Coaching services for clarity, stress relief,
contentment, resilience & achievement
Privacy Policy
www.effectivethoughts.co.uk ~ effectivethoughts@gmail.com
Our Privacy Policy - Protecting your confidentiality, your information and using it responsibly - Effective Date: 01/01/2024 (amended 29/05/2026). For the purposes of UK data protection law, Cara Hooper / EffectiveThoughts is the data controller responsible for your personal information.
Protecting your privacy
At effectivethoughts.co.uk, we value our customers’ privacy and guarantee complete transparency about why we need the personal information we request and how we will use it. We are totally committed to protecting your information and using it responsibly. If you have any questions about this privacy policy and how we use your information you can contact us by email at effectivethoughts@gmail.com. We can also send this as a PDF.
Key commitments
☼ We may contact you regarding enquiries, appointments, services, updates or relevant information relating to Cara Hooper or EffectiveThoughts.
☼ Where required by law, we will obtain your consent before sending marketing communications. You can opt out of marketing communications at any time.
☼ We only share personal information with trusted third-party service providers where necessary to operate our business and fulfil our services. These may include secure payment providers, website hosting providers, cloud storage services and analytics providers such as Wix, Google Analytics, Stripe and PayPal.
☼ We require any third-party providers we use to handle personal information securely and in accordance with applicable data protection laws.
☼ We do not sell personal information to third parties.
☼ We keep your electronic and hard copy data safe and secure
☼ Where sensitive personal information relating to health, wellbeing or therapeutic support is voluntarily provided, this information will only be processed where necessary for the provision of requested services, with appropriate confidentiality and security protections in place.
Confidentiality: all consultations, session content, discussions, notes and results will be treated confidentially and handled securely, except where disclosure is required by law or where there is a serious safeguarding concern.
We are committed to respecting and upholding the data protection rights of all actual and prospective customers.
Your right to know
You have a right to know what information we hold about you, and why we have it.
These are some of things you may wish to ask us:
☼ what we use the information for
☼ to be provided with a copy of the information
☼ to be given details of the purposes for which we use the information
☼ persons/organisations to whom the information is disclosed
☼ to ask for incorrect data to be corrected
Where we use your information, it will be because:
☼ you have provided consent for a specific purpose
☼ processing is necessary to provide requested services or respond to enquiries
☼ processing is necessary for our legitimate interests as described in this policy
☼ processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation
Legitimate Interests
In some situations, we process personal information where it is necessary for our legitimate interests as a small business, provided these interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.
These legitimate interests may include:
☼ responding to enquiries and providing requested information
☼ managing appointments, consultations, services and customer relationships
☼ maintaining records relating to services provided
☼ improving our website, services and customer experience
☼ protecting our business against fraud, misuse, security threats or legal claims
☼ sending relevant service updates or information relating to existing enquiries or services
☼ maintaining business accounts, records and administration
Where we rely on legitimate interests, we will always consider and balance any potential impact on your privacy and your data protection rights.
How we use your information to fulfil your requests and support you
We will use your information to respond to or fulfil any requests, complaints or queries you make to us. If you contact us directly, we will use the information you give to us to handle your enquiry or request. This may include responding to your query or feedback, or sending you relevant information, such as product information or quotes, or fulfilling our delivery commitments to you.
Where we keep your information
Your information is kept on secure digital systems, and in secure password protected digital filing systems. This applies to all actual and prospective customer information, for example when we:
☼ market our products or services, or share information, news and updates
This could include:
☼ securely keeping customers’ phone numbers and/or addresses on file
☼ using email address to fulfil invoices or send products/updates
☼ backing up data via cloud systems e.g Google, Amazon Web Services, Wix
How long we keep your information
Personal data processed for any purpose or purposes will not be kept for longer than is necessary.
We commit to:
☼ reviewing the length of time we keep personal data: personal records for adults are kept for seven years after the last attendance (in person or virtual)
☼ securely deleting information that is no longer needed for this purpose or these purposes
☼ updating, archiving or securely deleting information if it goes out of date
Changes to our Privacy Policy
We may update this policy to reflect changes in how we use your information. You may wish to check this policy each time you provide this site with your information. Where appropriate, we will provide you with notice of any significant changes to how we use your information.
Cookie Policy & third party links (Google Analytics, Stripe, PayPal)
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for essential website functionality, analytics and performance monitoring. Where required by law, we will request your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.
Your Data Protection Rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:
☼ request access to the personal information we hold about you
☼ request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
☼ request erasure of your information in certain circumstances
☼ object to or restrict certain processing activities
☼ withdraw consent where processing is based on consent
☼ lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
We aim to respond to requests and complaints within one calendar month.
Concerns and complaints form for data handling or GDPR concerns: https://effectivethoughts.wixforms.com/f/7466163465963439143
If you are unhappy with how your information has been handled, you also have the right to contact the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):
Latest update: 29/05/2026