Privacy Policy

1. Who I am

My counselling practice is GH Specialist Wellness Counselling, run by me, Gideon Hanekom (“the practice”, “I”, “me”). The Relationship Guy (therelationshipguy.com) is my website and brand name, not a separate business. I am a Specialist Wellness Counsellor registered with the Association for Supportive Counsellors and Holistic Practitioners (ASCHP), registration number 10570. I practise in person in Ceres (Witzenberg, Western Cape) and online.

For the purposes of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA), I am the responsible party for the personal information described in this policy, and I am also the practice’s Information Officer.

Information Officer: Gideon Hanekom
Email: info@therelationshipguy.com
WhatsApp: +27 63 463 5048
Location: Ceres, Western Cape, South Africa

Last updated: 13 October 2026

2. What this policy covers: two separate parts

My work has two separate parts, and your information is handled differently in each.

The two never mix. Client information is never sent to my email list, website statistics, or any marketing or advertising tool. Unsubscribing from my emails never affects your counselling, and becoming a client never adds you to my email list.

I only collect what I need for the part you are using, and I treat everything you share with me as confidential.

3. Information I collect

Most of what I collect is basic contact information you give me yourself. I do not buy personal information or collect it from other sources without your knowledge.

You are never required to share more than you are comfortable with. If you leave out information I need to provide a service, I may not be able to provide it.

Clients pay by cash or EFT. I do not take card payments, so I never see or store card details.

4. Counselling records and health information

Counselling naturally involves personal and sensitive information, such as your emotional wellbeing, relationships, family circumstances and, at times, your physical or mental health. POPIA treats health information as special personal information and gives it extra protection.

I process this information only:

• with your consent, which I ask for in writing before counselling starts;
• to provide counselling to you and to keep the records my profession requires;
• under the duty of confidentiality that applies to me as an ASCHP-registered counsellor.

Session notes are brief, factual records of what we worked on. They are kept separately from contact and billing details, and only I have access to them. In couples or family counselling, I keep a shared record of joint sessions. I do not share what one person tells me in an individual session with their partner or family without that person’s agreement.

You can ask to see your notes at any time.

AI note-taking. I use Heidi, an AI note-taking assistant, to help me write accurate session notes. With your consent, Heidi listens during the session and drafts a summary, which I check and correct before saving it to your file. Heidi does not keep an audio recording, processes your information only on my instructions as my operator under POPIA, and does not sell it. I delete Heidi drafts once your notes are saved.

I ask for your consent at the start of counselling, and you can say no at any time, before or during a session. If you say no, Heidi does not listen to the session. I still keep notes, which I dictate myself after the session, and it makes no difference to your counselling.

Apart from this, I do not record sessions, in person or online. Please do not record sessions either, unless we have both agreed to it in writing.

5. How I use your information

I use your information to:

• reply to your enquiry and arrange a consultation;
• provide counselling and keep accurate records;
• send appointment confirmations, reminders and invoices;
• send you the results of a free tool you completed, and the follow-up emails you signed up for;
• plan and deliver workshops and group talks;
• meet my legal, tax and professional obligations;
• understand, in general terms, how people use the website so I can improve it.

I do not sell, rent or trade your personal information, and I do not use counselling information for marketing. I will only send you marketing emails if you have signed up for them, and every email has an unsubscribe link.

6. Free tools and my email list

My free tools, such as The Wellbeing Check, are educational self-reflection quizzes. They are not a health assessment, a psychometric test or a diagnosis, and they are not part of counselling.

Here is how they work:

• Your answers are not stored. Your results are worked out when you complete the quiz, and your individual answers are not saved by me or sent anywhere.
• To receive your full results, you sign up to my email list. You do this by ticking a box and confirming your email address. Signing up sends you your results, my free educational email course, and occasional emails after that with articles, videos, and news about my practice.
• Signing up is your choice. If you would rather not share your email address, you are welcome to close the quiz. You will not receive the full results.
• Only your name and email address go to MailerLite. Your answers and results are never sent to MailerLite, Google, or any advertising, marketing or AI platform, and are never shared with anyone.
• You can leave at any time. Every email includes my name and an unsubscribe link. Unsubscribing removes you from the list straight away and has no effect on any counselling with me.

7. Who I share information with

I do not share your information with anyone except the service providers I need to run the practice, and only the minimum each one needs. They act on my instructions and must keep your information secure.

I may discuss my work with a professional supervisor, as good practice requires. I do this without your name or identifying details.

Outside these cases, I only share information with your written consent, or where the law requires it (see section 9).

8. Information stored outside South Africa

Some of the service providers above store data on servers outside South Africa, for example in Australia, the European Union or the United States. I also see clients who live in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere.

Client records are kept in Halaxy, which stores them encrypted on Amazon Web Services (AWS) servers in Australia. Heidi, which helps me write notes, may also process information outside South Africa. Both are Australian companies that act as my operators under written terms, and both are bound by Australian privacy law, which gives protection comparable to POPIA.

