Privacy Policy

1. Who We Are

Take a Seat Ltd ("we", "us", "our") is a referral and introduction service that connects individuals with independent, self-employed therapists and clinical professionals. We are registered in England & Wales (Company No: [COMPANY_NUMBER]) and registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO Registration: [ICO_NUMBER]).

Important: Take a Seat is a referral service only. We introduce you to independent therapists but do not provide therapy or clinical services directly. When you engage with a therapist, they become the data controller for any clinical/therapeutic information shared during your sessions.

2. Information We Collect

At Take a Seat, we collect information that you provide directly to us, including:

Standard Personal Data:

• Contact information (name, email address, phone number)
• Account credentials
• Communication records and enquiry details
• Payment information (processed securely through UK-regulated payment providers)
• Usage data and analytics to improve our services

Special Category Data (Health Information):

• Mental health assessment responses and therapy preferences
• Information about symptoms, concerns, or conditions you share in enquiries
• Previous diagnoses or medical history you choose to disclose

We only collect special category data with your explicit consent and for the purpose of matching you with appropriate therapists or facilitating assessment bookings.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent: For special category (health) data and marketing communications
• Contract: To provide our referral services when you enquire about or book with a therapist
• Legitimate Interest: To improve our services, prevent fraud, and ensure platform security
• Legal Obligation: To comply with UK law and regulatory requirements

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

• Match you with suitable UK-based therapists based on your needs and preferences
• Facilitate introductions and pass your enquiry details to your chosen therapist
• Process assessment booking requests and pass these to qualified clinicians
• Provide customer support and respond to your enquiries
• Improve our services and develop new features
• Comply with UK legal and regulatory requirements

5. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We share your personal information in the following circumstances:

• With therapists: When you enquire about or request an introduction to a specific therapist, we share your contact details and enquiry information with them
• With assessment clinicians: When you book an assessment, we share your details with qualified clinicians who will conduct the assessment
• With service providers: Trusted third parties who assist us in operating our platform (e.g. hosting, payment processing) under strict data protection agreements
• With advertising and analytics partners (consent only): If you accept "marketing" cookies, we share pseudonymous event data (page views, sign-ups, enquiries) with Meta (Facebook/Instagram Pixel) and LinkedIn (Insight Tag) to measure campaign performance and deliver retargeted advertising. No special-category health data is ever shared with these partners.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, court order, or to protect safety
• Business transfers: In case of a merger or acquisition (with prior notice)

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal data for the following periods:

• Account data: For the duration of your account plus 2 years after closure
• Enquiry data: 3 years from your last interaction
• Assessment bookings: 7 years (to comply with healthcare record-keeping requirements)
• Payment records: 7 years (to comply with UK tax and accounting requirements)
• Marketing consent records: 3 years from consent withdrawal

7. Data Security

We implement industry-standard security measures to protect your personal information, including:

• Encryption of data in transit and at rest
• Secure data storage with regular backups
• Regular security audits and vulnerability assessments
• Strict access controls and employee training
• UK/EU-based data hosting

8. Your Rights Under UK GDPR

Under UK data protection laws, you have the right to:

• Access: Request a copy of your personal data
• Rectification: Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Erasure: Request deletion of your personal data ("right to be forgotten")
• Restriction: Restrict processing of your data in certain circumstances
• Portability: Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Object: Object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing
• Withdraw consent: Withdraw consent at any time (without affecting prior processing)

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at james@takeaseat.co.uk. We will respond within one month.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk.

9. International Transfers

Your data is primarily stored and processed within the UK and European Economic Area (EEA). Where data is transferred outside the UK/EEA, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, such as:

• Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the UK government
• Transfers to countries with adequacy decisions

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify you of significant changes by email or through a prominent notice on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us at: