Privacy policy

Who I am

This website is run by Alison Gifford, trading as Galene Therapy, in Tansley, near Matlock, Derbyshire. I am the data controller for the information described here. You can contact me about your data at alison@galenetherapy.com.

What I collect through this website

If you use the contact form, I collect your name, your email address, the subject you choose, and the message you write. Nothing else is collected through the form. Messages are held securely and deleted 90 days after I have read them.

This website counts visits using the visitor statistics built into Lovable, the platform it is hosted on. To tell one visit from another it sets a cookie called session-id, holding a random number that expires after 30 minutes. It does not identify you, build a profile of you or follow you from one visit to the next: I see only totals, such as how many visits the site had, which pages were read, the type of device, the country, and the website that sent the visit. Lovable collects these figures for me, and I use them, on the basis of my legitimate interest in understanding how the site is used, to improve it. The site uses no advertising or marketing cookies. The cookie policy explains how to block cookies if you prefer.

What I collect when you book

Bookings are made through TidyCal, which collects the information needed to make and confirm your appointment. TidyCal's privacy policy applies to that information: tidycal.com/privacy-policy. Payment is taken by Stripe through TidyCal. I never see your card details.

What I collect during therapy

Before your first session I will send you a registration form asking about your health, any medication, and relevant history. I keep session notes. This information is held securely and kept in line with the requirements of my professional bodies. It is special category data under UK GDPR and I process it on the basis of your explicit consent and for the provision of health care. By law, basic contact and payment records are kept for six years after we finish working together, for tax purposes.

Who processes your data

The services that handle data on my behalf are: Lovable and Supabase (website hosting and the website's database), TidyCal (booking), Stripe (payment), Bluehost (email) and Kit (the newsletter, course waiting lists and course bookings). Each is bound by its own data processing terms.

Confidentiality and its limits

What you tell me in therapy is confidential. I would only share information without your consent where I am required to by law, or where I believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, in line with my professional codes. If you have reported a matter to the police and there may be proceedings, my notes could be requested; I will discuss this with you at the start.

Your rights

Under UK GDPR you have the right to ask what information I hold about you, to have it corrected and to have it deleted where there is no overriding reason to keep it. You have the right to make complaint to me by emailing me at alison@gelenetherapy.com and I will acknowledge this complaint within 30 days. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office if you feel your complaint has not be satisfactorily resolved. To exercise any of these, contact me at alison@galenetherapy.com.

Changes

This policy was last updated on 26 September 2026.