PRIVACY NOTICE

Initial Enquiries & Website Use

This notice explains how personal information is collected, used, stored and protected when you visit this website, make an enquiry, complete a contact form, email, telephone or request an initial conversation.

Privacy Notice- Initial Enquiries and Website Use

 

Effective date: 1st June 2026
Last reviewed: 18th June 2026

This privacy notice explains how I collect, use and protect personal information when you visit this website, make an enquiry, complete a contact form, email me, telephone me, or request an initial conversation.

This notice applies before you become a counselling client or mediation participant. If you go on to use either service, a separate privacy notice for counselling or mediation will also apply.

Who is responsible for your information

The data controller is:

The Separation Specialist
Robert Cree-Hay
Bramble Lodge, BT203RY
info@separationspecialist.co.uk
+44 28 9146 5073

As data controller, I am responsible for deciding how your personal information is collected, used, stored and protected.

What information I may collect

When you visit the website or make an enquiry, I may collect some or all of the following information:

  • your name;
  • email address;
  • telephone number;
  • preferred method of contact;
  • any information you choose to include in a contact form, email or message;
  • basic information about the type of support you are seeking;
  • whether your enquiry relates to counselling, mediation, or you are unsure;
  • appointment preferences or availability;
  • technical information about your use of the website, if website analytics or cookies are used.

Please avoid including detailed sensitive information in an initial website enquiry unless it is necessary. Initial contact forms are intended only to help me understand the nature of your enquiry and respond appropriately.

Special category information

Some information you choose to share may be more sensitive. This may include information about your emotional wellbeing, health, relationships, family circumstances, children, separation, conflict, or legal/personal difficulties.

Under UK GDPR, health-related information and some other sensitive information may be treated as special category data, which requires additional protection.

Where you provide this information at enquiry stage, I will only use it as far as necessary to:

  • respond to your enquiry;
  • consider whether counselling or mediation may be appropriate;
  • arrange an initial conversation;
  • manage safety, suitability, safeguarding or professional boundary issues;
  • direct you to a more appropriate service if needed.

How I collect your information

I may collect personal information when you:

  • browse the website;
  • complete a contact form;
  • email me directly;
  • telephone me;
  • leave a voicemail;
  • request an initial conversation;
  • use an online booking system, if one is available;
  • communicate with me through any agreed professional channel.

Why I use your information

I use enquiry and website information to:

  • respond to your enquiry;
  • provide information about counselling or mediation;
  • arrange, confirm or manage an initial conversation;
  • consider whether the service requested is suitable;
  • maintain appropriate professional records;
  • manage my practice safely and ethically;
  • comply with legal, regulatory and professional obligations;
  • protect the security and functioning of the website.

I do not sell your personal information.

My lawful basis for using your information

Under UK GDPR, I must have a lawful basis for using your personal information.

For initial enquiries and website use, the lawful bases I may rely on include:

Contract or steps before entering into a contract
Where you ask about counselling or mediation, I may use your information to respond and take steps before any service agreement is entered into.

Legitimate interests
I may use your information to manage enquiries, operate the practice, maintain appropriate records, respond to communications, and protect the security of the website and practice.

Legal obligation
In some circumstances, I may need to use or retain information to comply with legal or regulatory duties.

Consent
Where I rely on consent for any specific purpose, I will make this clear. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Who I may share your information with

I treat enquiries confidentially. However, I may share limited information where necessary with:

  • professional service providers who support the running of the practice, such as secure email, website hosting, booking, form or IT providers;
  • professional advisers, such as an accountant, solicitor or insurer, if required;
  • a clinical supervisor or professional consultant, where relevant and appropriately anonymised wherever possible;
  • safeguarding, emergency or statutory services, if there is a serious concern about risk of harm;
  • regulatory, legal or professional bodies where I am required to do so.

I will only share information where there is a proper reason and only to the extent necessary.

Website use, cookies and analytics

This website may collect limited technical information, such as:

  • IP address;
  • browser type;
  • device type;
  • pages visited;
  • time and date of visit;
  • how visitors interact with the website.

This information may be used to help maintain website security, understand general website performance, and improve the website.

If cookies or analytics tools are used, further information will be provided in a separate cookie notice or cookie banner where required.

How long I keep enquiry information

I keep enquiry information only for as long as necessary.

As a general guide:

  • if you make an enquiry but do not proceed, I will normally delete or securely dispose of your enquiry information after 6 months;
  • if you become a counselling client, your information will be handled under the Counselling Privacy Notice;
  • if you become a mediation participant, your information will be handled under the Mediation Privacy Notice;
  • if there is a legal, safeguarding, complaint, insurance or professional reason to retain information for longer, I may do so.

Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the enquiry and any professional or legal obligations.

How I keep your information secure

I take reasonable steps to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure or alteration.

This may include:

  • password-protected systems;
  • secure email and storage arrangements;
  • limited access to personal information;
  • appropriate professional record-keeping;
  • secure disposal of information when no longer required.

Although I take care to protect your information, no method of electronic communication is completely secure. Please bear this in mind when deciding what to include in an initial enquiry.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have rights in relation to your personal information. These may include the right to:

  • be informed about how your information is used;
  • request access to your personal information;
  • ask for inaccurate information to be corrected;
  • ask for information to be deleted in certain circumstances;
  • restrict or object to certain types of processing;
  • request transfer of your information in certain circumstances;
  • withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis being relied upon.

These rights are not absolute and may depend on the circumstances.

If you wish to exercise any of these rights, please contact me using the details above.

Initial enquiries from third parties

If you contact me about another person, please only provide information that is necessary and appropriate. In most circumstances, I will need to communicate directly with the person seeking counselling or with the mediation participants themselves before any service can proceed.

Children and young people

This website and enquiry process are intended primarily for adults. If an enquiry involves children or young people, I will consider carefully what information is appropriate to collect and how it should be handled.

Where mediation involves parenting or child-related arrangements, this will be covered more fully in the Mediation Privacy Notice.

Complaints

If you are concerned about how your personal information has been handled, please contact me first so that I can try to resolve the issue.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK regulator for data protection matters.

Website: ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Changes to this notice

I may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will be available on this website.

Understanding These Notices

Different stages of contact with The Separation Specialist involve different professional roles, responsibilities and record-keeping requirements. If you are visiting the website or making an initial enquiry, please start with the Initial Enquiries & Website Use notice. If you proceed into counselling or mediation, the relevant service-specific privacy notice will also apply.