, or other practical matters

Your data is never used for marketing purposes without your explicit consent. It is never sold. It is never shared with third parties for commercial purposes.

Section 05

Third parties and data sharing

Netlify

This website is hosted by Netlify. Contact form submissions are initially processed by Netlify before being forwarded to my inbox. Netlify's privacy policy applies to their handling of this data. Form data is not retained on Netlify's infrastructure beyond the period needed for delivery.

Calendly

Appointment scheduling is handled through Calendly. When you book a consultation, Calendly collects your name and email address in order to confirm and manage the booking. Calendly's own privacy policy governs how they handle that data. You will only be directed to Calendly when you actively choose to book an appointment.

Video platforms

Online sessions may be conducted via a secure video platform (currently Zoom). Zoom's own privacy and data handling policies apply to the video call itself. You will be informed of the platform being used before your first online session.

Clinical supervision

I work under clinical supervision. Supervisors may hear anonymised or de-identified material as part of this professional requirement. Your identity is protected in this context.

Legal obligations

In very limited circumstances, where there is a serious risk to life or a legal obligation, confidentiality may need to be broken. This would always be discussed with you first where possible.

No data is sold or shared for marketing

That's straightforward. It doesn't happen.

Section 06

How long your data is kept

Clinical records and associated correspondence are retained for a minimum of seven years following the end of therapy, in line with professional guidance. This period reflects the standard limitation period for civil claims and exists to protect both of us if records are ever needed.

If you make an enquiry but do not proceed to therapy, your contact details will be held only for as long as necessary to respond to and close that enquiry.

After the relevant retention period has passed, data is securely deleted.

Section 07

Your rights

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

To exercise any of these rights, please get in touch at contact@sobbiasaleemtherapy.com. Requests will be responded to within one month.

Section 08

How to raise a concern

If you have any concerns about how your data is being handled, please contact me directly in the first instance. Most concerns can be resolved this way.

If you remain unsatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent data protection authority:

• Website: ico.org.uk
• Helpline: 0303 123 1113

Section 09

Changes to this policy

This privacy policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in how the practice operates or in legal requirements. The date at the bottom of this page reflects when it was last reviewed. If you are a current or recent client and a material change is made, you will be informed directly.

Section 10

Cookies and analytics

No tracking cookies

This site sets no tracking cookies and collects no personal data about you through the website itself. That's a deliberate choice. The people who visit this site, often at a vulnerable or uncertain moment, deserve the same discretion as the people who work with me. A therapy website should not be tracking who you are.

Essential session functionality

The only information stored in your browser during a visit is a temporary session flag to remember that you have dismissed the cookie notice. This is held in sessionStorage: it is never written to a cookie, never persists beyond your current browser session, and is deleted automatically when you close the tab. No personal data is involved.

Analytics

This site uses Plausible Analytics, a privacy-first analytics tool that operates with no cookies, no persistent identifiers, and no personal data collection. Plausible counts aggregate site traffic (pages visited, referral sources, approximate country) without identifying or tracking individual visitors in any way. All data is processed on servers within the EU and is never shared with third parties. No consent banner is required because no personal data is collected and nothing is stored on your device.

What this means for you

You can browse this site without accepting anything, without being tracked, and without your visit being associated with you as an individual. If you use a browser-level ad blocker, it will have nothing to block here.