Privacy Policy

This policy explains how the psychology and counselling practice of Sonali Barthwal (“we”, “us”, “the practice”) handles personal information — both information you give us through this website and information you share with us as a client. We take this seriously because much of what you tell us is sensitive health information.

Information we collect

Through this website. This website does not have contact forms, accounts or logins, and we do not ask you to submit personal details through it. Our hosting provider automatically records standard technical information — such as IP address, browser type and pages requested — for security and to keep the site running. We do not use this to identify individual visitors.

When you contact us. If you call, send a WhatsApp message or email us, we receive whatever you choose to share — typically your name, contact details and a short description of what you are seeking help with.

When you become a client. To provide care we collect and maintain clinical records. These may include your contact and demographic details, relevant medical and psychological history, assessment results, session notes, and correspondence with other health professionals involved in your care.

How we use your information

• ◆To provide psychological assessment, therapy and psychiatric consultation
• ◆To schedule, confirm and reschedule your appointments
• ◆To maintain the clinical records that professional practice requires
• ◆To issue invoices and receipts, and to maintain accounting records
• ◆To respond to enquiries you send us

We do not sell your information, we do not share it with advertisers, and we do not use your clinical information for marketing of any kind.

Confidentiality and when we may disclose

What you discuss in session is confidential. We will not share your information with family members, employers, or anyone else without your explicit consent. There are limited exceptions, recognised in law and in professional practice:

• ◆Where there is a serious and imminent risk to your life or to the safety of another person
• ◆Where a child or a vulnerable adult may be at risk of harm
• ◆Where disclosure is required by a court order or by law
• ◆Where you have given us written consent to share information with another treating professional

Where such a situation arises, we will aim to discuss it with you first and to limit any disclosure to what is strictly necessary.

How we store and protect information

Clinical records are stored securely and access is limited to the practitioners involved in your care and, where necessary, administrative staff bound by the same duty of confidentiality. Records are retained for as long as professional and legal obligations require, and are securely destroyed thereafter.

Please note that ordinary email and WhatsApp are convenient but are not fully secure channels. We use them for scheduling and general communication. We would ask you not to send detailed clinical information through them, and we will not discuss clinical matters in detail over these channels.

Your rights

Under the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 and applicable professional standards, you have the right to:

• ◆Ask what personal information we hold about you
• ◆Request a copy of your records, or a summary of them
• ◆Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• ◆Withdraw consent for processing, subject to our legal and professional record-keeping obligations
• ◆Raise a concern or complaint about how your information has been handled

In limited circumstances a practitioner may provide a summary rather than full session notes — for example where releasing raw notes could identify a third party or could be clinically harmful. We will explain our reasoning if that applies.

Third-party services

This website is hosted by a third-party hosting provider and some images are delivered through a content delivery network. Links to external platforms — such as Instagram, YouTube, Google Maps and WhatsApp — will take you to services governed by their own privacy policies, over which we have no control.

Children

Where we work with a client under 18, consent is obtained from a parent or legal guardian. We also discuss with the young person and their family what will and will not be shared, so that everyone understands the arrangement before work begins.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

Contact us

If you have a question or concern about your information, contact us at contact@sonalibarthwal.com or +91 8800830088. You can also reach us via the contact page.