We are HelloSelf and we believe it’s important that we are clear and transparent in how we use your personal information.
This privacy notice sets out how and why HelloSelf collects your personal information and what we use it for. It also sets out the rights you have about our use of your information. Your privacy is very important to us and so we will only ever use your personal information appropriately and in a secure manner.
If you have any questions about this notice please email us at dpo@helloself.com.
This privacy notice is primarily written for adults, including parents and guardians of child users of our Services. If you are a child (under 18 years old) you are welcome to read this notice if you find it useful, but we recommend you discuss the contents of this privacy notice with your parent or your guardian.
HelloSelf operates a platform to enable individuals to book and conduct psychological healthcare consultations (“Sessions”) with mental health therapists (“Experts”) through our website at https://www.helloself.com/, and other subdomains owned and operated by HelloSelf, (our "Website"), and our mobile application (our "App").
HelloSelf provides services (the "HelloSelf Service") to individuals through our Website and App that enable:
HelloSelf comprises HelloSelf Limited (company number 11352803), HelloSelf (UK) Limited (company number 11492566), The Mind Works Practice Limited (company number 08009811), Leathes Psychology Limited (company number 08190535) and Hampshire & Surrey Psychology Limited (company number 10336271). Together these companies are referred to in this privacy notice as “HelloSelf”.
Any reference in this notice to “we” or “us” means HelloSelf.
Personal information is data that identifies or is associated with you (your "personal information") when you use the HelloSelf Service, or otherwise interact with us by email, phone or social media.
The type of information we collect from you depends on how you engage with our Services or interact with us.
We collect personal information that you upload to the HelloSelf Service when you set up your account on the HelloSelf Service (whether as a member or as an Expert), and that you provide directly to us when you communicate with us (including through email, phone or social media).
If you are a member, we also collect personal information that you upload to the HelloSelf Service when you use the Self service Features and when you schedule and pay for a Session.
Most of the information that we collect is collected directly from you. Third parties acting on your behalf (for example, insurers, GPs or other health professionals etc.) may also provide us with personal information about you, subject to their own privacy policies.
For users of our Services and our website, we may collect personal information about you from:
If we provide you with psychological healthcare services, we may collect information from:
Like most online services, we also collect certain personal information about you automatically when you use the HelloSelf Service in order to understand how the HelloSelf Service is used and how we can improve it.
We have set out the categories of personal information we collect and how we use them in detail below.
Under data protection law, we can only use your personal data if we have a legitimate reason to do so. For example:
A legitimate interest is when we or a third party have a business or commercial reason to use your
information, so long as this is not overridden by your own rights and interests.information, so long as this is not overridden by your own rights and interests.
We are the data controller of the personal information we collect and use through the HelloSelf Service as described in this Privacy Notice. This means that we determine and are responsible for how your personal information is used when you use the HelloSelf Service or otherwise interact with us by email, phone or social media.
We provide further details below about what we use your personal information for and why.
HelloSelf processes personal data about you for the provision of our services to you. We do this, for example, when you create an account with HelloSelf or when you decide to share personal data with us in the context of receiving healthcare consultations through us, whether through our website or using our App.
