EDUCOLIGHT – PRACTICE POLICIES & CONTRACT

Last updated: 20/01/2026

This page brings together my Privacy Policy, Media & Working Online Policy (including social media and electronic communications), and the Contract of Service. I aim to keep this clear, human, and transparent. If anything is unclear, please ask.

1) Privacy Policy

Who I am

I am Davide Casu. I run a private practice offering clinical integrative hypnotherapy with psychotherapy.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, I am the data controller (and where relevant, the data processor) for the information described here.

Contact: lighteduco@proton.me

ICO registration number: ZC095182

I usually collect: Name/Email address/Telephone number (if you provide it)/A brief description of what you are looking for support with. If you become a client I may collect information relating to your well-being and mental health, including: themes we work with, goals, and relevant history you choose to share/Any risk or safeguarding considerations (where relevant)/I keep brief case notes on paper, stored securely.

Online sessions:

If we meet online, sessions take place via Doxy.me and/or Zoom and/or phone. Doxy.me and Zoom process data to deliver the call (e.g., your display name, meeting metadata, and audio/video during the session). I do not record sessions as standard. Any recording would only take place with explicit consent, agreed in advance, with clear arrangements for storage and deletion.

Payments: You can pay by cash, bank transfer, or PayPal. For cash payments, I keep a basic record for accounting (date and amount). For bank transfer or PayPal, your bank and/or PayPal process your payment details under their own privacy policies.

I use your information to: respond to inquiries and arrange appointments, provide therapy/hypnotherapy and keep appropriate records, manage payments and basic practice administration, support safe and ethical practice through supervision, meet legal obligations where relevant (including safeguarding), handle concerns or complaints, should they arise.

Lawful basis for processing (UK GDPR)

I process your information where it is necessary to provide the service you request (for example: arranging, delivering, and administering sessions).

Legitimate interests: I also process some information because it is necessary to run my practice safely and responsibly (for example: maintaining appropriate records and using supervision). I only rely on legitimate interests where this use is reasonable, proportionate, and expected in a therapy setting. Special category data (health / well-being information). Therapy involves information about health and well-being, which is special category data. I process this with particular care and confidentiality.

Where consent is needed for something specific (for example, recording a session), I will ask you clearly and in advance.

Supervision, training, and reflective practice

I undertake professional supervision as part of safe, ethical practice. If I discuss clinical material in supervision, I do so on a need-to-know basis and, wherever possible, in an anonymised form. As part of my professional development and training pathway, there may be circumstances where limited information is shared for supervision or assessment purposes. This will be explained in advance and will only take place within agreed ethical and professional boundaries.

When information may be shared: I do not sell your data. I may share limited information only when necessary, for example:with my professional supervisor/assessor (usually anonymised) with service providers required to run the practice (e.g., Doxy.me / Zoom for online sessions; PayPal for payments) with medical, safeguarding, or emergency services if there is a serious risk of harm to you or others, or where safeguarding duties arise with legal authorities where required by law, court order, or a statutory request, with relevant professional bodies where required in the event of a complaint, conduct, or safeguarding matter with my professional insurer if needed for advice, incident reporting, or an insurance claim.

Wherever possible, I share the minimum necessary information, and I will usually try to discuss this with you first unless doing so would increase risk or is not permitted.

Accountancy/bookkeeping: I do not currently use an accountant. If this changes in future, any sharing would be limited to what is necessary for tax/accounting, and I will update this policy.

Where I store your information and how I protect it. I take reasonable steps to protect your information. Paper notes: stored securely (locked storage). Email: managed via Proton Mail (ProtonMail). Devices: information may be held on my computer and phone, which are code/password protected with appropriate device security. Calendar / invoices / basic practice administration: stored securely within my practice systems/devices and protected by passwords and appropriate security controls. I keep information only where it is relevant and necessary for the work.

International data transfers: Some service providers (for example video platforms and payment providers) may process data outside the UK. Where this happens, it is handled under the provider’s privacy policies and appropriate safeguards (such as adequacy regulations or standard contractual clauses), as applicable.

How long I keep information? Typical retention periods are: Enquiries (where you do not become a client): up to 6 months Client records (including paper notes): 7 years after therapy ends, Financial records: 6 years.

