Privacy Policy

‍PRIVACY POLICY

This Privacy Policy explains how this website, helenwatkinscounselling.com, collects and uses personal information.

Use of this site is governed by the General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), a European privacy law that regulates how personal data may be collected used and held, and the UK Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).

I am registered as a ‘data controller’ with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the government body responsible for data privacy, and I collect, use and store data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (2018).

In order to deliver counselling and psychotherapy services I have a legitimate interest in collecting personal and sensitive data from clients but need clients’ explicit consent to process this information. The term ‘processing’ includes holding, recording, sending, analysing, using and destroying data.

This site is built on Squarespace. Squarespace uses cookies to help the site run effectively and to improve visitors’ viewing experience by helping websites remember preferences and understanding how visitors use various site features.

If you submit data through the contact form, your personal details are gathered in order for me to respond to your query.

I never sell your information.

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Cookie policy

By using this website, you agree to the use of cookies and accept my cookie policy. Like most professional websites, this site makes use of cookies to help the website run smoothly.

Cookies are small pieces of data stored on the device that is visiting a website. They do not contain any personally identifying information.

I require your consent to use cookies when you first visit my site. You can choose not to accept optional cookies, though some parts of the site may not work as effectively without them.

All Squarespace websites use cookies. Squarespace places two kinds of cookies on visitors’ browsers:

Necessary cookies. These help visitors navigate the site and use key features.
Non-essential, or analytics and performance cookies. These collect information about how visitors interact with the site.

See the Appendix 1 for the necessary and required cookies that Squarespace uses and how long these remain on your device.

See the Appendix 2 for the analytics and performance cookies that Squarespace uses. These remain on your device between thirty minutes and two years. These are optional and may be declined.

Google analytics

This is a web analytics service that tracks and reports traffic that uses a website. You can opt out of having your activitie made available to Google analytics. For more informations on google’s priacy policy see the Google Privacy and Terms web page: https://policies.google.com/privacy?hl=en

Google Analytics is a widely used analytics tool. It helps website owners understand how visitors use the site, tracking which pages are visited and how long visitors spend there. Analytics cookies disappear when your browser is closed.

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Calendly

I use the calendar booking service Calendly and there are links to this site from my website. Please review Calendly’s own privacy notice if you use this service: https://calendly.com/legal/privacy-notice

When you schedule an appointment using Calendly scheduling, Calendly collects the personal information you use to complete the booking, such as your name, email address or telephone number, in order to provide an online booking service for you.

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Links to other sites

The website may include links to other sites. Other sites have their own privacy policies. Please review the privacy policies for each site you visit. Helen Watkins Counselling cannot be held responsible for the content or data management practices of other individuals or organisations.

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Children’s privacy

I do not work with children or young people under the age of 18.

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Your privacy rights

You may withdraw permission to process your personal data, though please understand there are a few situations where I am obliged to retain some of your data e.g. my professional insurance requires that I hold some client information until 7 years after we have finished working together.

You have the right to:

-          Ask for a copy of any personal data I hold
-          Request that any errors are amended
-          Request that your data is not processed
-          Request that your data is shared with another individual or organisation (e.g. a medical professional or new counsellor)
-          Withdraw your consent to process your personal data.

To make a request of this kind, please contact me at: ‍support@helenwatkinswellbeing.com

If you have any concerns about how I collect and use your data I would be glad if you would raise this with me directly and I will do my best to resolve any concerns you have.

If for any reason I cannot resolve the issue, or if you wish to seek advice or make a complaint, you can contact the ICO at Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF or www.ico.org.uk

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Data breaches

If data I hold about you is breached or accessed by anyone unauthorised, I will report this as soon as possible, as per my obligations to the Information Commissioner’s Office.

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Changes to this Privacy Policy

Any changes to this policy will be updated on the website. Changes may be made without notice. The most current version will supersede all previous versions.

Last updated: 17 May 2026

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APPENDIX 1 – Necessary and Required Cookies Squarespace uses

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Name

Purpose and duration

_acloggedin

Supports login by Acuity Scheduling client if the client has an account
January 1, 2025

ACUITY_CART

Stores details about a client's package, gift, or subscription purchase, including the item purchased and the quantity
Only applies to the new scheduler
Type: localStorage
No expiration

_client_acloggedin

Supports login by Acuity Scheduling client if the client has an account
January 1, 2025

_dd_cookie_test

Tests if cookies are supported
Expires instantly

_dd_s

Tracks browser errors
Four hours

_dd_site_test

Tests if cookies are supported
Expires instantly

_grecaptcha

Helps reduce spam in Acuity Scheduling
Type: localStorage
No expiry

_ssid

Remembers devices for anti-fraud purposes
Four years

CART

Shows when a visitor adds a product to their cart
Two weeks

CHECKOUT_WEBSITE

Identifies the correct site for checkout when checkout on your domain is disabled
Session

client_username

Remembers a logged in Acuity Scheduling client's username between visits
One year

clientUser

Stores the Acuity Scheduling client's username, OAuth2 Access Token, and OAuth2 Refresh Token. This cookie is required for functionality of logged-in clients
30 days

Commerce-checkout-state

Stores state of checkout while the visitor is completing their order in PayPal
Type: sessionstorage
Session

Crumb

Prevents cross-site request forgery (CSRF)
Session

hasCart

Tells Squarespace that the visitor has a cart
Two weeks

Locked

Prevents the password-protected screen from displaying if a visitor enters the correct site-wide password.
Session

orderStatusSessionToken

Authenticates a visitor who logs into an order status page.
One year

PHPSESSID

Securely authenticates a visitor during their checkout in Acuity Scheduling
One month

RecentRedirect

Prevents redirect loops if a site has custom URL redirects. Redirect loops are bad for SEO.
30 minutes

remember_client

Remembers Acuity Scheduling client’s login details if they have an account
365 days

siteUserCrumb

Prevents cross-site request forgery (CSRF) for logged in site users
Three years

SiteUserInfo

Identifies a visitor who logs into a customer account
Three years

SiteUserSecureAuthToken

Authenticates a visitor who logs into a customer account
Three years

squarespace-announcement-bar

Prevents the announcement bar from displaying if a visitor dismisses it
Type: localStorage
Persistent

squarespace-likes

Shows when you've already "liked" a blog post
Type: localStorage
Persistent

squarespace-popup-overlay

Prevents the promotional pop-up from displaying if a visitor dismisses it
Type: localStorage
Persistent

squarespace-video-player-options

Remembers video player selected preferences (volume, playback speed, and quality) for videos uploaded directly to Squarespace
Type: localStorage
Persistent

ss_performancecookiesAllowed

Remembers if a visitor agreed to placing Performance and Analytics cookies on their browser, if your site has a cookie banner and is restricting the placement of cookies
30 days

ss_marketingcookiesAllowed

Remembers if a visitor agreed to placing Marketing cookies on their browser, if your site has a cookie banner and is restricting the placement of cookies
30 days

ss_sd

Ensures that visitors on the Squarespace 5 platform remain authenticated during their sessions
Session

Test

Investigates if the browser supports cookies and prevents errors
Session

Enables a Acuity Scheduling client’s appointments to display correctly based on their time zone preferences.
Type: localStorage
Persistent

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APPENDIX 2 – Analytics and Performance Cookies Squarespace uses

Cookie Name

Duration

Purpose

ss_cid

Two years