Contact information including your first name, last name, email address and phone number
To create and manage your member account with us
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
Where appropriate, to record you as a referral on our platform so that you can be matched to one or more Experts for therapy/coaching consultations
To send you service-related communications, such as password recovery emails and payment confirmations
To respond to any queries you submit to us about the HelloSelf Service
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely communicating and responding to queries and customer service requests from our customers, prospective customers, and business contacts
Information that you submit through our mood tracking and personal notes tools
To allow you to track goals and how your mood develops overtime
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
Your responses to certain questionnaires available through ourService, including standardised diagnostic tools that are regularly used to screen individuals for the presence and severity of depression or anxiety or overall wellbeing distress
To indicate to you whether you are likely experiencing distress, depression or anxiety and the likely severity of that distress, depression or anxiety, and use those results to inform you if we recommend that you speak to a therapist or seek urgent help
We process this data based on your consent. This is requested when creating a HelloSelf account
If you have booked a Session or otherwise engaged with an Expert, we will share this information with the relevant Expert to enable them to provide their advice and services to you
Identification information such as date of birth, postal address and country of residence
To check if you are eligible to use the HelloSelf Service and (if appropriate) to identify eligible Experts for you to engage with
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
The condition(s) for which you areseeking help (if applicable), including previous medical history related to thecondition (including diagnoses andtreatment)
To match you with suitableExperts that provide services relevant to your condition
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
The additional condition that we rely on for processing this personal information is that processing is necessary for the provision of health or social care or treatment and the management of health or social care systems and services pursuant to a contract with a health professional
We will share this information with the Expert you engage in order to enable them to structure and provide suitable advice during Sessions
Your Expert and Session preferences, such as your preferences for particularExperts and your time availability for sessions
To match you with a suitable Expert, and help you and theExpert schedule your Sessions in accordance with your preferences
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
Details of your GP and other medical contacts, such as the name and address of your GP, your psychiatrist or other specialist (if applicable), and your next of kin
To share high level information about your Sessions and results of your diagnostic questionnaires with your GP or other specialist
We process this data based on your consent. This is requested when creating a HelloSelf account
We use this information for safeguarding purposes where we believe your wellbeing, or that of another individual, may be at risk
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely ensuring that we comply with our safeguarding obligations
The additional condition that we rely on for processing this personal information is that processing is necessary to protect your vital interests where you are physically orlegally incapable of giving consent
Information about your private health insurance, such as the name of the insurer, membership number, authorisation number, and your gender
To enable you to claim the cost of any Sessions from your insurer, or to arrange direct payment of the cost of your Sessions from your insurer
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
When you attend a Session as a member, Experts will collect personal information from you, make notes about your Session that contain personal information about you, and maintain records of their interaction with you as a recipient of their services or treatment
Experts will use these records to provide their advice during theSession, maintain such records for future Sessions and to comply with their legal or professional obligations to maintain records
The processing of these records is necessary for theExpert with their respective regulatory bodies professional standards. In addition, processing any personal information relating to your health is necessary for the provision of health or social care or treatment and the management of health or social care systems and services pursuant to a contract with a health professional
Details relating to the time, dates and duration of Sessions you have booked to attend, or have attended
To maintain a record of the treatment you have received to issue bills to you, your employer or insurance provider, and (if you are anExpert) facilitating payment to you
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
In addition, processing any personal information relating to your health is necessary for the provision of health or social care or treatment and the management of health or social care systems and services pursuant to a contract with a health professional
Written Session notes and summaries taken by the Expert and uploaded to the HelloSelf Service, which may include information members provide to Experts during Sessions, via the messaging function, and diagnoses and treatment plans provided by Experts
To provide Experts with a written record of their clinical interactions with you for future Sessions and to comply with their legal or professional obligations.
We also use this information to monitor the quality of the Sessions and services being performed
It may also be used by other Experts of clinical professionals where we believe you require safeguarding support and for investigating complaints
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely ensuring the quality of the services offered by Experts through the HelloSelf Service.
The additional condition that we rely on for processing information relating to members' health is that processing is necessary for the management of health or social care systems and services pursuant to a contract with a health professional
We may share this information with your GP or other health specialist in order to inform your ongoing treatment with them
We will only process your personal information in this way to the extent you give us your consent to do so
We may share extracts of this information with your insurer, at your request, if required to support an insurance claim
Transcripts of your Session, capturing your discussion with the Expert during the Session
To provide the Expert with a detailed record of your Session to aid in their preparation of Session notes.