Your rights: You have rights under UK GDPR, including the right to:

access your data, request corrections,request deletion in some circumstances, request restriction of processing, object in some circumstances, withdraw consent where consent is the lawful basis.

To make a request, please contact: lighteduco@proton.me

If a personal data breach occurs, I will assess the risk and keep a record. Where the breach is notifiable, I will report it to the ICO without undue delay and, where feasible, within 72 hours of becoming aware of it. Where a breach is likely to result in a high risk to your rights and freedoms, I will also notify you without undue delay.

Cookies (website) This website may use cookies. Cookies are small files stored on your device that help the website function and (where used) help me understand how visitors use the site so I can improve it. Essential cookies help the site work properly. Analytics cookies (if enabled) help me understand site use in a general way. You can control or delete cookies through your browser settings. If this website uses a cookie banner, you can manage your preferences there at any time.

Data protection complaints:

If you have concerns about how I handle your information, please contact me first so I can try to resolve the issue. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

2) Media & Working Online Policy (including social media and electronic information)

Online sessions (video/phone): platform and security

Sessions take place via Doxy.me and/or Zoom and/or phone. I take reasonable steps to use secure systems and keep devices protected. However, no online method can guarantee complete security.

Your privacy and environment

Online confidentiality depends partly on your environment. Before sessions, Please choose a private space where you can speak freely, turn off any smart speakers or voice assistants nearby, and avoid shared devices and public Wi-Fi where possible.
If the connection drops, I will attempt to reconnect for up to 10 minutes. If needed, I will call you on the telephone number you have provided. If I cannot reach you and I am concerned for your safety, I may use your agreed emergency contact procedures.

Digital communication (email, text, messaging). I use email and text/SMS/WhatsApp for appointments and admin only (booking, changes to times, reminders, invoicing). Therapy work happens in sessions unless we agree otherwise in writing.

Availability and reply times:

I read and respond to emails and texts Monday to Sunday between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm (22:00), excluding bank holidays and periods when I am away on leave. If I am with a client or otherwise unavailable, you are welcome to leave a brief message (and a convenient time to contact you), and I will endeavour to respond as soon as possible. If you call and I can’t answer, please leave a short voicemail and a suitable time to call you back, and I will do my best to return your call. I aim to respond to emails within 2–3 working days.

Please use emails or texts to discuss practical appointment matters (such as changes in times), rather than issues related to our therapeutic work.

Friending: To protect your confidentiality and keep clear professional boundaries, I do not accept or send friend/contact requests with current or former clients on personal social networking accounts.

Following: If I have any public professional pages, you are free to follow them. However, I do not use social media as a therapy channel. I may not respond to comments or direct messages where this could risk your privacy, confidentiality, or boundaries.

Interacting: Please do not use public posts, tagging, comments, or @mentions to contact me. If you need to reach me, use email/text/WhatsApp for appointment and admin only, not for therapy content.

Use of search engines: I do not routinely search for clients online. In rare situations where there is a significant safeguarding concern (for example, if you fail to attend and there is serious concern for your safety), I may look for information that could help me make appropriate decisions. If I do this, I will aim to discuss it with you when appropriate.

Business review sites: You may find my practice listed on review platforms even if I did not request it. People can post publicly, and I cannot respond in a way that confirms anyone is a client. Reviews (positive or negative) may not reflect genuine client experiences.

Location-based services: If you use location “check-in” features, please be aware it could indirectly reveal that you attend therapy.

Email: Email is best used for logistics (appointments, invoicing, scheduling). Email is not guaranteed to be fully secure, so please avoid sending highly sensitive details this way unless we have agreed a safer method.

Phone / text: Texting is often the easiest way to manage appointment logistics because I cannot answer calls when I am with another client.

Recording, screenshots, and media use.

Sessions are not recorded unless: we have a clear reason, we agree it in advance, and you give explicit informed consent in writing, including how the recording will be stored, used, and deleted. Please do not record sessions without discussing it with me first.

AI tools

I do not input identifiable client information into consumer AI chat tools. If any AI-supported systems are used for administration (for example scheduling or drafting non-identifying materials), they are used cautiously and with attention to privacy and security. Any clinically relevant use would be described clearly in my privacy information.

