Last updated: 4 August 2026
The Counselling Network respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information when you:
Visit or use our website;
Create a client or counsellor account;
Apply for counsellor membership;
Create or manage a counsellor profile;
Search for or contact a counsellor;
Make or manage an appointment;
Purchase a membership, resource, policy or other product;
Contact our support team;
Subscribe to communications from us; or
Otherwise interact with The Counselling Network.
This policy also explains your rights under applicable UK data protection law.
The data controller responsible for the personal information described in this Privacy Policy is:
The Counselling Network (TCN) Ltd
Company number: SC891584
Registered office:
Beechcroft
Forth
Lanark
Scotland
ML11 8ET
Email: info@thecounsellingnetwork.co.uk
In this policy, “TCN”, “The Counselling Network”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to The Counselling Network (TCN) Ltd.
TCN provides a professional membership platform, counsellor directory and related booking, payment, resource and community services.
Counsellors listed on TCN are independent professionals. They are not employees, agents or representatives of TCN unless expressly stated otherwise.
TCN is responsible for the personal information it collects and uses to operate the platform, including account, membership, directory, booking, payment and website information.
An individual counsellor will normally be a separate data controller for personal information they collect or use in connection with providing counselling services. This may include:
Initial assessments;
Clinical or counselling notes;
Treatment records;
Safeguarding records;
Direct communications between the counsellor and client;
Records held within the counsellor’s own practice systems; and
Information collected during or following counselling sessions.
Each counsellor is responsible for providing their own privacy information and complying with their professional, legal and confidentiality obligations.
Questions about counselling notes or information held directly by a counsellor should normally be sent to that counsellor.
The information we collect depends on how you use TCN.
This may include:
Name;
Username;
Email address;
Telephone number;
Postal address;
Password and account credentials;
Communication preferences; and
Account status and login information.
Passwords are stored in a protected, encrypted or hashed format. We cannot normally view your original password.
When a client creates an account, searches for a counsellor or makes an enquiry, we may collect:
Name and contact details;
General location or postcode;
Search preferences;
Counsellor preferences;
Appointment or availability information;
Details of counsellors viewed or contacted;
Messages or enquiries sent through the platform;
Booking and cancellation information; and
Any other information the client chooses to provide.
When a counsellor applies for membership or creates a profile, we may collect:
Name and contact details;
Practice name;
Practice address, town and postcode;
Website and professional contact information;
Photograph and profile description;
Qualifications and training;
Professional body membership;
Membership or registration number;
Accreditation or membership level;
Professional indemnity insurance confirmation;
Areas of practice and specialisms;
Client groups supported;
Availability and whether new clients are being accepted;
Delivery methods, such as in-person or online sessions;
Session fees;
Supporting documents provided for verification;
Membership status; and
Information displayed on the public directory profile.
Counsellors should not publish unnecessary private or sensitive information within their public profile.
Where booking facilities are available, we may collect:
Counsellor selected;
Appointment date and time;
Appointment type;
Booking status;
Cancellation or rescheduling information;
Administrative notes;
Payment status; and
Messages required to arrange the appointment.
We ask users not to include detailed clinical histories or unnecessary sensitive information in general booking or support forms.
When you purchase a membership, resource, policy or other product, we may collect:
Billing name and address;
Telephone number;
Order and transaction details;
Membership level;
Products purchased;
Discount codes;
Payment status;
Refund and cancellation information;
Invoices and receipts; and
Limited payment identifiers supplied by our payment provider.
Card numbers, expiry dates and security codes are handled by our payment provider. TCN does not ordinarily store complete payment-card details on its own systems.
We may collect information contained in:
Emails;
Contact forms;
Support requests;
Complaints;
Account enquiries;
Feedback;
Surveys;
Social-media communications; and
Other correspondence with us.
When you visit the website, we may collect:
Internet Protocol address;
Browser type and version;
Device type;
Operating system;
Login and security records;
Pages viewed;
Referral source;
Date and time of visits;
Cookie identifiers;
Website activity and interactions; and
Information used to diagnose errors or prevent misuse.
Information about physical or mental health, disability, racial or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation or sex life may constitute special-category personal information.
TCN does not ask users to provide more sensitive information than is reasonably necessary.
However, a user may voluntarily provide health or other sensitive information when:
Searching for a suitable counsellor;
Making an enquiry;
Arranging an appointment;
Requesting support;
Reporting a safeguarding concern; or
Communicating with TCN.
Where TCN itself needs to process voluntarily supplied special-category information, we will normally rely on the user’s explicit consent in addition to the applicable general lawful basis.
In limited circumstances, we may process sensitive information where necessary to protect someone’s vital interests, establish or defend legal claims, meet a legal obligation or address a serious safeguarding or security concern.
We collect personal information:
Directly from you;
Through account, registration, checkout and booking forms;
Through emails, messages and support requests;
Through cookies and website technology;
From counsellors or clients involved in a booking or enquiry;
From payment and transaction providers;
From professional bodies or publicly available registers where verification is necessary;
From service providers supporting the operation of the website; and
From publicly available sources where appropriate and lawful.
We use account and contact information to:
Register users;
Authenticate logins;
Maintain account security;
Provide account features;
Send service messages; and
Manage account settings.
Our lawful basis is normally performance of a contract or taking steps requested before entering into a contract.
We use counsellor information to:
Process membership applications;
Verify identity and professional credentials;
Check professional-body membership;
Confirm insurance declarations;
Approve or reject applications;
Manage monthly memberships;
Provide member benefits;
Maintain professional standards; and
Investigate concerns about a member.
Our lawful bases may include performance of a contract, taking steps before entering into a contract, compliance with legal obligations and our legitimate interests in operating a trusted professional platform.
We use counsellor profile information to:
Publish directory profiles;
Allow clients to search by area or preference;
Display qualifications, services and availability;
Enable clients to contact appropriate counsellors; and
Promote counsellor members.
Our lawful bases are performance of our membership contract and our legitimate interests in operating and improving the directory.
Information added to a public counsellor profile may be visible to anyone using the website and may be indexed by search engines.
We use client and booking information to:
Connect clients with counsellors;
Send enquiries;
Arrange appointments;
Confirm, cancel or reschedule bookings;
Send administrative reminders;
Provide account and customer support; and
Resolve booking issues.
Our lawful basis is normally performance of a contract, taking steps at the user’s request before entering into a contract or our legitimate interests in operating the platform.
Where this involves special-category information, we will also identify an appropriate additional condition, normally explicit consent where the information was voluntarily submitted to TCN.
We use billing and transaction information to:
Process memberships and purchases;
Manage recurring subscriptions;
Apply discounts;
Issue invoices and receipts;
Administer cancellations and refunds;
Detect payment fraud; and
Maintain accounting and tax records.
Our lawful bases are performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations and our legitimate interests in protecting the business against fraud and non-payment.
We use personal information to:
Respond to enquiries;
Provide technical support;
Investigate complaints;
Correct account problems;
Communicate outcomes;
Maintain complaint records; and
Improve our services.
Our lawful bases may include performance of a contract, compliance with legal obligations and our legitimate interests in resolving concerns and operating the service properly.
We may use or disclose information where reasonably necessary to:
Address a serious safeguarding concern;
Protect someone from immediate or serious harm;
Prevent or investigate fraud or unlawful activity;
Secure the platform;
Enforce our terms;
Respond to legal proceedings;
Establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
Comply with a court order; or
Cooperate with regulators, police or other authorised bodies.
Our lawful bases may include legal obligation, legitimate interests or vital interests. Where special-category information is involved, we will also identify an appropriate condition under applicable data protection law.
TCN is not an emergency or crisis service. Users should not use general website forms where immediate emergency assistance is required.
We may use website and usage information to:
Understand how the platform is used;
Monitor performance;
Diagnose technical problems;
Improve navigation and accessibility;
Develop new features;
Measure service effectiveness; and
Protect against spam, abuse and cyberattacks.