To provide you with a record of the Session that you can refer to at a later date
We will only process your personal information in this way to the extent you give us your consent to do so
Session recordings, including any audio or video recordings of your Session
To provide you with a record of the Session that you can refer to at a later date. Occasionally, our experts take session recordings to their own clinical supervision to maintain their expertise and the quality of the care they are providing. They will only do this after a discussion with you and with your informed consent
We will only process your personal information in this way to the extent you give us your consent to do so
Where a third party (for example, your employer, your GP or psychiatrist, an insurer or the NHS) has referred you to HelloSelf for treatment, or they are paying HelloSelf for your treatment, we may collect certain personal information about you from them as detailed below
Employment information: If your employer has referred you to theHelloSelf Service, or is paying foryour use of the HelloSelf Service, we may receive the name of youremployer, information about your employment status with that employer, and which services (or how many Sessions) your employer has paid for
We use this information to give you access to the features of the HelloSelf Service and Sessions that your employer has agreed to pay for
The processing is necessary for our and your employer's legitimate interests, namely granting you access to theHelloSelf Service as part of your employment benefits
We aggregate information about how members whose use of theHelloSelf Service is paid for by the same employer, or who have been referred by the same employer, use the HelloSelf Service in order to provide aggregated and anonymised reports to the relevant employer(such as number of employees who actively use the HelloSelf Service and number of Sessions attended by all employees of that employer)
The processing is necessary for your employer's legitimate interests, namely assessing how their employees use employment benefits
If your GP or other care provider has referred you to the HelloSelf Service, we may receive medical notes and information about the condition(s) for which you have been referred from these providers
We use this information to match you with a suitable Expert
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
The additional condition that we rely on for processing this personal information is that processing is necessary for the provision of health or social care or treatment and the management of health or social care systems and services pursuant to a contract with a health professional
We will share this information with the Expert you engage in order to enable them to structure and provide suitable advice during Sessions
We aggregate information about the referrals we receive (and exclude any information relating to specific health conditions) to understand how the HelloSelf service is used in order to inform our promotional efforts, how we work with partners and which partnerships to pursue in the future
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely informing how we promote the HelloSelf Service and manage our relationships with partners
Your insurer may share information relating to your insurance with us, such as the types and number of Sessions that they have agreed to cover and any excess payable by you under your insurance policy
We use this information to give you access to the features of the HelloSelf Service and Sessions that your insurer has agreed to pay for, and to handle billing and reimbursement arrangements with your insurer
The processing is necessary for our and your insurer's legitimate interests, namely granting you access to the HelloSelf Service in accordance with your insurance policy benefits
We aggregate information about how we work with insurance providers to understand how ourService is used in order to inform our promotional efforts, how we work with partners and which partnerships to pursue in the future
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely informing how we promote the HelloSelf Service and manage our relationships with partners
Experts join HelloSelf to promote their services on our platform, provide therapy and coaching sessions ("Sessions") to, and communicate with, members. The information we collect fromExperts in respect of this is detailed below.
Contact information including your first name, last name, email address and phone number. We will also ask you to set up your profile by providing information such as a professional biography and your experience and qualifications. You can also customise your profile by uploading your photograph
To ascertain whether you are suitable to join the HelloSelf network as an Expert, subject to a satisfactory interview process
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (the “Expert Agreement”)
To create and manage your Expert account with us
The processing is necessary for your employer's legitimate interests, namely assessing how their employees use employment benefits
We will use your name to search the registers of practitioners maintained by the British Association for Behavioural & Cognitive Psychotherapies ("BABCP") and/or Health & Care Professions Council ("HCPC") to confirm that you are currently registered with the appropriate organisation.
We use this information to match you with a suitable Expert
Your registration information with the BABCP and/or HCPC and evidence of your professional indemnity insurance policy
We use this information ensure that we meet our commitments by working only with appropriately accredited and insured Experts
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Expert Agreement
We also automatically collect certain personal information about you and about how you access the HelloSelf Website and App (together the “HelloSelf Service”) and the device you are using to do so, as detailed below. We collect this information through log files, cookies and similar tracking technologies. For more information about the cookies we use, please see our Cookie Policy.
The date and time you access the HelloSelf Service, the actions you take on the HelloSelf Service, the operating system and IP address you access the HelloSelf Service from, as well as your device name, model, screen resolution, operating system, user region, time zone, country code, battery level/state, and Google Click Identifier
We use this information so we can present the HelloSelf Service to you in the correct format for your device and browser
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you (namely our Terms of Service)
We use this information to maintain the security of the HelloSelf Service
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely ensuring the security of the HelloSelf Service and communications between members and Experts
We use this information to analyse the performance of the HelloSelf Service in order to monitor and maintain the performance of the HelloSelf Service; and identify errors and ways in which we can improve theHelloSelf Service, including developing and testing new features
We will only process your personal information in this way to the extent you give us your consent to do so
Information collected through our internal messaging service, including any information shared between members and Experts
We use this information to ensure compliance with our Terms of Service
The processing is necessary for the performance of a contract, namely our Terms of Service and Expert Agreement.
To the extent such messages contain information about members' health, the additional condition we rely on for processing such information is that processing is necessary for the management of health or social care systems and services pursuant to a contract with a health professional
We use this information to monitor the ongoing quality of the services provided by Experts, for risk and safeguarding purposes and to investigate complaints
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely assessing and ensuring the quality of the services provided through the HelloSelf Service.
To the extent such messages contain information about members' health, the additional condition we rely on for processing such information is that processing is necessary for the management of health or social care systems and services pursuant to a contract with a health professional
HelloSelf will collect certain information from you in our communications with you which relate to your preferences on how we communicate with you and the types of communications you wish to receive from us. These are detailed below.
