Last updated: June 2026
James Schindler-Ord is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information lawfully, fairly and transparently.
This privacy notice explains what personal information I collect, why I use it, the lawful bases I rely on, who I may share it with, how long I keep it, and what rights you have.
I do not sell personal data. I only use personal data where I have a lawful reason to do so under UK data protection law.
James Schindler-Ord is the data controller for the personal information described in this privacy notice.
My website is https://jamesschindlerord.com/.
My postal address is:
Devon Counselling College
2 Sheila Robb House
Oak Place
Newton Abbot
Devon
TQ12 2EX
I may provide therapy or professional services from the following premises:
Devon Counselling College
2 Sheila Robb House
Oak Place
Newton Abbot
TQ12 2EX
12 St Paul’s Road
Newton Abbot
TQ12 2HP
You can contact me about privacy or data protection matters by using the contact form on my website, by telephone on 07794 899 028 or 01803 554 982, or by writing to me at the postal address above. Please mark your message “Privacy / Data Protection” so that it can be identified and dealt with appropriately.
This privacy notice applies to personal information I collect about:
I may collect and use the following types of personal information, depending on your relationship with me:
I aim to collect only the information I need for the relevant purpose.
Some of the information I collect may be more sensitive. This may include information about health, mental health, wellbeing, disability, counselling needs, supervision issues, risk, safeguarding concerns, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexuality, relationships, trauma, family circumstances or other personal matters discussed in therapy, supervision, training or during the referral process.
This type of information may be special category data under UK data protection law.
I only collect and use special category data where it is necessary and appropriate. I use it to provide counselling, psychotherapy, supervision, training or related professional services, assess whether I can offer a suitable service, support clients safely, manage risk, meet safeguarding responsibilities, and comply with professional, legal, insurance or record-keeping requirements.
Where I process special category data, I identify both a lawful basis under UK GDPR and a separate condition for processing special category data. Depending on the circumstances, this may include explicit consent, provision of health or social care, safeguarding, vital interests, legal claims, substantial public interest, or another applicable condition under data protection law.
I restrict access to special category data to people who need it for their role and expect any relevant professional advisers, supervisors or service providers to handle such information confidentially.
I use personal information only where I have a lawful reason to do so. The main ways I use personal information are set out below.
Responding to enquiries
I use contact details and enquiry information to respond to people who contact me about counselling, psychotherapy, supervision, training, or related professional services. My lawful basis is usually legitimate interests, or taking steps before entering into a contract.
Managing referrals, assessments and waiting lists
I use referral information, contact details, assessment information, availability, presenting issues and relevant risk or support information to decide whether I can offer a suitable service and to manage access to appointments. My lawful basis may include legitimate interests, contract, or steps before entering into a contract. Where sensitive information is involved, I also rely on an appropriate special category condition.
Providing counselling and psychotherapy
I use client information to provide counselling or psychotherapy, arrange appointments, keep appropriate records, review the work, manage endings, support safe practice and maintain professional standards. My lawful basis may include contract, legitimate interests, and where relevant an appropriate special category condition for counselling, health, wellbeing or therapeutic information.
Providing supervision and training
I use relevant personal information to arrange, deliver and record supervision, training, or related professional services. My lawful basis may include contract, legitimate interests and, where relevant, an appropriate special category condition.
Managing risk, safeguarding and welfare concerns
I may use relevant personal information where there are concerns about serious risk, safeguarding, self-harm, harm to others, abuse, neglect or other significant welfare matters. My lawful basis may include vital interests, legal obligation, legitimate interests, safeguarding, substantial public interest, legal claims, or another appropriate special category condition.
Managing payments and administration
I may use financial, payment, invoice or fee-related information to manage fees, invoices, payment records, cancellations and related administration. My lawful basis may include contract, legitimate interests and legal obligation for accounting and financial records.
Communicating with clients and others
I use contact details and communication records to arrange appointments, respond to messages, provide service information, manage changes, and communicate about matters related to my professional services. My lawful basis may include contract, legitimate interests, legal obligation or consent, depending on the communication.
Managing complaints, concerns or disputes
I use personal information to record, investigate and respond to complaints, concerns, disputes or requests about data protection rights. My lawful basis may include legal obligation and legitimate interests. Where sensitive information is involved, I also rely on an appropriate special category condition.
Meeting legal, professional and insurance requirements
I may use personal information to comply with legal, accounting, insurance, safeguarding, professional or record-keeping obligations. My lawful basis may include legal obligation and legitimate interests.
Website security and analytics
I may use technical information, cookies or analytics information to keep my website secure, understand how it is used and improve it. My lawful basis may include legitimate interests for website security and service improvement, and consent where required for non-essential cookies.
Where I rely on legitimate interests, my interests include running my practice effectively, responding to enquiries, providing professional services, managing appointments and waiting lists, supporting clients safely, maintaining appropriate records, managing risk, protecting the security of my systems, meeting professional responsibilities, and improving my services.
