Privacy notice
How Therapy Circle uses personal information, in plain language. We keep as little as we can.
Who we are
Therapy Circle (therapistcircle.co.uk and therapycircle.uk) is run by Dr Chia Barsen, who is the data controller for the personal information described here. A company, Therapist Circle Ltd, is being set up to run the service; when it is registered, this notice will be updated to name it as controller.
To contact us about your data, use the contact form and choose “My data”. We answer data requests within one month.
What we hold and why
| Information | Why | Lawful basis |
|---|---|---|
| Member accounts: name, email, a securely hashed password, profession, register or professional body, registration number, account status and dates. | To run your account and show your register details so others can check them. | Contract (providing the service you signed up for). |
| Profiles: the professional details you choose to share, such as approaches, who you work with, location, fees, bio, availability and website. | To show your profile to members and, if you choose, on the public Find page. | Contract. |
| Introduction requests from people using Find: their name, email and message. | To pass the request privately to the one practitioner chosen. | Consent, given by ticking the box on the form. |
| Forum posts and private messages between members. | To provide the forum and messaging. | Contract. |
| Anonymous confirmations: one-way codes of invitation links, dates, and whether the person was a client or colleague. No name or contact details of the person confirming. | To show a count band on a practitioner’s profile. | Consent of the person confirming; legitimate interests of the practitioner. |
| Contact form messages, data requests and reports. | To reply, handle requests and keep the site safe. | Legitimate interests; legal obligation for data requests. |
| Security records: short-lived counts of sign-in and form attempts linked to an internet address or email. | To stop password guessing and spam. | Legitimate interests (keeping the service secure). |
Registration details are checked automatically for format, and you attest that they match the public register. This is not a decision with legal or similarly significant effects made solely by automated means; you can ask for a person to review it through the contact form.
We do not sell personal information, show advertising, or use it for marketing.
Health information
Therapy Circle does not ask for health information. But a message asking for an introduction, or a forum post, could reveal something about someone’s health, which the law treats as special category data. For introduction requests we rely on your explicit consent, given on the form, and you can withdraw it at any time by asking us to delete the request. Please share only what you are comfortable with; you do not need to describe health details to ask for an introduction. Members must never post information that could identify a client.
Who else handles it
- The practitioner you contact receives your introduction request. They then become responsible for how they use your details.
- Cloudflare, Inc. hosts the website and database (Cloudflare Pages and D1) and acts as our processor. Cloudflare may process data in the United States and other countries; such transfers are covered by the UK’s data bridge with the United States and by Cloudflare’s data processing terms, which include the UK international data transfer addendum.
- We do not use an email provider at present, so the site does not send emails. If we add one, we will update this notice first.
- We may disclose information if the law requires it, or to protect someone’s safety.
How long we keep it
- Member accounts and profiles: while you are a member. Deleting your account (Account page) removes them straight away.
- Introduction requests: 90 days.
- Private messages: 12 months. Notifications: 90 days.
- Contact form messages and reports: 12 months.
- Reviewed join requests: 90 days. Sign-in sessions: up to 14 days. Security counts: about a day.
- Confirmations: until the practitioner leaves.
- Backups of the database may hold copies for a short further period before they are overwritten.
Your rights
Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018 you can ask to see your information, correct it, delete it, restrict or object to how we use it, receive a copy in a portable format, and withdraw consent at any time. Members can download their data and delete their account from the Account page. Anyone else can use the contact form. We will respond within one month.
Cookies and storage
We use one strictly necessary cookie to keep members signed in. If you install the site as an app, your device stores copies of public pages so they open offline, and a small setting that remembers app mode. There are no analytics, advertising or tracking cookies, so no cookie banner is needed.
Security
The site uses an encrypted connection, passwords are stored only as salted one-way hashes, and sign-in is rate-limited. If a personal data breach happens that is likely to put people at risk, we will tell the Information Commissioner’s Office within 72 hours and tell the people affected where required.
Children
Therapy Circle is for adults. You must be 18 or over to create an account or send an introduction request. If you are under 18, please talk to a parent, carer, teacher or your GP, or see Finding NHS support.
Complaints
Please tell us first through the contact form. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint, telephone 0303 123 1113.
Last updated: 9 October 2026.