Privacy Policy

Last updated: 13 August 2026

Merton Counselling, operated by Marie Merton, is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly and in accordance with applicable data protection law, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This Privacy Policy explains how Merton Counselling collects, uses, stores and protects personal information when you visit feelgoodagain.ie, contact the practice, or use its counselling and psychotherapy services.

The Data Protection Commission recommends that privacy policies accurately reflect an organisation’s actual personal-data processing activities, including the purposes of processing, recipients, retention periods and individuals’ data protection rights.

1. Who is responsible for your personal data?

The data controller responsible for your personal data is:

Marie Merton
Merton Counselling
Ireland

Website: https://feelgoodagain.ie/

Phone: 087 9170955

Email: [email protected]

Marie Merton is a qualified psychotherapist and provides counselling and psychotherapy services through Merton Counselling. The website identifies the practice as Merton Counselling and offers both in-person therapy in Wexford and online sessions via Zoom.

For data protection purposes, Marie Merton / Merton Counselling is the data controller for personal information collected through feelgoodagain.ie and in connection with the provision of its services.

2. What personal information do we collect?

Depending on how you interact with Merton Counselling, we may collect:

  • Your name
  • Email address
  • Telephone number
  • Information provided when you make an enquiry
  • Information relating to appointments
  • Information contained in correspondence with you
  • Information provided during counselling or psychotherapy sessions
  • Information necessary to provide and manage your therapy
  • Payment and invoicing information, where applicable
  • Information required for professional, legal, accounting or administrative purposes
  • Technical information relating to your use of the website, such as IP address, browser type and device information
  • Cookie and website usage information, where applicable

Information concerning your health

Counselling and psychotherapy may involve information relating to your mental health, wellbeing, personal circumstances and experiences.

Information concerning a person’s physical or mental health is considered special-category personal data under Article 9 of the GDPR and is subject to additional protection.

Merton Counselling only collects and processes information that is relevant and necessary for providing and managing its psychotherapy services.

3. How is your information used?

Your personal information may be used to:

  • Respond to enquiries
  • Arrange and manage appointments
  • Provide counselling and psychotherapy services
  • Communicate with you about appointments and your therapy
  • Maintain appropriate professional records
  • Process payments and issue invoices or receipts
  • Meet legal, regulatory, professional and accounting obligations
  • Protect the security of the website and IT systems
  • Deal with requests concerning your personal data
  • Operate and maintain the website
  • Understand general website usage where you have consented to analytics or tracking technologies

Your personal information will not be used for purposes incompatible with those for which it was collected.

4. Legal basis for processing

Merton Counselling processes personal data only where there is a lawful basis under the GDPR.

Depending on the circumstances, this may include:

  • Taking steps at your request before entering into an agreement for services;
  • Providing and managing psychotherapy services;
  • Complying with legal or regulatory obligations;
  • Protecting vital interests where applicable;
  • Pursuing legitimate interests, where those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms; or
  • Your consent, where consent is the appropriate legal basis.

Where special-category information, including health information, is processed, an additional legal condition under Article 9 of the GDPR must also apply. Health information receives particular protection under data protection law.

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

5. Confidentiality

Confidentiality is an important part of the therapeutic relationship.

Information provided during counselling or psychotherapy will be treated as confidential and will only be disclosed where there is a lawful and appropriate basis for doing so.

Merton Counselling operates in accordance with the relevant professional ethical requirements. Marie Merton is an accredited member of the Irish Association of Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapists (IAHIP) and is subject to its code of ethics and complaints procedures.

There may be circumstances where information cannot remain confidential, including where disclosure is required by law or where there is a serious concern regarding the safety of you or another person. Any disclosure will be handled in accordance with applicable legal and professional requirements.

6. Website enquiries

The website includes a contact form through which visitors can provide their name, email address, subject and message.

Information submitted through the contact form will be used to respond to your enquiry and, where appropriate, to arrange an appointment.

Please do not include detailed information about your mental health, medical history or other highly sensitive personal information in an initial website enquiry. A brief description of your enquiry is normally sufficient.

