1. Introduction

Trusted Psychologists (“we”, “us”, “our”) operates the website trustedpsychologists.co.uk. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal data when you use our website and services. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling your data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

By using our website, you acknowledge that you have read this Privacy Policy and understand how your personal data will be used. Where we rely on consent as a lawful basis for processing, that consent will be obtained through a specific and affirmative act at the relevant point of data collection – use of this website alone does not constitute consent to any processing.

2. Who We Are

Data Controller: Joanna Brook trading as Trusted Psychologists
ICO Registration Number: ZA503150

Website: trustedpsychologists.co.uk

Contact: info@trustedpsychologists.co.uk

3. Data We Collect

3.1 Site Visitors (Newsletter Signup)

• Your name
• Your email address

3.2 Psychologists / Practitioners (Profile Signup)

• Full name
• HCPC registration number
• Professional title and pronouns
• Email address and phone number
• Website and social media URLs
• Location (town or city)
• Profile photo
• Professional biography and specialisms
• Therapy types, languages and availability
• Pricing information

3.3 Clients / Service Users (Enquiry Form)

• Full name
• Email address and phone number
• Location and postcode
• Details about your mental health needs, preferences and circumstances
• Safety check responses

3.4 Join Interest Form

• Full name
• Email address
• Location
• HCPC registration number
• Additional notes

This website is intended for use by adults aged 18 or over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from individuals under the age of 18. If you are under 18, you must not submit personal data through this Site. If we become aware that personal data has been submitted by someone under the age of 18, we will take steps to delete it promptly.

Certain information is required for us to deliver the relevant service: for clients, your name, contact details and enquiry information are required to submit an enquiry and be matched with a practitioner – without this we cannot process your request. For practitioners, your HCPC registration number, contact details and professional information are required in order to create and maintain a listing on the Site. For newsletter sign-ups, your name and email address are required. Any additional information you choose to provide is voluntary.

4. How We Use Your Data

We use your data for the following purposes:

• To create and manage psychologist profiles on our directory
• To review and approve practitioner submissions
• To connect clients with suitable psychologists via the enquiry form
• To send email notifications relating to profile status and enquiries
• To send newsletter updates to subscribers who have opted in
• To follow up with practitioners who expressed interest in joining
• To maintain safety records where a client has indicated risk of harm
• To improve and maintain our website and services

5. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your data under the following legal bases:

• Consent — for newsletter subscriptions and marketing communications
• Contract — to deliver services requested by subscribing practitioners under the Practitioner Subscription Agreement
• Legitimate interests — to operate and improve our directory service and to process client enquiries for the purpose of connecting clients with suitable practitioners
• Legal obligation — where required to retain safety-related records

6. Sensitive Personal Data

When clients complete the enquiry form, we collect information about their mental health needs. This constitutes special category data under UK GDPR. The lawful basis under Article 6 UK GDPR for processing general enquiry information is our legitimate interests in operating the directory service (Article 6(1)(f)). The additional condition under Article 9 for processing the special category health data is your explicit consent, given at the point of submission (Article 9(2)(a)). We process this data solely for the purpose of matching clients with appropriate practitioners.

7. Data Sharing

We share your data with:

• Psychologists — client enquiry details are shared with the relevant practitioner so they can respond directly
• Mailchimp — we use Mailchimp to manage email marketing lists. Mailchimp is based in the US and is covered by appropriate data transfer safeguards
• GoDaddy — our website is hosted on GoDaddy servers in the UK/EU
• WordPress and WP Forms — our website is built on WordPress which stores data in our database. We use the WP Forms plugin to process enquiry, registration and other form submissions on the Site, including information about mental health needs submitted via the enquiry form
• Google Analytics — we use Google Analytics (operated by Google LLC) to collect analytics data about how visitors use the Site, including pages visited and time spent. This data is used to help us understand and improve the Site. Google Analytics data is collected in anonymised or pseudonymised form where possible

We do not sell your personal data to third parties.
Where client enquiry data is transmitted to a practitioner through the Site, that practitioner acts as an independent data controller in respect of such data from the point of receipt and is solely responsible for ensuring their handling of it complies with applicable data protection legislation, including the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Trusted Psychologists’ responsibility in respect of client personal data ends at the point of transmission to the relevant practitioner.