Contact information including your first name, last name, email address and phone number
We use this information to send you newsletters and information about promotions and new features on the HelloSelf Service.
We will only process your personal information in this way to the extent you have given us your consent
Your communication preferences, such as whether you asked or agreed to receive emails from us promoting the HelloSelf Service and whether you would like us to keep your GP and other relevant health professionals informed about any treatment you receive through the HelloSelf Service.
We use this information to ensure that we only send promotional communications to you in accordance with your preferences
The processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject, namely laws implementing the ePrivacyDirective 2002/58/EC (as amended)
We use this information to ensure that we only share any information about your use of theHelloSelf Service or your Sessions with your GP in accordance with your preferences
The processing is necessary to comply with a legal obligation to which we are subject, namely our legal obligations of confidentiality and obligations relating to the processing of health data under the Data Protection Act 2018
When you communicate with us, such as by email, phone or social media, we will collect the comments, queries and feedback that you submit to us when you contact us and the content of our responses to you
We use this information to respond to your comments, queries and feedback about the HelloSelf Service or us
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely communicating with customers, prospective customers and business contacts
We use this information to tailor the communications we send to you so that they are more relevant to you
We use this information to tailor the communications we send to you so that they are more relevant to you
We use this information to improve the HelloSelf Service in response to any comments, complaints and feedback that you provide
The processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely maintaining and improving the HelloSelf Service
If you apply for an employment position with HelloSelf (and are not applying to join us as an Expert), we will collect information about you as follows:
Contact information including your first name, last name, gender, postal and email address, and phone number. We may request a photo of you and will require details of your educational and employment backgrounds
Depending on the role, we may need to collect employment references about you and run background (e.g.DBS) checks on you
To assess the applicant’s suitability for employment and HelloSelf and to contact the applicant
We process the personal data of employment applicants based on our legitimate interest in selecting the best candidates for HelloSelf or when processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations
We will seek your consent before collecting employment references or running background checks on you
As required in accordance with how we use your personal information, we may share your personal information as follows:
Contact information
We will store this personal information for no longer than we need it to provide the HelloSelf Service you request from us and for the other purposes set out above.
We may also need to keep it to comply with our legal obligations and enforce our rights from time to time.
As a result, the length of time that we keep your information will vary depending on the purposes for which we have it. In any event, we will review what information we need on an ongoing basis and will only retain it for the minimum amount of time that we need it for.
Comments, queries and feedback
Communication preferences
Content you submit when using the Website or App
We will store this personal information for as long as your account is active and for up to 90 days after you cancel.
We may also need to keep it to comply with our legal obligations and enforce our rights from time to time.
As a result, the length of time that we keep your information will vary depending on the purposes for which we have it. In any event, we will review what information we need on an ongoing basis and will only retain it for the minimum amount of time that we need it for.
Clinical information
We will store this personal information for 8 years if you are an adult member. If you are 16 years old, we will retain your data until your 25th Birthday or until 26, if you were 17 at the time of treatment
Information about how you access the HelloSelf Service
We will store this personal information for no longer than necessary to assess the performance of theHelloSelf Service and identify errors in the HelloSelf Service.
As required in accordance with how we use your personal information, we may share your personal information as follows:
Experts and members. Members share information with Experts, and Experts share information with members when each of them voluntarily discloses information through the HelloSelf Service (including the Expert’s public profile).
Experts will use and have access to personal information about members in connection with the treatment provided by Experts through the HelloSelf Service.
The lawful basis we rely on for transferring this personal information is that the processing is necessary for the performance of a contract with you(namely our Terms of Service or Expert Agreement)
Service providers. We may share your personal information with third party vendors and other service providers that perform services for us or on our behalf, such as providing hosting or other technical services such as analytics services, payment services or communication services.
These service providers will use your personal information as processors on our instructions.
Social media. When we interact with you through a social media App, that social media App will receive and process the personal information contained in such communications
Social media Apps will use the personal information they collect in accordance with their privacy notices.
The lawful basis we rely on for transferring this personal information is that the processing is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely communicating with you and our customers through social media, and promoting the HelloSelf Service.
Purchasers and third parties in connection with a business transaction. Your personal information may be disclosed to third parties in connection with a transaction, such as a merger, sale of assets or shares, reorganisation, financing, change of control or acquisition of all or a portion of our business
These recipients will use your personal information to assess the potential transaction with us, and otherwise only as disclosed in this Privacy Notice.
