Privacy Policy

Last updated: August 2026

This policy explains what personal information Cork Hypnotherapy collects, why we collect it, how we look after it, and what control you have over it. It applies to this website and to the therapy services we provide, whether in clinic or online.

Because we are a therapy practice, some of the information we hold is information about your health. That is treated as a special category of personal data under data protection law, and it is given extra protection. This policy sets out how.

Who we are

Cork Hypnotherapy, trading as O Connor Clinical Therapies, is the data controller for the information described in this policy. That means we are responsible for deciding how it is used and for keeping it safe.

What information we collect

When you make an enquiry

If you complete the enquiry form on our contact page, we collect your first and last name, email address, phone number, the town or county you are based in, the area of interest you select, your preferred session type, and whatever you choose to write in the message box.

When you book an appointment

Appointments are booked through Calendly, a third party scheduling service. When you book, Calendly collects your name, email address and the time you select, and shares that with us so we can hold the appointment.

When you become a client

If you go on to have sessions with us, we keep a clinical record. Depending on what you come to us for, that can include relevant health and personal history, what you want to achieve, notes made during or after sessions, and details of the approach used. We only record what is relevant to providing your care.

When you contact us directly

If you email, phone or text us, we keep a record of that correspondence so we can respond and maintain continuity of care.

When you visit this website

We use Google Analytics to understand how the site is being used. See Cookies and analytics below.

Information about your health

The area of interest you select on the enquiry form, anything you tell us about your symptoms or circumstances, and the clinical notes we keep once you are a client, are all information about your health. Data protection law calls this special category data and sets a higher bar for handling it.

We rely on your explicit consent to hold and use this information for the purpose of assessing your enquiry and, if you go ahead, providing therapy. You can withdraw that consent at any time. Where we are providing therapy, we may also rely on the legal basis that applies to the provision of health care by a professional bound by a duty of confidentiality.

Our legal basis for using it

Data protection law requires us to have a lawful reason for using your information. Ours are:

• Consent. You have asked us to respond to an enquiry, or agreed to us holding information about your health. You can withdraw consent at any time.
• Performance of a contract. Where you have booked sessions with us, we need your information to deliver them and to manage payment.
• Legal obligation. We may need to keep certain records to meet tax, insurance or professional requirements.
• Legitimate interests. We use limited information to run the practice safely, keep our systems secure, and respond to correspondence. We only rely on this where it does not override your rights.

Who we share information with

We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising.

We use a small number of service providers who process information on our behalf:

• Calendly for appointment booking
• Google Analytics for website usage statistics
• Cloudflare for website hosting and security
• Our email provider, for correspondence

Some of these providers are based outside the European Economic Area, including in the United States. Where information is transferred outside the EEA, it is protected by the safeguards permitted under data protection law, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or an adequacy decision.

Beyond those providers, we will only disclose your information without your consent where:

• we are required to by law, or by a court order; or
• we believe there is a serious risk of harm to you or to another person, and disclosure is necessary to prevent it.

If a situation like that ever arises, we will tell you what we intend to do and why, wherever it is safe and appropriate to do so.

How long we keep it

We keep information only for as long as we need it.

• Enquiries that do not lead to sessions: up to 12 months, then deleted.
• Client records: retained after your final session in line with the requirements of our professional body and our insurers.
• Records for clients under 18: retained for longer, until a period after they reach adulthood, again in line with professional requirements.
• Financial records: retained as required by Revenue.

If you would like the exact retention period that applies to your record, please ask and we will tell you.

Your rights

Under the GDPR you have the right to:

• ask for a copy of the information we hold about you;
• have inaccurate information corrected;
• ask us to erase your information, where there is no overriding reason for us to keep it;
• ask us to restrict how we use it while a concern is resolved;
• receive your information in a portable format, or have it sent to another provider;
• object to us using your information for a particular purpose; and
• withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting anything done before you withdrew it.

To exercise any of these, email hello@corkhypnotherapy.com. We will respond within one month. There is no charge, and asking will never affect the care you receive.

Please note that where we are required to retain clinical records for professional or insurance reasons, we may not be able to erase them immediately on request. If that applies, we will explain why and tell you when they will be deleted.

Cookies and analytics

Cookies are small files stored on your device by websites you visit.

We do not set any analytics cookies unless you accept them. When you first visit, a banner asks whether you are willing to allow them. Nothing is loaded until you choose, and declining is a single click, exactly like accepting.

What we would like to use, if you agree

If you accept, we load Google Analytics, which tells us things like which pages are read and how people found the site, so we can improve it. It sets cookies and collects your approximate location, device and browser. Your IP address is anonymised. If you decline, Google Analytics is never loaded at all and any analytics cookies previously set are deleted.

An embedded Google Map appears on our contact page. Because Google may set cookies through it, the map also stays unloaded until you accept. If you decline, you will see a placeholder with a link to open the location in Google Maps instead.

Cookies we cannot avoid

Our booking calendar is provided by Calendly. It loads on the contact page so that you can book an appointment, which is the service you came to that page to use, and it may set its own cookies as part of providing that booking function. If you would prefer not to use it, you can book by phoning or emailing us instead, and no Calendly cookies will be set.

We also store your cookie choice itself on your own device, so we do not have to ask on every page. That is not shared with anyone.

Changing your mind

Use the Cookie settings link at the bottom of any page to change your choice at any time. We will also ask again after six months. You can additionally block or delete cookies through your browser settings, or opt out of Google Analytics across all websites using Google's opt-out browser add-on.

Declining does not limit the site in any way. Every page, and the enquiry form, work exactly the same either way.

How we keep it safe

Client records are kept confidential and stored securely, with access limited to your therapist. Our website is served over an encrypted HTTPS connection. We use reputable service providers and keep the information we hold to what is genuinely necessary.

No system is completely secure, but if a breach ever occurred that was likely to result in a risk to your rights, we would notify both you and the Data Protection Commission as required by law.

Children and young people

We work with teenagers as well as adults. Where a client is under 18, we seek the consent of a parent or guardian before beginning therapy, and we explain to the young person what will be recorded and who can see it. Records for young people are kept for longer than adult records, as set out above.

Questions and complaints

If you have a question about this policy, or you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, please contact us first at hello@corkhypnotherapy.com. We would rather hear from you and put things right.

You also have the right to complain directly to the Irish supervisory authority:

Changes to this policy

If we change how we handle your information, we will update this page and change the date at the top. Where a change is significant, we will tell affected clients directly.