Email and website contact forms are not necessarily completely secure methods of communicating sensitive information.

7. Who may receive your information?

Merton Counselling does not sell or rent your personal information.

Where necessary, personal information may be processed by trusted service providers that support the practice or website, including:

  • Website hosting providers
  • Email providers
  • Website and IT support providers
  • Appointment or practice-management systems
  • Payment providers
  • Accounting or professional advisers
  • Website analytics providers, where applicable and where consent has been obtained
  • Legal, regulatory or governmental authorities where disclosure is required or permitted by law

Where third parties process personal data on behalf of Merton Counselling, appropriate data protection arrangements will be put in place where required.

Only information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose will be shared.

8. Zoom and online therapy

Merton Counselling offers online psychotherapy sessions using Zoom.

Where you choose to use online therapy, Zoom and its associated technology may process certain personal and technical information in connection with the session.

Merton Counselling will take reasonable steps to protect the confidentiality of online sessions. You are also encouraged to participate from a private location and use a secure internet connection where possible.

The privacy practices of Zoom are governed by Zoom’s own privacy documentation.

9. International transfers

Some third-party service providers used by Merton Counselling may process personal data outside Ireland or the European Economic Area (EEA).

Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, Merton Counselling will ensure that the transfer is carried out in accordance with applicable data protection law and that an appropriate safeguard is in place where required.

10. How long is information retained?

Personal information will be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and taking account of applicable legal, professional, regulatory and accounting requirements.

Client and psychotherapy records may need to be retained for longer than ordinary website enquiries.

When personal information is no longer required, it will be securely deleted or otherwise disposed of appropriately.

11. Cookies and website analytics

feelgoodagain.ie may use cookies and similar technologies.

Some cookies may be necessary for the operation of the website. Other cookies, including analytics and tracking cookies, will only be used where the required consent has been obtained.

Visitors should be provided with appropriate choices regarding non-essential cookies and should be able to withdraw or change their consent.

Further information about the cookies used by feelgoodagain.ie should be provided in the site’s Cookie Policy.

12. Website security

Merton Counselling takes reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

However, no internet transmission or electronic storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Because psychotherapy information can be highly sensitive, you should avoid sending detailed personal or health information through an ordinary website contact form or unencrypted email.

13. Third-party websites

feelgoodagain.ie may contain links to third-party websites.

Merton Counselling is not responsible for the privacy practices, content or security of external websites. You should review the privacy policy of any third-party website you visit.

14. Your rights under GDPR

Subject to applicable legal limitations, you have rights in relation to your personal information, including the right to:

  • Request access to personal information held about you;
  • Request correction of inaccurate information;
  • Request erasure of personal information in certain circumstances;
  • Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances;
  • Object to certain processing;
  • Request portability of certain personal information;
  • Withdraw consent where processing is based on consent; and
  • Make a complaint to the Data Protection Commission.

These rights are subject to certain limitations and exemptions under data protection law.

The right of access applies to personal information held by health professionals, although specific legal provisions can apply to access to health information in certain circumstances.

15. Exercising your data protection rights

To exercise your rights or ask a question about how Merton Counselling handles your personal information, please contact:

Marie Merton
Merton Counselling

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 087 9170955

You may be asked to provide information necessary to verify your identity.

16. Complaints

If you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled, please contact Merton Counselling in the first instance so that the matter can be addressed.

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Data Protection Commission (DPC), Ireland’s supervisory authority for data protection.

Data Protection Commission
21 Fitzwilliam Square South
Dublin 2
D02 RD28
Ireland

Website: https://www.dataprotection.ie/

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in the services provided by Merton Counselling, the website, technology or applicable data protection requirements.

The latest version will be published on feelgoodagain.ie and will include the date on which it was last updated.

18. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or the way Merton Counselling handles personal information, please contact:

Marie Merton
Merton Counselling
Ireland

Email: [email protected]

Phone: 087 9170955

Website: feelgoodagain.ie

Last updated: 13 August 2026