2. Who is responsible for your information?

The data controller responsible for your personal information is:

Name: Karen Kernohan
Email: karenkkernohan@gmail.com
Website: www.mainecounselling.co.uk

I am responsible for deciding how and why personal information is processed in accordance with applicable data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable legislation.

3. What information do I collect?

Information you provide

If you contact me by email or through the website contact form, I may collect:

• Your name.

• Your email address.

• Your telephone number, if you choose to provide it.

• The content of your enquiry and any subsequent correspondence.

• Any other information you voluntarily include in your message.

The website contact form is intended for initial enquiries, not for collecting detailed counselling histories.

Please avoid including sensitive personal information, details of mental health conditions, medical history or other confidential matters in your initial message.

Information collected through the website

When you visit the website, Squarespace and Google Analytics may collect technical and usage information, depending on the features enabled and your cookie preferences. This may include:

• IP address or other online identifiers.

• Browser, device and technical information.

• Pages viewed and interactions with the website.

• Visit dates, times and approximate geographical information derived from technical data.

• Referral information, such as the website or search engine that brought you to the site.

• Cookie preferences and information used to understand website traffic.

The information actually collected depends on the analytics configuration, cookie settings and the operation of the relevant services.

I do not intentionally use website analytics to collect the contents of counselling enquiries or to identify visitors as counselling clients.

4. How do I use your information?

I use personal information for the following purposes:

• Responding to enquiries: to reply to questions about my counselling services.

• Managing prospective client communications: to discuss whether my services may be suitable and explain potential next steps.

• Website operation and security: to maintain the website, troubleshoot problems and protect against misuse.

• Website analytics: to understand general patterns of website use, identify popular pages and improve the information provided.

• Legal and professional responsibilities: to comply with applicable legal obligations and establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary.

I do not offer online appointment booking through this website. If you wish to discuss counselling, please contact me using the contact details provided.

I do not use the contact form to subscribe people to marketing communications or send unsolicited promotional emails.

5. Lawful bases for processing

I process personal information only where an appropriate lawful basis applies.

Depending on the circumstances, these bases may include:

• Legitimate interests: to respond to relevant enquiries, operate and secure the website, and improve the information available to visitors, where my interests do not override your rights and freedoms.

• Steps at your request before entering into a contract: where you ask me to discuss or arrange potential counselling services.

• Legal obligation: where processing is necessary to comply with a legal requirement.

• Consent: where I rely on your consent for a particular activity, including the use of non-essential cookies where consent is required.

The appropriate basis depends on the specific processing activity. I will not assume that one lawful basis applies to every use of personal information.

Sensitive and health-related information

Information that reveals a person's physical or mental health is special-category personal data under the UK GDPR. An initial counselling enquiry may contain such information even when the website has not specifically requested it.

I aim to minimise the collection of sensitive information through the website. If sensitive information is received or needs to be processed, I will consider the applicable Article 6 lawful basis and the relevant Article 9 condition, together with any additional requirements under the Data Protection Act 2018.

The precise conditions applicable to counselling enquiries and clinical records must reflect my professional circumstances and actual processing arrangements. They should not be inferred from this general notice alone.

6. Contact form and email communications

The website is built using Squarespace. Contact form submissions are stored in Squarespace and are also sent to the email account configured to receive them.

Consequently, information you submit may be held in both the Squarespace platform and my email account, together with any backups or service records maintained by those providers in accordance with their own systems and retention practices.

If you contact me using an email link, the message will be handled by the email services involved in sending, receiving and storing it.

Please note that ordinary email and website forms are not intended for urgent communications or the transmission of detailed clinical information. Submitting an enquiry does not itself establish a counselling relationship.

I will take reasonable steps to restrict access to enquiry information and retain it only for as long as necessary.

Email provider: Google Workspace

7. Squarespace Analytics and Google Analytics

This website uses Squarespace Analytics and Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the website and to help improve its content and performance.

These services may collect technical and usage information, such as pages viewed, referral sources, approximate location, device and browser details, and interactions with the website.

Depending on the configuration, cookies and similar technologies may be used to distinguish visits or browsers and measure activity over time.

Google Analytics is provided by Google. Squarespace provides the website platform and its associated analytics features. Each provider may process certain information under its own service terms and privacy documentation.

Non-essential analytics cookies must be configured to respect applicable consent requirements. The current configuration of the Google Analytics integration, any additional tracking code and the Squarespace cookie banner should be checked before publication.

I do not intentionally send names, email addresses, contact form messages or details of an individual's counselling enquiry to either analytics service. Analytics and tracking settings should be reviewed to ensure that such information is not inadvertently transmitted.

For more information, please see the separate Cookie Policy.

8. Who may receive your information?

Depending on the circumstances, personal information may be processed by:

• Squarespace: to host and operate the website, store contact form submissions and provide website analytics.

• Google: to provide Google Analytics, where enabled.

• My email provider: to send, receive and store enquiries and correspondence.

• Professional advisers or relevant authorities: where disclosure is necessary and lawful.

Service providers may process personal information on my behalf or, in some circumstances, for their own purposes. Their precise roles depend on the service and contractual arrangements.

I do not sell your personal information. I do not share enquiry information for unrelated marketing purposes.

9. International transfers

Some providers used to host the website, provide analytics or operate email services may process information outside the United Kingdom.

Where a restricted transfer of personal information takes place, I will ensure that the transfer complies with applicable data protection law and that the necessary safeguards are in place.

The precise locations of processing, applicable transfer mechanisms and relevant provider arrangements should be checked against the services actually used.

10. How long is information retained?

Personal information is retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, taking account of legal obligations and the need to establish or defend legal claims.

• Initial enquiries: retained for as long as necessary to respond and manage reasonable follow-up. Unnecessary enquiry information will then be securely deleted or disposed of, subject to any valid reason for further retention.

