Privacy Policy

Hello there!

Thank you for checking out our privacy policy. At Urban Healing, we take our clients’ privacy seriously. We’re committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information responsibly while you use our website and services. We want you to know this is a safe place to discuss your feelings and concerns, and we operate in a highly confidential environment. This policy sets out how we collect and process data through our website and when you use our services.

We encourage you to read this policy alongside any other privacy notices we might provide, so you’re fully in the loop about how and why we use your information.

Who’s in charge of your data?

The controller of your data is Lauren Taylor, trading as Urban Healing (which includes the Urban Leading service), and we can be contacted on:

Email: lauren@urban-healing.com

Telephone: 07961554548

Not happy with something?

We’re committed to treating your personal data with respect, transparency, and care. If you ever have questions or concerns about how your data is used, we want to hear from you, and we’ll do our best to resolve things quickly and fairly. Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you have the right to raise a complaint about how your personal data is handled. Here’s how:

Step 1: Email us at lauren@urban-healing.com with a brief description of your concern. You don’t need to use legal language – just tell us what’s worrying you.
Step 2: We’ll acknowledge your message and respond without undue delay, usually within 10 working days.
Step 3: If you’re not satisfied with our response, you can escalate your concern to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at www.ico.org.uk.

What type of data do we collect about you?

‘Personal data’ is information that identifies you. If we’ve removed your identity (by making the data anonymous), it won’t be classed as personal data. We might collect, use, store, and share various types of personal data about you as follows:

Identity details such as first and last name, title.
Contact details such as your email address and telephone number.
Technical information such as your internet protocol (IP) address, browser type and version, time zone setting and location, operating system and platform, and other technology on the devices you use to access our website.
Financial information such as invoicing records and details of fees charged for services. We do not collect or store your payment card details directly—payments are made via bank transfer or another method agreed between us.
Information about transactions such as records of fees invoiced and payments received in relation to the services you have purchased from us.
Usage information about how you use our website and services.
Marketing information such as your preferences on receiving marketing from us, along with your communication preferences.

Special Category Data: This includes information about your physical and mental health, gathered through our initial and ongoing clinical assessment process. Specifically, we collect data via our MERSA Questionnaire (Mental, Emotional, Relational, Stress and Anxiety), which incorporates the following validated clinical tools:

Well-being Star Assessment – self-reported scores across nine life areas including history of significant events or trauma, relationships, daily habits, self-care, mental and emotional health, work life, physical health, self-esteem, and optimism and purpose.
PHQ-9 (Patient Health Questionnaire-9) – a standardised screening tool for symptoms of depression over the preceding two weeks.
GAD-7 (Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7) – a standardised screening tool for anxiety symptoms over the preceding two weeks.
Core 10 – including a question relating to thoughts of self-harm or plans to end your life, used to assess immediate risk.
Medication and medical conditions – including details of any prescribed medication, dosage, duration of use, and any physical or psychological medical conditions.
Stimulant and substance use – including alcohol, recreational drugs, cigarettes or vaping, sleeping pills, and food-related coping behaviours.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) state assessment – self-reported information about time spent in regulated, sympathetic (fight or flight), and shutdown nervous system states.

We also collect session notes and any other relevant information shared verbally during therapy sessions.

We do not actively seek or collect information about your race or ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs, sexual orientation, political opinions, trade union membership, or genetic and biometric data. Where information of this nature arises naturally in the course of therapy and is relevant to your care, it may be noted in your session records. Where it is recorded, it is held with the same level of confidentiality and care as all other special category data and processed only to provide safe and effective therapy. Information relating to criminal history may similarly arise in a therapeutic context and, where clinically relevant, may be noted in records on the same basis.

Consents for Health Data: We require your specific consent to process Special Category Data. When you submit your details, we will ask you to confirm your consent to this processing.

How do we collect your personal data?

We use different methods to collect data from and about you. The majority of the time, information is collected directly when you contact us in the following ways:

When you enquire about and/or apply for our services
When you complete our new client onboarding forms
When you complete the MERSA Questionnaire before or during your initial assessment appointment
Verbally during discussions and therapy sessions
Correspondence with us via phone, email or otherwise
When you subscribe to our services or publications
When you request marketing communications to be sent to you
When you give us feedback or contact us

We may also collect data automatically through website cookies or similar technologies, which gather information about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for more information.

We may also receive technical information from analytics providers such as Google Analytics. [Please confirm and update any additional third-party providers relevant to your website.]

What happens if you don’t provide us with the required data?

Where we need to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract we have with you, and you fail to provide that data when requested, we may not be able to perform the contract we have or are trying to enter into with you. In this case, we may have to cancel a service you have with us, but we will notify you if this is the case at the time.

What are the purposes for which we use your personal data?

