Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 2026

This policy explains what personal data this website collects, why, and what rights you have over it. It applies to jamesgardiner.me and www.jamesgardiner.me.

Who I am

I'm James Gardiner, a psychotherapist (MA, MBACP) practising in London and online with clients across the UK. For the purposes of data protection law, I am the "data controller" for the personal data this website collects. You can contact me at contact@jamesgardiner.me.

What data I collect

If you use the contact form on this site, I collect the information you choose to provide: your name, your email address, and the content of your message. I don't collect any other personal data through this website, and the site does not use cookies, analytics, or tracking tools of any kind.

Why I collect it

I use this information solely to respond to your enquiry and, where relevant, to arrange or provide therapy sessions. The lawful basis for this processing is legitimate interest — responding to enquiries from people who have chosen to contact me — and, where a therapeutic relationship begins, the performance of that arrangement.

Sensitive information

Because of the nature of my work, messages sent through the contact form may include sensitive personal information about your mental health or personal circumstances. I treat this with the same duty of confidentiality that applies to my clinical work, in line with the BACP Ethical Framework, and I don't share it other than as described below.

Who I share it with

The contact form on this site is handled by a third-party service, Web3Forms, which delivers your message to my inbox. Web3Forms processes the data only to route it to me and does not use it for any other purpose. Beyond this, I don't share, sell, or pass on your information to any other third party, except where I'm required to by law.

This site also loads fonts from Google Fonts. Loading a webpage that references Google Fonts sends your device's IP address to Google as part of that request. Google's own privacy policy governs how that information is handled.

How long I keep it

Enquiries that don't lead to ongoing work are typically kept for up to 12 months, then deleted. If we begin working together, any information relevant to that work is retained in line with my professional record-keeping obligations under the BACP Ethical Framework, and for no longer than necessary.

Your rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to ask for a copy of the personal data I hold about you, to have it corrected if it's inaccurate, to ask for it to be deleted, and to object to how it's used. To exercise any of these rights, email contact@jamesgardiner.me.

If you're unhappy with how your data has been handled, you also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

Changes to this policy

I may update this policy from time to time, for example if the way this website works changes. Any changes will be posted on this page.