• Email correspondence: retained according to the purpose of the correspondence and applicable retention arrangements.

• Squarespace contact form records: retained in accordance with my deletion practices and any applicable platform retention or backup arrangements.

• Analytics information: retained according to the retention settings and practices of Squarespace and Google Analytics.

• Counselling records: handled under the separate record-keeping and retention arrangements applicable to counselling.

Enquiry retention period: Two years

Google Analytics data retention setting: Two years

Deleting an enquiry from one location may not immediately remove every copy held in backups or by a service provider.

11. Security

I take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect personal information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

These measures may include account security, strong passwords, multi-factor authentication where available, secure devices and limiting access to information.

No website or electronic communication system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

12. Your rights

Subject to applicable law and any relevant exemptions, you may have the right to:

• Request access to your personal information.

• Request correction of inaccurate information.

• Request erasure of information in certain circumstances.

• Request restriction of processing.

• Object to processing based on legitimate interests.

• Request data portability where applicable.

• Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent.

You may exercise these rights by contacting me using the details in Section 2. I may need to verify your identity before responding.

13. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your information is handled, please contact me so that I can try to resolve them.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's data protection regulator.

Website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

14. External links

This website may link to third-party websites or services. I am not responsible for their content, privacy practices or security. Please review their privacy policies before providing personal information.

15. Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated to reflect changes to my services, website configuration, service providers or applicable law. The latest version will be published on this website with the date of the most recent update.

16. Contact

For questions about this policy or the handling of your personal information, contact:

Karen Kernohan
Email: karenkkernohan@gmail.com

2. What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. They can help websites operate, remember preferences and collect information about how visitors interact with pages.

Similar technologies, including scripts and local storage, may perform related functions without necessarily using a traditional cookie.

3. What cookies and similar technologies do we use?

The precise cookies used depend on the website's configuration, the services enabled and your consent preferences.

Strictly necessary cookies

Squarespace may use cookies or similar technologies that are necessary for the website to operate, provide requested functionality, maintain security or remember your cookie choices.

These technologies may operate without consent where they meet the applicable legal definition of strictly necessary.

Squarespace Analytics cookies

Squarespace Analytics may use cookies or similar technologies to measure website activity and help me understand how visitors use the website.

Depending on the configuration, information may include visits, page views, referral sources and patterns of activity over time.

These analytics technologies are non-essential and will only be used where the required consent has been obtained.

Google Analytics cookies

Google Analytics is used to measure website usage and help me understand how visitors find and navigate the website.

Depending on the configuration, Google Analytics may use cookies or similar technologies to distinguish browsers or visits, measure page views, record interactions and assess website performance.

Google Analytics may process technical and usage information, including online identifiers, device and browser information, referral data and approximate geographical information.

Google Analytics cookies are non-essential for the operation of this website. They must not be placed where consent is required unless the visitor has provided the appropriate consent.

Other cookies and third-party technologies

Other cookies or similar technologies may be used if additional website features or integrations are enabled in the future.

Examples could include embedded media, maps, social media content or marketing integrations. No such additional services are assumed to be active simply because Squarespace supports them.

If additional technologies are introduced, I will review their purposes and update this policy and the website's consent arrangements as necessary.

4. How cookie consent works

Where consent is required, non-essential cookies and similar technologies should remain disabled until you have made an affirmative choice to accept them.

The website's cookie banner should provide clear information and allow you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You should also be able to review or change your preferences later.

The website owner is responsible for ensuring that the cookie banner and associated technical settings work as intended.

Configuration to verify before publication:

• The Squarespace cookie banner is enabled.

• The banner allows visitors to decline non-essential cookies as easily as they can accept them.

• Squarespace Analytics cookies are restricted until the required consent is obtained.

• Google Analytics respects the visitor's consent choice.

• Any analytics code added separately through code injection or another integration is also controlled appropriately.

• Visitors can withdraw or change consent using an accessible preference control.

The current settings have not been independently verified. The presence of a banner alone does not establish that every analytics technology is correctly blocked before consent.

5. Managing your preferences

When you first visit the website, you should be able to make a choice about non-essential cookies using the cookie banner.

You may accept or decline non-essential cookies and, where the available controls support it, manage individual preferences.

If you initially accept analytics cookies but later change your mind, use the website's cookie preference controls to withdraw consent.

You can also delete or block cookies through your browser settings. However, browser controls alone may not withdraw a consent choice already recorded by the website.

Strictly necessary cookies may continue to operate where permitted by law.

6. How long do cookies last?

Some cookies last only for the duration of a browsing session. Others remain on your device for a defined period or until you delete them.

The duration depends on the specific cookie, the service that places it and its configuration.

Squarespace publishes information about the cookies its platform may use. Google also provides information about the cookies and technologies associated with Google Analytics.

Because the precise cookie inventory and configuration for this website have not been individually verified, this policy does not claim that a particular cookie name or expiry period applies to every visit.

7. Third-party providers

Squarespace provides the website platform and Squarespace Analytics. Google provides Google Analytics.

These services may process technical information in accordance with their own service terms, privacy documentation and applicable data protection arrangements.

Depending on the configuration, information may be processed outside the United Kingdom. Any applicable international transfer requirements must be addressed by the relevant parties.

For further information:

Squarespace cookies: https://support.squarespace.com/hc/en-us/articles/360001264507-The-cookies-Squarespace-uses

Google Analytics: https://policies.google.com/privacy

8. Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated if the website's cookie use, analytics configuration, integrations or applicable legal requirements change.

The latest version will be published on this website with the date of the most recent update.

9. Contact

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy, please contact:

Karen Kernohan
Email: karenkkernohan@gmail.com
Website: www.mainecounselling.co.uk