The purposes for which we will be using your data include:

To register you as a new client
To conduct initial and ongoing clinical assessment using validated tools (MERSA Questionnaire including PHQ-9, GAD-7, Well-being Star, Core 10 and ANS assessment) in order to provide safe and effective psychotherapy
To provide our services and to manage fees, charges and invoicing, and to collect and recover money owed to us
To manage our relationship with you, including notifying you about changes to our terms or this privacy policy
To send you relevant information about our services, where you have consented
To administer and protect our practice and this website
To deliver relevant website content to you and measure the effectiveness of the content we serve to you
To use data analytics to improve our website, services, and client experience
To comply with our legal, regulatory and professional obligations as a UKCP-registered psychotherapist

We rely on one or more of the following lawful conditions to process your data: to fulfil our contract with you; for our legitimate interests; to comply with legal obligations; or with your explicit consent (in particular for Special Category health data).

Our Lawful Basis: Recognised Legitimate Interests

We sometimes process your personal data under a “recognised legitimate interest” as introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025. Examples include: helping prevent fraud or misuse of our services; supporting safeguarding and professional standards; responding to emergencies or protecting wellbeing; and improving accessibility in our resources. We always carry out a balancing test to make sure our interests don’t override yours. You have the right to object to this type of processing at any time by emailing lauren@urban-healing.com.

Do we use Cookies?

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AI Usage

We do not currently use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in the provision of our services or in the processing of your personal data. Should this change in the future, we will update this policy accordingly and seek any necessary consents before processing your data using AI systems.

Do we use Automated Decision-Making?

We do not use automated decision-making systems that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you. Clinical assessment tools such as the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 are used to structure and inform clinical judgement, but all decisions about your care are made by your therapist as a qualified human professional.

Do we use your data for marketing purposes?

If we send you marketing communications and you no longer wish to receive them, you can opt out at any time by contacting us or clicking the ‘unsubscribe’ link in our communications. Our lawful ground for marketing is either your consent or our legitimate interests.

Do we use third-party links?

Our website may link to third-party websites, tools and apps. We do not control these websites and are not responsible for their privacy policies. When you leave our website, we encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.

Do we ever share your personal data?

We take the security of your data seriously and only allow certain people to access it. We may share your personal data with the following parties:

Service providers acting as processors who provide IT and system administration services.
Professional advisers including lawyers, insurers and accountants who provide relevant professional services.
Clinical supervisors: As a UKCP-registered psychotherapist, we are required to engage in regular clinical supervision with a UKCP-accredited supervisor. Your case may be discussed in supervision, using first name only and with identifiable information minimised. Your supervisor is bound by their own confidentiality and data protection obligations.
Your GP or other healthcare professionals, where necessary for your safety or continuity of care. We will always seek your consent before doing so, unless there is an immediate risk of harm to you or another person.
Debt collection agencies in the event that payment is not received for services rendered, solely for the purpose of recovering outstanding fees.
HM Revenue & Customs, regulators and other authorities where required by law.
Courts, legal representatives or other relevant authorities for medico-legal purposes, where required by law or necessary to protect your vital interests or those of another person.
All third parties are required to respect the security of your personal data and may only process it for specified purposes in accordance with our instructions.

Do we ever transfer your data internationally?

We do not transfer your personal data outside the United Kingdom.

How secure is your data with us?

We have strong security measures in place to keep your personal information safe. Paper records are kept in a locked cabinet. Digital records are password-protected and encrypted. Only authorised individuals who have a need to know are granted access to your data. In the event of a personal data breach, we have procedures in place and will notify you and any applicable regulator where we are legally required to do so.

Adults Only Service

Urban Healing and Urban Leading provide psychotherapy services to adults only (aged 18 and over). We do not provide services to children or young people under the age of 18. If you contact us on behalf of a person under 18, we will be unable to accept them as a client and will signpost you to appropriate services.

What is our process for retaining your data?

We only keep your data for as long as necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

Clinical records: In line with UKCP professional guidance, we retain records for a minimum of seven years after the end of our work together.
Financial and contact data: We are legally required to retain basic financial, contact, identity and transaction data for six years after a client ceases to use our services, for tax purposes.
Discovery calls: Where a free 15-minute exploration call takes place and you do not proceed as a client, and no clinical judgement or risk-related decision was formed, basic contact details will be securely deleted within one month of the call. Where any clinical assessment, safeguarding concern or risk-related decision was made during the call, a brief record will be retained for seven years from the date of the call.

What are your legal rights in relation to your data?

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Access: You have the right to ask us what personal data we hold about you and to receive a copy (a Subject Access Request). Email lauren@urban-healing.com with the subject line “DSAR Request”. We will respond within one calendar month.

Correction: If the personal data we hold about you is incomplete or incorrect, you can ask us to correct it.

Erasure: You can ask us to delete your personal data, subject to legal or professional retention obligations.

Objection: In certain situations, you have the right to object to the processing of your personal data.

Restriction of Processing: You can request that we restrict the processing of your personal data in specific circumstances.

Data Portability: You have the right to request the transfer of your personal data to you or a third party of your choice.

Withdrawal of Consent: Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time. Please note that withdrawal of consent for health data processing may mean we are unable to continue providing therapy services safely.

We will not charge a fee for Subject Access Requests unless your request is clearly unjustified, repetitive or excessive.

Changes and Contact

We regularly review this privacy policy and will update it as needed. Please keep us informed if your personal data changes. If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights, please contact us at lauren@urban-healing.com or on 07961554548.

Last reviewed: 01/09/2026

Thank you for reading our privacy policy. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.