Privacy | SM Therapies

Effective Date: June 2025

At SM Therapies, your privacy is of utmost importance. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information when you visit our website (www.smtherapies.uk) or engage with our services.

1. Who We Are

SM Therapies
Operated by: Sepideh Mhojatoleslami (Therapist)
Email: info@smtherapies.uk
Website: www.smtherapies.uk

We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of our clients and website visitors in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

2. What Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal data:

a. Information You Provide Directly

Name, email address, and phone number (via contact forms or email)
Any information shared via initial contact forms, session booking forms, or email correspondence
Health or medical information you choose to share prior to or during therapy (as part of therapy notes)

b. Automatically Collected Information

Wix, our website provider, may automatically collect:

IP address
Browser type and version
Device type and operating system
Pages visited and time spent on the site
Referring URLs
(These are collected via cookies and analytics tools.)

3. How We Use Your Information

We may use your information for the following purposes:

To respond to your enquiries
To manage and provide therapy services
To arrange and confirm appointments
For administrative and record-keeping purposes (e.g., secure client notes)
To comply with legal or regulatory obligations

We will only use your personal information when legally permitted. The most common uses are:

Where we need to perform the contract we are about to enter into or have entered into with you (e.g., therapy sessions)
Where it is necessary for our legitimate interests and your interests and fundamental rights do not override those interests
Where we need to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation
With your explicit consent (e.g., storing health data)

4. How Your Data Is Stored

Client data (e.g., therapy notes) is stored securely in password-protected and encrypted formats in accordance with the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) standards.
Website data and submitted forms are stored through Wix.com’s secure servers.
Emails are stored in a secure, encrypted email system

5. Third Parties and Data Sharing

We do not sell or share your personal data for marketing purposes.

We may share your information with:

Supervision professionals, anonymously or pseudonymously, as part of ethical practice
Emergency services, if we believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm
Legal authorities, if required to do so under law or court order
Wix.com and other data processors for administrative purposes (e.g., booking forms, email)

All third parties are bound by appropriate data processing agreements and legal safeguards.

6. Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies through the Wix platform to:

Improve user experience
Monitor website traffic
Secure your session

You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings. For more details, please refer to Wix’s cookie policy.

7. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK GDPR, you have rights regarding your personal data, including:

Right to access – You can request a copy of the data we hold about you.
Right to rectification – You can ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete data.
Right to erasure – You can request we delete your data, subject to certain exceptions (e.g., clinical records retention obligations).
Right to restrict processing – You can ask us to limit how we use your data.
Right to data portability – You can request your data be transferred to another provider.
Right to object – You can object to how your data is being used.
Right to withdraw consent – If processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact: info@smtherapies.uk

8. How Long We Keep Your Data

Clinical notes are retained for 7 years after the end of therapy, in line with professional guidance.
Contact form submissions and emails are retained for no longer than necessary (e.g., 1 year for non-client contact unless therapy is established).
Website analytics data may be stored longer in anonymous form for performance and statistical analysis.

9. Security of Your Data

We use strict security measures to protect your data:

Encrypted devices and secure passwords
Secure storage of notes and session materials
Secure website hosting via Wix with HTTPS protocols

Despite our best efforts, no system is completely secure. However, we follow industry best practices to mitigate any risk.

10. Links to External Sites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites (e.g., therapy directories, resources). We are not responsible for their privacy practices or content. Please review their privacy policies separately.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on this page with the effective date. Please check back periodically.

12. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints regarding your data or this policy, please contact:

Sepideh Mhojatoleslami
Email: info@smtherapies.uk
Website: www.smtherapies.uk

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
www.ico.org.uk