About this privacy policy
Gasparyan Counselling is committed to respecting your privacy and handling your personal information appropriately.
This privacy policy explains what personal information may be collected when you contact or work with Shushanik Gasparyan, why it may be used, how it may be stored and shared, and your rights in relation to your personal information.
For the purposes of UK data-protection law, Shushanik Gasparyan, who provides counselling as Gasparyan Counselling, is responsible for the personal information described in this policy.
Contact details:
Gasparyan Counselling
Shushanik Gasparyan MBACP
BACP Registered Member No. 396513
Email: gasparyancounselling@
Telephone: 07999 347434
Information that may be collected
Depending on how you contact or work with Gasparyan Counselling, information may include:
- Your name and contact details
- Information you provide when making an enquiry or arranging an appointment
- Information you give Cal.com when booking the free introductory call, such as your name, contact details and chosen time
- Appointment and scheduling information
- Communications by email or telephone
- Payment and transaction information
- Information required in connection with providing counselling services
- Counselling records or notes where applicable
- Basic technical information processed by the website's hosting provider when you visit the website
The website itself has no contact form, user accounts or online shop, so it does not collect personal information through forms on the site.
Information discussed or recorded in connection with counselling may include information about your health, including your mental health, and other sensitive matters. Under UK data-protection law, some of this can constitute special-category personal data and receives additional protection.
How your information may be used
Personal information may be used to:
- Respond to enquiries
- Arrange and manage appointments
- Provide counselling services
- Communicate about appointments
- Maintain appropriate professional records
- Process and record payments
- Meet professional, safeguarding, insurance, legal or regulatory obligations where applicable
- Operate and maintain the website
Personal information will not be sold to third parties.
Lawful basis for using your information
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), personal information can only be used where there is a lawful basis for doing so. Depending on the circumstances, Gasparyan Counselling relies on the following:
- Steps at your request before entering into an agreement: for example, responding to your enquiry or arranging and holding the free introductory call.
- Performance of a contract: providing the counselling service you have agreed to, including arranging sessions and managing payments.
- Legitimate interests: reasonable administration of the practice and keeping appropriate professional records, where this is not outweighed by your rights and interests.
- Legal obligation: where information must be kept or shared to meet legal or regulatory responsibilities, such as financial record-keeping.
Where special-category information, such as information about your health, is processed, an additional condition under Article 9 of the UK GDPR and, where required, the Data Protection Act 2018 must also apply. Depending on the circumstances, this may include processing that is necessary for the provision of health or social care, including counselling, by a professional who is subject to a duty of confidentiality.
Attending counselling is not in itself treated as giving explicit consent. Where consent is relied on for any particular purpose, you can withdraw it at any time. If you have questions about how this applies to you, please get in touch.
Booking and third-party services
Gasparyan Counselling uses a small number of external services to run the practice:
- Cal.com for booking the free 15-minute introductory call. Cal.com is not embedded in this website. When you choose to book, you follow a link to Cal.com and enter your booking details directly on Cal.com's service. This information is not collected through the Gasparyan Counselling website.
- Google (Gmail and Google Calendar) for email communication and managing appointment times.
- Zoom for online counselling sessions.
- Cloudflare for hosting the website (see Website hosting and analytics below).
These providers process information in line with their own privacy policies.
Payments
Counselling payments are not processed through this website.
UK clients pay by bank transfer. Clients outside the UK may pay using PayPal or Wise.
Your bank, PayPal or Wise will process information about these payments in line with their own privacy practices.
Website hosting and analytics
The website is hosted by Cloudflare. When you visit, Cloudflare processes technical information such as your IP address, browser type and the pages requested, in order to deliver the website and help protect it against misuse.
Cloudflare Web Analytics may be used to understand general website usage, such as the number of visits and which pages are viewed. It provides aggregate statistics, does not use cookies to track visitors and is not used for advertising or profiling.
The website does not use Google Analytics, advertising trackers or social-media tracking pixels. More information is available in the Cookie Policy.
How long information is kept
Personal information is kept only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and to meet applicable professional, insurance, legal or regulatory responsibilities.
Sharing your information
Personal information will not normally be disclosed to others unless there is an appropriate reason to do so.
Information may need to be shared in limited circumstances, for example where required or permitted by law, in connection with safeguarding responsibilities, with the service providers described above, or where another appropriate legal or professional obligation applies.
As a BACP Registered Member, Shushanik takes part in regular clinical supervision, as required by the BACP Ethical Framework. Supervision may involve discussing aspects of counselling work and takes place under professional duties of confidentiality.
The limits of confidentiality that apply to counselling will be explained before counselling begins.
Keeping your information secure
Reasonable steps are taken to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse or disclosure.
Where third-party services are used, appropriate consideration will be given to how those providers handle and protect personal information.
International processing
Some of the external services described above, such as Google, Zoom, Cal.com and Cloudflare, may process or store information outside the UK.
Where this happens, these providers rely on safeguards recognised under UK data-protection law, as set out in their own privacy information.
Your data-protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights relating to your personal information, including rights to:
- Request access to your personal information
- Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected
- Ask for information to be erased in certain circumstances
- Ask for processing to be restricted in certain circumstances
- Object to certain processing
- Request transfer of certain information where applicable
- Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
Requests concerning personal information can be made to:
gasparyancounselling@
There is usually no charge for making a request, and requests are normally answered within one month.
Concerns or complaints
If you have concerns about how your personal information is being handled, please contact Gasparyan Counselling first so the concern can be considered.
You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data-protection regulator. You can contact the ICO through its website or by calling its helpline on 0303 123 1113.
Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) (opens in a new tab)
Changes to this policy
This privacy policy may be updated when the services used by Gasparyan Counselling, the way personal information is handled, or applicable requirements change.
The latest version will be published on this website.