I only use providers that are bound by data protection laws or agreements that give a level of protection similar to POPIA, as section 72 of POPIA requires. By using my services, you consent to this transfer where it is needed to provide them.

If you live outside South Africa, the privacy laws of your country (such as the New Zealand Privacy Act 2020, the Australian Privacy Act 1988 or the EU GDPR) may also give you rights. I will respect those rights where they apply.

9. Confidentiality and its limits

What you share in counselling stays between us. There are a few situations where the law or professional ethics require me to share information without your consent:

• there is a serious and immediate risk that you may harm yourself or someone else;
• I become aware of abuse or neglect of a child, an older person or a person with a disability that I am legally required to report;
• a court, or another authority with legal power to do so, orders me to disclose information.

In these cases I share only what is necessary, with the right people, and where it is safe and possible, I will discuss it with you first.

My practice is not a crisis or emergency service. If you are in danger or crisis, please contact the SADAG Suicide Crisis Helpline on 0800 567 567, LifeLine on 0861 322 322, or your nearest emergency service. More numbers are listed on my services page.

10. How long I keep information

I keep counselling records for at least 6 years after our last session, in line with professional record-keeping standards in South Africa. Everything else is kept only as long as it is needed.

When the period ends, I delete electronic records permanently and shred paper records. I may keep a record longer if it is needed for an ongoing legal matter or complaint.

11. How I protect your information

I take reasonable technical and practical steps to keep your information safe, as section 19 of POPIA requires. These include:

• password-protected, encrypted systems with two-step login where available;
• client records kept in Halaxy, separate from email and marketing tools, encrypted (256-bit) in storage and in transit, with two-step login and a log of every time a file is opened;
• paper records, if any, kept locked away and shredded when no longer needed;
• the website served over a secure (HTTPS) connection, with IP address logging switched off on forms;
• only me having access to client information.

No system is completely secure. If I become aware of a data breach that affects your information, I will notify you and the Information Regulator as soon as reasonably possible, as POPIA requires.

12. Cookies, analytics and links

Cookies are small files stored in your browser. This website uses:

• Strictly necessary cookies to make the site work and remember your cookie choice. These are always on.
• Analytics cookies from Google Analytics (through Google Site Kit and Tag Manager) to count visitors and see which pages are most useful. These are only set if you accept them in the cookie banner.
• Comment cookies, if you choose to save your name and email when commenting. These last one year.

You can change your choice at any time through the cookie settings link on the site, or block cookies in your browser.

Articles may include embedded content (such as videos) from other websites, which behaves as if you visited that website. Some links are affiliate links, which means I may earn a small commission if you buy through them, at no extra cost to you. Other websites have their own privacy policies, and I am not responsible for how they handle your information.

13. Your rights

Under POPIA, you have the right to:

• ask whether I hold personal information about you, and request a copy of it;
• ask me to correct information that is wrong or out of date;
• ask me to delete information, unless I am required by law or professional standards to keep it (for example counselling records within the retention period);
• object to or withdraw consent for how I use your information, including unsubscribing from emails at any time;
• lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (see section 16).

To use any of these rights, contact me using the details in section 1. I will reply within 30 days and may ask you to confirm your identity first. There is no charge for a reasonable request.

14. Children and young people

The website, free tools and email list are meant for adults aged 18 and over. Where a young person under 18 takes part in family counselling, I collect their information only with the consent of a parent or legal guardian, as POPIA requires. Their records are kept until their 21st birthday or for 6 years after the last session, whichever is later.

15. Using the website at your own discretion

The articles, free tools and other content on this website are for general information and self-reflection. They are not medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice, and they do not create a counselling relationship. Reading an article or completing a tool does not make you a client. Some articles were written years ago and may not reflect current research or my current views.

Counselling is a shared process. I work with care and within my scope of practice as an ASCHP-registered Specialist Wellness Counsellor, but I cannot guarantee any particular outcome. You remain responsible for the decisions you make, both during counselling and in using the content on this site.

You use this website and its free tools at your own risk and discretion. Counselling is different: once you become a client, I owe you a professional duty of care under my client agreement and the ASCHP code of ethics. To the extent permitted by South African law, I am not liable for any loss or harm arising from your use of the website content or free tools, or from decisions you make based on them. Where specialised care is needed, such as psychiatric, medical or crisis support, I will refer you to an appropriate professional.

16. Changes, questions and complaints

I may update this policy when my services or the law change. The date at the top of section 1 shows the latest version. If a change significantly affects how I use your information, I will let current clients and email subscribers know.

If you have a question or concern about your privacy, please contact me first using the details in section 1. I will do my best to resolve it.

If you are not satisfied, you have the right to complain to the Information Regulator (South Africa):

• Website: inforegulator.org.za
• General enquiries: enquiries@inforegulator.org.za
• Complaints: POPIAComplaints@inforegulator.org.za
• Phone: 010 023 5200

You may also raise a professional concern with the ASCHP at aschp.net.