Privacy Policy

Welcome to Counsellia. We provide free, confidential mental health support and counselling for teenagers and young adults. Because we handle deeply personal matters, your privacy is not just a legal obligation: it is a sacred trust.

This Privacy Policy explains exactly how we collect, protect, and handle your information when you visit our website (counsellia.com) or reach out to us for support.

Section 1: The Core Rule (Absolute Confidentiality)

1.1 General Privacy

What you say in your counselling sessions stays between you and your practitioner. We maintain a strict zero-tolerance policy against commercialisation: we do not sell, rent, share, or trade your personal conversations, names, or session logs with third-party advertisers, corporate entities, or family members.

1.2 Clinical and Ethical Exceptions

In accordance with international psychological and data protection standards, the only rare exceptions where we are legally or ethically required to share specific information are:

  • Immediate Harm: If we have reasonable cause to believe there is an immediate, serious threat to your life, safety, or the physical safety of another individual.

  • Vulnerable Protection: If an active session reveals ongoing abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a minor or vulnerable adult.

  • Legal Compliance: If we are compelled to disclose specific information by a valid court order or legally binding subpoena.

  • Explicit Consent: If you give us express, written permission to share a detail with a specific trusted professional or next of kin.

Section 2: Information We Collect

We adhere to the principle of data minimisation, collecting only the bare minimum amount of information required to deliver high-quality support.

2.1 Information You Share Directly

When you fill out an intake or booking form, use our contact pages, or reach out to us via our integrated communication channels, you may choose to provide:

  • Identity details (such as your first name or a chosen pseudonym).

  • Demographic details (such as your age, which helps us ensure platform eligibility).

  • Contact details (such as your email address and WhatsApp phone number).

  • Brief context regarding your current emotional situation to help us match you with the right practitioner.

2.2 Technical and Analytical Data

When you browse counsellia.com, our systems automatically log basic technical metrics. This includes your anonymised IP address, browser type, device operating system, and pages visited. This data is entirely aggregated and non-identifiable, used strictly for website optimization and security monitoring.

Section 3: How We Use Your Information

We process your data strictly for the direct administrative and clinical purposes for which it was collected:

  • To verify your platform eligibility and assign an appropriate volunteer practitioner to your slot.

  • To deliver automated confirmation emails, access passwords, and scheduling updates.

  • To securely log session attendance metrics and maintain private internal clinical summaries.

  • To monitor and secure our web infrastructure against unauthorised access or performance technicalities.

Section 4: Third-Party Integrations and Security

To make our platform accessible and highly interactive, we coordinate with trusted digital service providers.

4.1 Communication Frameworks (WhatsApp and tawk.to)

  • WhatsApp: When you connect with us via our WhatsApp integration, your messages are protected under WhatsApp’s native end-to-end encryption protocols.

  • Live Chat Routing: If you utilise our integrated page redirection or live chat channels (such as tawk.to), data transmission is encrypted in transit to protect your entry portal.

4.2 Core Hosting and Cloud Tools

Our website forms, analytics, and booking infrastructure utilize secure cloud frameworks provided by established systems (such as Google Workspaces). These services maintain strict enterprise-grade encryption and access controls.

Section 5: Data Retention and Deletion

We do not retain personal data indefinitely. Your contact information and basic counselling summaries are stored only for as long as necessary to provide ongoing supportive care, protect clinical continuity, or meet internal NGO compliance standards. When your file is closed or an account becomes inactive, your personal data is permanently and securely purged from our operational databases.

Section 6: Your Rights and Choices

Even though you entrust us with this information to facilitate care, the data belongs entirely to you. You maintain the following rights, which you can exercise at any time by contacting us:

  • The Right to Access: You may request a summary of the personal information we hold about you.

  • The Right to Rectification: You may request that we update or correct any inaccurate administrative details (such as an incorrect phone number or misspelled email).

  • The Right to Erasure: You may request that we permanently delete your contact history and administrative records from our live systems, subject to essential legal or emergency record-keeping exceptions.

Section 7: Policy Amendments

We reserve the right to modify this Privacy Policy as Counsellia scales or as global data protection laws evolve. If any structural changes are made to how we manage your personal information, a prominent notice will be displayed on our homepage or emailed directly to active users.

Section 8: Contact Our Team

If you have any questions, concerns, or technical doubts regarding how your data is safely processed, please reach out to our administration team directly:

  • Website Portal: counsellia.com/contact

  • Direct Channel: Use the interactive chat button located on our official homepage.