Our lawful basis is normally our legitimate interests. Where non-essential cookies or similar tracking technology are involved, we will obtain consent where required.
We may send information about:
TCN services;
Membership benefits;
Resources and products;
Training and continuing professional development;
Community events;
Platform updates; and
Relevant professional opportunities.
We will send electronic marketing where you have consented or where another lawful marketing permission applies.
You can unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe option in the message or contacting us at info@thecounsellingnetwork.co.uk.
Service messages concerning an account, transaction, appointment, membership or security matter are not marketing and may still be sent where necessary.
Some information is required so that we can:
Create an account;
Verify a counsellor;
Provide membership services;
Process payments;
Arrange bookings;
Meet legal or accounting requirements; or
Protect the security of the platform.
Where required information is not provided, we may be unable to create or maintain an account, approve a membership, process a purchase or provide the requested service.
We may share personal information with the following parties.
When a client contacts or books a counsellor, relevant contact, enquiry and booking information may be provided to that counsellor.
The counsellor will then be responsible for how they use information for their own counselling practice.
Information placed on a public counsellor profile is shared with visitors using the directory.
Counsellors control much of the information submitted for publication and should ensure it is accurate and appropriate for public display.
Payment and transaction information may be shared with payment providers, including Stripe or another nominated provider, to process charges, subscriptions, refunds and fraud checks.
We may use suppliers that provide:
Website hosting;
Website development and maintenance;
Account and membership technology;
Booking systems;
Email delivery;
Cloud storage;
Security and spam protection;
Backups;
Analytics;
Customer support; and
Technical troubleshooting.
These providers may process information on our behalf and are only permitted to use it for the agreed service.
Where appropriate, information may be shared with:
Accountants;
Solicitors;
Insurers;
IT and cybersecurity advisers;
Professional regulators;
Tax authorities;
Courts;
Police;
Emergency services; and
Other organisations authorised by law.
If TCN is restructured, sold, merged or transfers part of its business, relevant personal information may be provided to professional advisers and the proposed new owner, subject to appropriate confidentiality and data-protection safeguards.
We do not sell personal information to data brokers or advertisers.
Some technology, email, payment, analytics or cloud providers may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.
Where personal information is transferred internationally, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate legal transfer mechanism and safeguards are in place.
These may include:
A UK adequacy regulation;
The UK International Data Transfer Agreement;
The UK Addendum to approved contractual clauses;
Contractual and technical safeguards; or
Another legally permitted transfer mechanism.
Further information about the safeguards used for a particular provider may be requested by emailing info@thecounsellingnetwork.co.uk.
We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including legal, accounting, safeguarding, security and dispute-resolution requirements.
Our anticipated retention periods include the following.
Normally retained for up to 24 months after the last meaningful contact, unless needed for an ongoing complaint, legal matter or safeguarding concern.
Normally retained while the account remains active.
An inactive or closed client account may normally be deleted or anonymised within 24 months, unless information must be retained for transactions, bookings, complaints, security or legal reasons.
Public profile information will normally be removed within a reasonable period after membership ends.
Account, membership, payment and contractual records may be retained for up to six years after the membership or business relationship ends.
Professional verification information may be retained while membership remains active and for a limited period afterwards where necessary to demonstrate that appropriate checks were completed.
Copies of identification, certificates or supporting documents should be deleted when no longer reasonably required.
We will aim not to retain unnecessary verification documents for longer than 12 months after membership ends, unless a complaint, investigation or legal requirement makes longer retention necessary.
Administrative booking information may normally be retained for up to 24 months after the appointment or last account activity.
Transaction, invoice and accounting records connected with a booking or purchase may be retained for up to six years.
Free-text information containing health or other sensitive details will be minimised and deleted sooner where it is no longer required.
Invoices, transaction records and information required for accounting or tax purposes may be retained for up to six years, or longer where required by law.
TCN does not ordinarily retain complete payment-card details.
Security, login, error and technical logs will normally be retained for up to 12 months, although records connected with a security incident may be retained for longer.
