A private space to talk through what's on your mind.
Integrative counselling tailored to you — combining CBT, person-centred, psychodynamic and Transactional Analysis approaches, with mindfulness woven through. At your pace, in your words.
Martine van den BergIntegrative Counsellor, BACP Accredited
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An adaptable, non-judgemental space to be properly heard.
I offer an inclusive, empathic and open-minded environment for clients to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings — warm, calm and entirely confidential.
As my client, you sit at the centre of the work. That's why I practise integratively, drawing on CBT, person-centred, psychodynamic, Transactional Analysis and mindfulness approaches — and shaping each session around what actually helps you.
We'll start with a free initial meeting of up to 20 minutes to talk about what's on your mind — whether that's identity, anxiety, loss, burnout, depression, neurodivergence, or trauma — and decide together whether structure or a more fluid process suits you best.
I work from modern, comfortable rooms in Hove, Haywards Heath and Lewes.
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Birch Tree Practice / Martine van den Berg · Effective from 01.09.2026 · Last reviewed 01.09.2026
1. About this notice
I take your privacy and confidentiality seriously. This notice explains how I collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you contact me, enquire about counselling, become a client, or communicate with me during or after counselling.
I aim to handle your personal information in accordance with applicable UK data protection law, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and other applicable legislation, as well as the ethical and professional requirements of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).
This notice forms part of the information provided to you when we agree to work together and should be read alongside my counselling agreement.
Data controller: Martine van den Berg / Birch Tree Practice Contact: birchtreepractice@gmail.com
I am the person responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is processed.
2. What information I collect
Depending on our work together, I may collect and keep information such as:
your name and contact details;
information you provide when making an enquiry or arranging an appointment;
appointment and attendance information;
information contained in emails, telephone calls and other communications with me;
counselling notes and other records relating to our work together;
relevant information concerning your mental or physical health or wellbeing;
information relating to risk, safeguarding or other matters where it is necessary for me to act responsibly and within my legal and ethical obligations;
billing or payment information where applicable; and
information necessary to deal with professional, legal, insurance or regulatory matters.
Information concerning your physical or mental health is treated as special category personal data under UK data protection law and receives additional protection. I aim to collect only information that is relevant and necessary for the purposes described in this notice.
3. Why I use your information
I use your personal information for purposes including: responding to enquiries and arranging counselling; providing counselling and maintaining appropriate professional records; communicating with you about appointments and our work together; maintaining your safety and responding appropriately to safeguarding or serious-risk concerns; maintaining appropriate professional standards and accountability; discussing my work with you in professional supervision, where necessary and appropriate; professional training purposes; meeting legal, regulatory, professional or insurance requirements; establishing, exercising or defending legal claims where necessary; and managing the administrative and financial aspects of my practice.
I do not use your information for purposes that are incompatible with these purposes.
4. My lawful basis for processing your information
UK data protection law requires me to have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the particular processing activity, I may rely on:
performance of an agreement, where processing is necessary to provide the counselling service you have agreed to receive;
legitimate interests, where processing is necessary for the appropriate administration, management, security and professional operation of my practice and those interests are not overridden by your rights;
legal obligation, where I am required by law to retain or disclose information; and
your consent, where consent is the appropriate legal basis, including where I specifically ask for your consent to make an audio recording of a counselling session.
Where I process information concerning your health or other special category information, I will also rely on an applicable Article 9 condition under the UK GDPR and, where required, the Data Protection Act 2018. Where processing is based on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that took place before consent was withdrawn.
5. Confidentiality
Confidentiality is an essential part of counselling and of the therapeutic relationship. I will normally keep information you share with me confidential and will not disclose identifiable information about you to other people without your consent unless there is a lawful justified reason for doing so.
There are, however, circumstances in which confidentiality may need to be limited. These may include:
where I believe there is a serious and imminent risk of significant harm to you or another person;
safeguarding concerns, including where information needs to be shared to protect a child or vulnerable person;
where disclosure is required by law or authorised by law;
where disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights or claims;
where I need to obtain appropriate professional advice in relation to my work or legal obligations; or
where disclosure is otherwise ethically or legally justified.
Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss any proposed disclosure with you beforehand. I will not regard confidentiality as absolute and will explain any foreseeable limitations of confidentiality as part of our counselling agreement.
6. Professional supervision
As a counsellor, I undertake professional supervision. Supervision is an important part of safe, ethical and accountable counselling practice. I may discuss aspects of my work with you with my supervisor in an anonymised way when this is necessary for the quality and safety of my practice.