8. International Data Transfers

Some of the third parties with whom we share your data are based outside the United Kingdom. In particular, Mailchimp (operated by Intuit Inc.) and Google Analytics (operated by Google LLC) are both based in the United States. Where we transfer your personal data outside the UK, we ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your data to a standard that is not materially lower than that afforded within the UK, in accordance with the UK GDPR and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.

These safeguards may include reliance on the UK Government’s adequacy regulations, the use of the International Data Transfer Agreement (IDTA) or the UK Addendum to the EU Standard Contractual Clauses, or other lawful transfer mechanisms approved by the ICO. Further details of the safeguards applicable to any specific transfer are available on request by contacting us at info@trustedpsychologists.co.uk

9. Data Retention

• Psychologist profiles — retained for as long as the profile remains active, then deleted within 30 days of a removal request
• Client enquiries — retained for 12 months then deleted, unless there is a safety concern requiring longer retention
• Newsletter subscriptions — retained until you unsubscribe
• Join interest submissions — retained for 6 months

10. Your Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: You have the right to ask us what personal data we hold about you and to receive a copy of that data. This is called a Subject Access Request (SAR).

We’ll respond within one calendar month, but if we need to verify your identity first, we may pause the clock while we do so. This helps protect your data and ensures we’re sharing it with the right person. If your request is complex or repetitive, we may apply proportionality rules under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which allow us to limit the scope or extend the response time. We’ll always explain why and keep you informed. To make a request, just email us at info@trustedpsychologists.co.uk with the subject line “DSAR Request”. You don’t need to use legal language – just let us know what you’d like to see or understand. If you’re unhappy with how we handle your request, you can raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk

Correction: If the personal data we have about you is incomplete or incorrect, you can ask us to correct it.

Erasure: You can ask us to delete your personal data. It’s important to note, however, that there might be legal reasons that prevent us from fulfilling this request. If such reasons exist, we will inform you when you make your request.

Objection: In certain situations, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.

Restriction of Processing: You can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data under specific circumstances.

Data Portability: You have the right to request the transfer of your personal data directly to you or to a third party of your choice.

Withdrawal of Consent: At any point where we rely on your consent to process your personal data, you have the right to withdraw this consent. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the legality of the processing done before the consent was withdrawn. Should you withdraw your consent, we might be unable to provide you with certain products or services. We will inform you if that is the case when you withdraw your consent.

If you wish to exercise any of the rights set out above, please contact us.

We won’t charge any fees for you to request access to your personal data. However, a reasonable fee may be charged if your request is clearly unjustified, repetitive or excessive. We also reserve the right to not comply in this scenario. We try to respond to all legitimate requests within one month. Occasionally it could take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, we will notify you and keep you updated.

11. How to Make a Data Protection Complaint

Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you have a statutory right to raise a data protection complaint directly with us.

If you believe that we have not handled your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection law, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance before escalating the matter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

To submit a complaint, please contact us by email at info@trustedpsychologists.co.uk, clearly marking your message as a data protection complaint and providing sufficient detail to allow us to investigate the matter.

We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days of receipt and will investigate and respond to you without undue delay. Our response will set out the steps we have taken to investigate your complaint, our findings, and any remedial action taken.

We will also inform you of your right to escalate your complaint to the ICO if you remain dissatisfied. The ICO can be contacted at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

12. Cookies

Our website uses cookies to ensure it functions correctly and to improve your experience. These include essential cookies required for the site to operate, and analytics cookies set by Google Analytics to help us understand how the site is used, including pages visited and time spent. Google Analytics data is collected in anonymised or pseudonymised form where possible. You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings or opt out of Google Analytics tracking by visiting tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.

13. Security

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss or disclosure. Our website uses HTTPS encryption. Access to personal data in our admin systems is restricted to authorised personnel only.

14. Automated Decision-Making and Artificial Intelligence

We do not currently use solely automated decision-making processes that produce legal or similarly significant effects on individuals without human review. Where we use, or introduce, automated tools, artificial intelligence, or machine learning systems in connection with the operation of the Site (including for purposes such as profile moderation, search functionality, or content processing) we will update this Policy to disclose the nature of such processing. Any such processing will comply with applicable data protection law and will not involve automated decision-making that produces legal or similarly significant effects without human review.

15. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your data, please contact us:

Trusted Psychologists

Email: info@trustedpsychologists.co.uk

Website: trustedpsychologists.co.uk