Marketing contact information will be retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or we determine that it is no longer appropriate to contact you.
We may retain a minimal suppression record so that we can respect an unsubscribe request.
Information may be retained for longer where there is an active legal dispute, safeguarding matter, regulatory investigation, fraud concern or legal requirement.
Our website uses cookies and similar technology.
Strictly necessary cookies may be used to:
Keep the website functioning;
Secure user accounts;
Remember login sessions;
Operate checkout and membership features;
Maintain booking functions; and
Remember privacy choices.
Where required, optional analytics, preference or marketing cookies will not be used unless the visitor has provided consent.
Visitors can accept, reject or manage optional cookies through the website’s cookie controls.
Withdrawing cookie consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before consent was withdrawn.
Further details may be provided in TCN’s separate Cookie Policy or cookie-preference panel.
We use appropriate organisational and technical measures intended to protect personal information against:
Unauthorised access;
Accidental loss;
Misuse;
Alteration;
Disclosure; and
Destruction.
Measures may include:
Account-access controls;
Password protection;
Encrypted website connections;
Software and security updates;
Malware and spam protection;
Restricted administrative access;
Backups;
Staff or contractor confidentiality obligations; and
Monitoring for suspicious activity.
No online platform can guarantee complete security.
Users are responsible for choosing a strong password, keeping login details private and informing us promptly if they believe their account has been compromised.
Depending on the circumstances, you may have the right to:
Ask for confirmation that we process your personal information;
Request a copy of your personal information;
Correct inaccurate or incomplete information;
Request deletion of information;
Request restriction of processing;
Object to processing based on legitimate interests;
Object to direct marketing;
Request transfer of certain information in a portable format;
Withdraw consent at any time;
Complain about how we use personal information; and
Ask for information about international-transfer safeguards.
These rights are not absolute and may depend on the reason the information is being processed.
Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that was lawful before the withdrawal.
To exercise any of your rights, contact:
info@thecounsellingnetwork.co.uk
We may need to request information to confirm your identity before responding.
We will respond without undue delay and within the period required by applicable data-protection law.
Requests concerning records held independently by a counsellor should normally be sent directly to that counsellor.
TCN does not currently make decisions about users solely by automated means where those decisions produce legal or similarly significant effects.
Counsellor applications and professional verification decisions involve human review.
We may use automated security, spam or fraud-detection tools to identify suspicious activity, but significant account decisions will be reviewed where appropriate.
TCN recognises that information relating to children and young people requires particular care.
The platform is not intended for children to create accounts independently unless TCN has expressly provided an appropriate registration process.
Where counselling is being sought for a child or young person, information should normally be submitted by a parent, guardian or other authorised person, unless the young person is legally and practically able to provide the information themselves.
Users should provide only the minimum information necessary when making an initial enquiry about a child.
The independent counsellor is responsible for establishing appropriate consent, confidentiality and safeguarding arrangements before providing counselling services.
The website may contain links to:
Counsellor websites;
Professional bodies;
Social-media platforms;
Payment services;
Training providers; and
Other third-party websites.
TCN is not responsible for the privacy practices of independent third parties.
Users should review the relevant organisation’s privacy information before submitting personal information.
Questions or complaints about TCN’s use of personal information should first be sent to:
The Counselling Network (TCN) Ltd
Beechcroft
Forth
Lanark
Scotland
ML11 8ET
Email: info@thecounsellingnetwork.co.uk
We will:
Acknowledge the complaint;
Take reasonable steps to investigate it;
Keep the complainant appropriately informed; and
Communicate the outcome without undue delay.
You also have the right to complain to the UK Information Commissioner’s Office.
The Information Commissioner’s Office can be contacted through its official website or at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
We would appreciate the opportunity to investigate and resolve the concern directly before it is referred to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
We may update this Privacy Policy where:
Our services change;
New technology or providers are introduced;
Our data-processing activities change;
Legal or regulatory requirements change; or
Additional clarification is required.
The latest version will be published on the website with its updated date.
Where a material change significantly affects registered users, we may also provide notice through the website, account area or email.