The lawful basis we rely on for transferring this personal information is that the processing is necessary for our and the third party's legitimate interests, namely assessing and executing a potential transaction with us.
Your employer, insurer or other third party funder.If you are a member, we may share limited personal information with third parties that are funding your Sessions, which may include your employer, insurer or another third party.
These recipients will use your personal information to monitor your treatment and pay for sessions on your behalf.
The lawful basis we are rely on for transferring this personal information is that the processing is necessary for our and the third party’s legitimate interests, namely providing you with access to theHelloSelf Service in accordance with the benefits that your employer, insurer, or third party provides to you, and reporting on the aggregate use of such benefits.
Your doctors and specialists. We may share your personal information with your GP, psychiatrist or other doctors or specialists.
These recipients will use your personal information in the performance of their medical role, or to advise us in connection with your treatment.
We will only share your personal information with these recipients to the extent you give us your consent to do so.
Law enforcement, regulators and other parties for legal reasons or concerns regarding risk to self, others or for safeguarding purposes as part of our duty of care. We may share your personal information with third parties as required by law or if we reasonably believe that such action is necessary to
(i) comply with the law and the reasonable requests of law enforcement; (ii) detect and investigate illegal activities and breaches of agreements; (iii) manage risk and safeguard and/or
(iv) exercise or protect the rights, property, or personal safety of HelloSelf, its users or others.
These recipients will use your personal information in the performance of their regulatory or law enforcement role, or to advise us in connection with a potential claim or regulatory enforcement action.
The lawful basis we rely on for sharing personal information with these recipients is that the processing is either necessary to comply with our duty of care, a legal obligation to which we are subject or is necessary for our legitimate interests, namely enforcing our rights or complying with requests from regulatory authorities.
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against accidental or unlawful destruction, loss, change or damage. All personal information we collect will be stored on our hosting provider's secure servers. We will never send you unsolicited emails or contact you by phone requesting your credit or debit card information or national identification numbers.
Your personal information is primarily processed within the UK and European Economic Area. We do, however, use certain service providers located in the USA, who may receive and process your personal information on our behalf.
Where we transfer personal information to these service providers, we do so in accordance with agreements with these service providers that incorporate agreements approved for the transfer of personal data under the UK Data Protection Act 2018, including standard contractual clauses issued by the European Commission as amended by the approved addendum to those Standard Contractual Clauses issued under the UK Data Protection Act 2018.
We will also continually monitor the circumstances surrounding such transfers in order to ensure that these maintain, in practice, a level of protection that is essentially equivalent to the one guaranteed by the UK GDPR and EU GDPR.
If you wish to enquire further about the safeguards we use, including obtaining a copy of any Standard Contractual Clauses we have in place with recipients outside the EEA or UK, please contact us at dpo@helloself.com.
In accordance with applicable privacy law you may have the following rights in respect of your personal information that we hold:
Right of access. The right to obtain:
Right of portability. The right, in certain circumstances, to receive a copy of the personal information you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format that supports re-use, or to request the transfer of your personal data to another person.
Right to rectification. The right to obtain rectification of any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you without undue delay.
Right to erasure. The right, in some circumstances, to require us to erase your personal information without undue delay if the continued processing of that personal information is not justified.
Right to restriction. The right, in some circumstances, to require us to limit the purposes for which we process your personal information if the continued processing of the personal information in this way is not justified, such as where the accuracy of the personal information is contested by you.
Right to withdraw consent. If you have given us your consent to process your personal information in a particular way, you have the right to withdraw that consent. This may impact your ability to continue using our Service. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing of your personal information prior to that withdrawal.
You have the right to object to any processing based on our legitimate interests where there are grounds relating to your particular situation. There may be compelling reasons for continuing to process your personal information, and we will assess and inform you if that is the case.
If you wish to exercise one of these rights, please contact us at dpo@helloself.com.
You may also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office.Information about how to contact the ICO is available here.
The Website may, from time to time, contain links to and from third party websites, including those of our partners, advertisers, social media platforms and affiliates. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for their policies. Please check the individual policies before you submit any information to those websites.
Any updates we may make to our Privacy Notice will be posted on this page, and we may also provide a website notice of any material changes for a reasonable period of time. Please check back frequently to see any updates or changes to our Privacy Notice.
If we need to provide you with information about something, whether for legal, marketing or other business-related purposes, we will select what we believe is the best way to get in contact with you. We will usually do this through email or by placing a notice on the Website.
Last updated: 15th July 2024