Privacy Policy — New Roots Counselling

This practice takes your privacy seriously. This policy explains what personal information is collected when you use this website or make an enquiry, how it is used, and your rights under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Who We Are

New Roots Counselling is a private counselling practice based in Portugal, offering emigration counselling to English-speaking individuals, couples and families. For the purposes of GDPR, the practice is the data controller.

This practice operates in compliance with EU GDPR (Regulation 2016/679), which applies to all data collected from clients and website visitors, including those based in the UK and Canada.

What Information We Collect

When you use the enquiry form on this website, the following information may be collected:

Your name
Your email address
Your location or country of residence
Your session preferences (individual, couples, family, or child support)
Any additional information you choose to share in your message

No payment information is collected through this website. Payment details, if required, are handled separately through secure means and are not stored on this site.

How We Use Your Information

Information submitted through the enquiry form is used solely to:

Respond to your enquiry
Assess whether this practice is the right fit for your needs
Arrange an initial assessment session if appropriate
Communicate with you about your counselling sessions

Your information will never be sold, shared with third parties for marketing purposes, or used for any purpose other than providing counselling services to you.

Legal Basis for Processing

Your data is processed on the following legal bases under GDPR Article 6:

Consent — you provide explicit consent when submitting the enquiry form
Legitimate interests — to respond to enquiries and provide the services you have requested
Contractual necessity — once a therapeutic relationship is established, data processing is necessary to deliver the agreed service

Where Your Data Is Stored

All personal data is stored and processed within Portugal, in compliance with EU GDPR requirements. Data is held securely and access is restricted to the practice only.

      A note for UK clients
      Following the UK's departure from the EU, the UK has adopted equivalent data protection legislation (UK GDPR). This practice processes data in accordance with both EU and UK GDPR standards. Your rights as a UK-based individual are fully respected under this policy.
    

      A note for Canadian clients
      Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) sets similar standards for the protection of personal data. This practice handles all personal information with equivalent care and respect for your privacy rights as a Canadian resident.
    

How Long We Keep Your Data

Enquiry data from individuals who do not proceed to counselling is deleted within 30 days of the final communication.

For clients who do proceed to sessions, records are retained for a minimum of seven years following the end of the therapeutic relationship, in line with professional practice standards. After this period, records are securely destroyed.

Cookies and Analytics

This website does not currently use tracking cookies or third-party analytics services. If this changes, this policy will be updated and you will be informed via a cookie consent notice on the site.

Your Rights

Under GDPR, you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

Right of access — you can request a copy of the data held about you
Right to rectification — you can ask for inaccurate data to be corrected
Right to erasure — you can request that your data be deleted, subject to legal obligations
Right to restrict processing — you can ask that processing of your data be limited
Right to data portability — you can request your data in a portable format
Right to object — you can object to processing based on legitimate interests
Right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw it at any time

To exercise any of these rights, please contact the practice directly using the details below.

Data Security

Reasonable technical and organisational measures are in place to protect your personal data against unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure. All electronic communications are handled through secure, encrypted channels.

Third Party Services

This website is hosted via Netlify. Netlify may process limited technical data (such as IP addresses) as part of standard hosting operations. For details, refer to Netlify's Privacy Policy.

No other third-party services are currently used to process personal data submitted through this site.

Changes to This Policy

This privacy policy may be updated from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with a revised date. You are encouraged to review this policy periodically.

Questions or Requests

If you have any questions about this privacy policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact the practice directly.

Email: [email protected] — support@newrootscounselling.pt

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Portuguese data protection authority, the Comissão Nacional de Proteção de Dados (CNPD), at cnpd.pt.

Last updated: March 2026