3) Contract of Service

Client Information:

Name:

Date of birth:

Address:

Telephone number:

Email:

GP details (if you wish to provide):

Relevant medical history (if you wish to share):

Preferred method of contact:

I work in an integrative, humanistic, transpersonal approach. Together, we shape therapy around your needs, your culture, your values, and your pace. Research shows that the therapeutic relationship, and the therapist’s way of being, are central to change. That’s why I focus on creating a steady, respectful connection where your inner world can be deeply heard—patterns, feelings, images, and longings—so that insight, direction, and a stronger sense of Self and wholeness can emerge.

My commitment to you

I will do my best to listen deeply and to understand your world as you experience it, without assumptions. You are welcome to be fully yourself here. During sessions, I will be as attentive and present as I can be. If I don’t understand something, I will ask. If I get something wrong, I invite you to tell me so we can work with it together. I will do my best to be honest and transparent, so you know where you stand with me. At times I may offer gentle challenges or a different perspective, but only to support your exploration and always with respect for your pace, your values, and your agreement.

If, due to an emergency, I miss a session or arrive late, you will not be charged for that session (or the missed time).

Outside therapy, I only respond to emails/texts that have an administrative purpose (for example: moving a session, arranging a time, holidays/absence, fees). Please only use emails/texts for practical appointment matters, not for therapy content.

What you can talk about

It’s common to wonder whether it is safe to say certain things in therapy. You can bring what you need to bring. Confidentiality is central to therapy, and I treat it with great care. However, there are specific situations where confidentiality must be broken, or may need to be limited. I set these out clearly below. Please ask if anything is unclear.

Confidentiality and disclosure/ Requirements for disclosure (where the law overrides confidentiality)

In limited circumstances, I may be legally required to disclose information, for example in relation to terrorism legislation, or where I am ordered to disclose information by a court or otherwise required by law.
Where reporting obligations arise under proceeds-of-crime / money-laundering legislation for those operating in the regulated sector, I will comply and seek appropriate advice where needed.

Situations where I may need to break confidentiality

I may need to break confidentiality if I become aware (or have good reason to suspect) that there is: a serious risk of harm to you or someone else, safeguarding concerns involving a child or a vulnerable adult, serious unresolved criminal activity where there is a significant risk of serious harm or a serious threat to public safety/order. Wherever possible, I will try to discuss this with you first and share only the minimum necessary information.

Supervision

I may discuss aspects of our work with my clinical supervisor to support safe and ethical practice (usually anonymised, and on a need-to-know basis). If I become unexpectedly unavailable (for example due to serious illness, injury, or death), I have an arrangement with another experienced therapist to access your contact details and notes only as needed to inform you and support appropriate onward care/referrals.

Contacting your GP

In some circumstances it may be necessary to contact your GP or other services. Wherever possible, this will be done with you, and I will share only what is necessary.

Boundaries

To protect your confidentiality, if we see each other outside the therapy space, I will not acknowledge you unless you acknowledge me first. Therapy is for you. Beyond the agreed fees and your collaboration, there is nothing I require from you. I do not accept gifts, as this can blur boundaries.

I cannot work with you while you are under the influence of alcohol or non-prescribed drugs (other than medication taken as prescribed). I am not a medical doctor and do not provide or administer medication in my practice.

Online working (contract notes)

If you are outside the UK, I need to know where you are based so I can check whether we can work together lawfully and safely, as online working rules can vary by location. While I am responsible for confidentiality on my side, you are responsible for privacy in your environment. Please choose a private space and do not record sessions.

I recommend keeping your phone on silent during sessions. During hypnosis, I may ask you to enable vibration so I can contact you quickly if the connection drops.

Fees

Session fee: £50 per session (unless previously agreed)

Session length: 50 minutes (unless previously agreed)

Receipts/Invoice are available on request. If you have difficulties paying, please speak to me as early as possible so we can discuss options.

Cancellations.

My cancellation policy is 48 hours’ notice. Sessions cancelled with less than 48 hours’ notice are charged in full, unless there is a serious medical reason. This policy exists to protect appointment availability for all clients. If you cancel, I may be able to offer an alternative slot within the same week (subject to availability). If I need to cancel or reschedule, I will do my best to minimise inconvenience and will aim to give at least 48 hours’ notice wherever possible. I take occasional breaks and will let you know dates well in advance.

Updates

I may update these policies from time to time. The most recent version will always be available on my website.