I only rely on legitimate interests where I have considered that your rights and interests do not override my legitimate reasons for using the information.
Counselling, psychotherapy and supervision are confidential services, but confidentiality is not absolute.
I may need to share information in limited circumstances, including where:
Where information is discussed in supervision or professional consultation, I aim to limit what is shared to what is necessary for safe and ethical practice.
I do not sell personal information.
I may share personal information where necessary with:
I only share the information necessary for the relevant purpose. Where service providers process personal information on my behalf, I expect them to protect it and use it only for the agreed purpose.
I take reasonable steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
These steps may include:
No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but I take data protection and confidentiality seriously and aim to use appropriate safeguards.
I am based in the UK. I aim to store and process personal information in the UK, or within the UK/EU/EEA, where possible.
Some service providers I use may process or store personal information outside the UK. Where this happens, I will take steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place, as required by data protection law.
I keep personal information only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including to meet legal, professional, safeguarding, accounting, insurance, complaints or record-keeping requirements.
I usually keep personal information for the following periods, unless there is a lawful, professional, safeguarding, insurance or complaint-related reason to keep it for longer:
General enquiries
I usually keep general enquiry information for up to 2 years after the last contact, unless the enquiry leads to counselling, psychotherapy, supervision, training or another ongoing professional relationship.
Adult client records
I usually keep adult client records, including assessment, counselling, psychotherapy and ending records, for 7 years after the end of contact, unless there is a reason to keep them for longer.
Child and young person client records
Where I work with children or young people, I usually keep client records until at least their 25th birthday, or for 7 years after the end of contact, whichever is later, unless there is a reason to keep them for longer.
Supervision records
I usually keep supervision-related records for 7 years after the end of the supervision relationship, unless there is a professional, legal, insurance or complaint-related reason to keep them for longer.
Training records
I usually keep training-related records for as long as necessary to evidence attendance, participation, certification, payment, complaints, insurance or professional requirements.
Safeguarding, serious risk or incident records
I may keep safeguarding, serious risk or incident records for longer where necessary for legal, safeguarding, insurance, professional or risk-management reasons.
Financial and accounting records
I usually keep financial, payment, invoice and accounting records for 6 years after the end of the relevant financial year.
Complaints records
I keep complaints records for an appropriate period after closure, depending on the nature of the complaint and any legal, insurance, safeguarding or professional issues involved.
Website contact form messages
I keep website contact form messages for as long as necessary to respond to the enquiry and manage any resulting service, referral, complaint or record-keeping requirement.
Website analytics data
I keep website analytics data according to the settings of the analytics service I use.
I may keep information for longer where I need to establish, exercise or defend legal claims, comply with a legal obligation, deal with complaints, protect safety or wellbeing, or meet insurance or professional requirements.
You have rights under data protection law. Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis I rely on, these may include:
The right to object applies especially where I rely on legitimate interests or use your information for direct marketing. You can object to direct marketing at any time.
Some rights are not absolute. There may be circumstances where I cannot fully comply with a request, for example where I need to keep information for legal, professional, safeguarding, complaint-handling, accounting, insurance or professional reasons.
To exercise your rights, please contact me using the website contact form or by writing to me at the postal address above. Please mark your message “Privacy / Data Protection”.
You have the right to ask for a copy of personal information I hold about you. This is known as a subject access request.
If you make a subject access request, I may need to confirm your identity before responding. I will respond within the timescale required by data protection law.
Where a request involves counselling, psychotherapy or supervision records, I will handle the request carefully and may need to consider confidentiality, third-party information, safeguarding issues, legal restrictions and professional responsibilities before disclosing information.
If you have a complaint about how I collect, use, store or share your personal information, please contact me using my website contact form or by writing to me at the postal address above.
Please mark your message “Data protection complaint” so that I can identify it and deal with it appropriately.
I will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days of receiving it. I will take appropriate steps to investigate and respond to your complaint without undue delay. I may contact you for further information if I need it to understand or investigate the complaint.
I will keep you informed where appropriate and will tell you the outcome of my investigation.
If you are not satisfied with my response, or if you believe your data protection rights have been infringed, you can complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
My website may use cookies and similar technologies. Some cookies are necessary for the website to work properly. Others, such as analytics cookies, help me understand how people use my website and improve it.
Where cookies are not strictly necessary, I will ask for your consent before using them. You can change or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time using the cookie controls on my website, where available.
I may use analytics services to understand website traffic and visitor behaviour. Analytics information may include technical information such as IP address, browser type, pages visited and time spent on the site.
My website may contain links to other websites. I am not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of other websites.
If you follow a link to another website, you should read that organisation’s privacy information to understand how they collect and use your personal information.
I may update this privacy notice from time to time. The latest version will be published on my website with the updated date shown at the top of the page.