Privacy & Data Policy

Last reviewed: July 2026

Our commitment to data protection

Keep Talking Therapy complies with both UK GDPR and EU GDPR — the regulations covering data protection and privacy for UK and EU citizens. This policy explains what personal information is collected as part of providing therapy services, why it's collected, how it's stored and protected, and what rights you have over it.

What information we collect

As part of providing assessment and treatment, we may collect both personal and sensitive information about you. This can include:

• Contact details, such as your address, email address, and phone number
• Date of birth
• Registered GP
• Family details
• Personal appearance
• Personal history and lifestyle or social circumstances
• Relevant medication
• Details relating to your physical and mental health

On occasion, you may share information involving other people during therapy. We will not record any personally identifiable information about a third party unless you explicitly ask us to, and only where necessary to protect your vital interests.

Why we collect this information

This information is collected to enable effective assessment and treatment. It may be gathered at any point during your contact with Keep Talking Therapy — including at initial enquiry, during assessment, and throughout the course of therapy.

Legal basis for processing

By attending therapy, you provide consent for your data to be processed, as this is necessary for the provision of assessment, treatment, and ongoing care. As a practitioner, Megan Patel is also legally obligated by her professional governing body (BABCP) to maintain accurate, up-to-date records for every client.

Safeguarding

Your safety, and the safety of others, is taken seriously at Keep Talking Therapy. Therapy is a confidential space, but there are some circumstances in which I have a professional duty of care to act outside of what's discussed in session, including where:

• You disclose a serious and current risk to your own life or safety that cannot be safely managed within our sessions together
• You disclose a serious risk of harm to another named person
• Information is shared that suggests a child or vulnerable adult is at risk of harm

In each of these situations, wherever possible, I will discuss with you first what needs to be shared, why it's necessary, and who it will be shared with. Where there is an immediate risk to life, I may need to act without prior discussion, which can include contacting emergency services or another appropriate professional.

Keep Talking Therapy is not a crisis service and cannot provide immediate crisis intervention. If you are in crisis or at immediate risk, please see the urgent support information on the FAQs page.

Sharing your information

Information is only shared with other practitioners where it would be beneficial to your treatment, and in such cases, it is shared anonymously wherever possible. If it ever becomes necessary to share identifiable information with a professional organisation outside of Keep Talking Therapy, your full consent will be obtained in advance. Information may, however, be disclosed to relevant authorities where required by law, such as in connection with a criminal investigation or conviction.

How we store and protect your data

We have technical and organisational measures in place to protect your personal and sensitive data. All records are stored securely through a reputable third-party provider using encrypted, access-controlled storage. Any documents containing identifiable information that are sent to you are password-protected, with the password shared with you separately and directly, rather than published anywhere public.

How long we keep your data

Under common law, client records are retained for seven years after treatment has ended. For clients under the age of 18, records are kept for three years after their 18th birthday. After this retention period, all data is securely deleted.

Your rights

As a client of Keep Talking Therapy, you have specific rights regarding the personal data we hold about you, including:

• The right to be informed
• The right of access
• The right to rectification
• The right to erasure (the "right to be forgotten")
• The right to restrict processing
• The right to data portability
• The right to object
• Rights in relation to automated decision-making and profiling

We are committed to upholding these rights in accordance with current data protection legislation. To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Data Protection Officer, Megan Patel, using the details below.

Data breaches

Keep Talking Therapy is registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) as a data controller, registration number ZB879650. If a data breach occurs that is likely to pose a risk to your rights and freedoms, we will notify the ICO in accordance with legal requirements. You will also be informed at the earliest opportunity, with details of the breach and any action taken.

Withdrawing consent

Consent for the use of your data as described in this policy can be withdrawn at any time by contacting our Data Protection Officer.

Contact us