I will take reasonable steps to protect your identity and will avoid sharing information that could identify you unnecessarily. My supervisor is expected to maintain confidentiality in accordance with applicable professional, ethical and legal requirements.
7. Audio recordings of counselling sessions
I may make audio recordings of counselling sessions only where this has been specifically discussed with you and you have given your consent.
Audio recording is not an automatic part of my counselling service. You are free to refuse permission for a recording, and your decision will not adversely affect your counselling with me. You may also withdraw your consent to recording at any time, subject to any legal requirement or other lawful reason why an existing recording may need to be retained temporarily.
No AI or automated transcription
I do not use artificial intelligence (AI) tools in my counselling practice.
In particular, I do not upload counselling sessions, audio recordings, counselling notes or client communications to generative AI, AI transcription services, AI chatbots or other AI systems for analysis, transcription, summarisation, assessment or clinical decision-making. I do not use AI to make decisions about clients, and I will not use an AI service to transcribe an audio recording of your counselling session.
Audio recordings are therefore not sent to an AI provider for processing. Recordings are stored locally on my own secure device and are not uploaded to cloud-based AI or transcription services. Recordings will be securely deleted when they are no longer required and in accordance with the retention period stated below.
8. How I store and protect your information
I use both paper and electronic records. Paper records are kept securely and are not left where they can be accessed by unauthorised people. Electronic information is stored on my own computer/device and is protected by appropriate security measures, including password protection, encryption, automatic updates, antivirus or other measures.
I take reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access, accidental loss, destruction or disclosure of your personal information. Access to identifiable client information is limited to people who genuinely need access for an appropriate professional, legal or administrative reason (for example, if I am incapacitated) — a qualified therapist who adheres to confidentiality and UK privacy laws. I do not sell client information or use it for advertising or commercial profiling.
9. Email and telephone communication
Besides face-to-face work, I use an encrypted website-based meeting platform, email and telephone to communicate with clients. Please be aware that ordinary email and telephone communications may involve risks outside my direct control, including interception, misdirection or access by someone who has access to your email account or telephone.
I will take reasonable care when communicating with you and will use the contact details you provide for the purposes of counselling and related administration. If you share highly sensitive information with me by email, I will treat it confidentially, but email should not be regarded as an emergency or crisis service.
10. Who I may share information with
I will keep disclosure of your information to the minimum necessary. Depending on the circumstances, information may be shared with: my professional supervisor; a professional training organisation; professional or legal advisers where necessary; insurers, where necessary in connection with a claim or professional requirement; relevant authorities or emergency services where there is a lawful and necessary reason to do so; other professionals or organisations where you have given appropriate consent or where disclosure is otherwise legally or ethically justified; and a court, tribunal or other authority where disclosure is legally required or authorised.
I will not routinely share your counselling records with your GP, employer, family members, partner or other professionals without your consent unless there is a lawful justified reason for doing so.
11. How long I keep information
I will not keep personal information for longer than is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, taking account of legal, professional, insurance and safeguarding requirements. My current retention period is 7 years. At the end of the relevant retention period, information will be securely deleted, destroyed or anonymised where appropriate. Retention periods are reviewed yearly in January.
12. Your data protection rights
Depending on the circumstances, you have rights under UK data protection law including the right to: be informed about how your information is used; request access to the personal information I hold about you; ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected; ask for your information to be erased in certain circumstances; ask for processing to be restricted in certain circumstances; object to certain processing; withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
These rights are subject to certain legal exceptions and are not absolute in every circumstance. If you wish to exercise one of your rights, please contact me using the details at the beginning of this notice. I will normally respond to a valid request within the time period required by applicable data protection law.
13. Your right to complain
If you have concerns about how I have handled your personal information, I would encourage you to contact me first so that I can try to resolve the matter. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), the UK's independent supervisory authority for data protection.
14. Data breaches
I take reasonable measures to prevent personal data breaches. If a personal data breach occurs, I will assess it and take appropriate steps in accordance with applicable data protection law, including notifying the ICO and/or affected individuals where legally required.
15. Website information
When you visit my website, some information may be collected automatically by the website provider, such as technical information about your device or how you use the website. My website uses only essential cookies and does not use analytics, advertising or tracking cookies.
16. Changes to this privacy notice
I may update this privacy notice from time to time to reflect changes in my practice, technology, professional requirements or the law. The most recent version will be made available on my website and, where appropriate, I will draw significant changes to clients' attention.
Effective date: 01.09.2026 · Next review date: January 2027
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