Trauma Directory- Privacy Policy

Effective date: 01 September 2025

Operator: Trauma Directory by Trauma Clinic 2.0 is operated by Essentia Psychological Services Co. (Hong Kong SAR), Business Registration No. 56583587-000-08-19-6 (“Essentia,” “we,” “us,” “our”).

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal data when you use the Trauma Directory and its related websites (the “Directory”).

We aim to handle personal data in accordance with Hong Kong’s Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486)(“PDPO”) and its Data Protection Principles (DPPs), and where applicable, we apply comparable international standards such as the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Using the Directory signifies you agree to this Privacy Policy and our Terms & Conditions.

1 | Who This Policy Applies To

• Therapy-seekers / clients browsing or contacting therapists through the Directory.

• Therapists / providers listing a profile in the Directory.

• Website visitors interacting with our forms, emails, or resources.

Important: We are a directory and resource platform. We do not provide healthcare, make matches, or handle bookings or payments. When you contact a therapist, any subsequent communication and services occur off-directory and are subject to that therapist’s own privacy practices.

2 | What Personal Data We Collect

A. Therapy-seekers / Clients

• Contact details you share (name, email, phone, preferred contact method).

• Message content you send to us for support or enquiries.

• Optional preferences used for filters (e.g., language, budget, online/in-person).

• Technical data (IP address, device/browser information, cookies/analytics — see Cookies Notice).
  
  

B. Therapists / Providers

• Profile and professional data (name, credentials, license/registration, training hours, modalities, languages, fees, availability, location/time zone, biography, images, and links).

• Vetting documentation (certificates, supervision or insurance evidence).

• Account, billing, and contact details for listing plans (where applicable).

• Communications with us (support requests, updates, compliance enquiries).
  
  

C. Website Visitors

• Basic usage analytics and cookie data (see Cookies Notice).

• Contact details submitted via forms, subscriptions, or downloads.

We do not intentionally collect sensitive or special-category data beyond what therapists voluntarily provide in their profiles (e.g., trauma modality descriptions).

Please do not send clinical or crisis information through the Directory.

3 | Why We Use Personal Data (Purpose Statements)

We collect and process personal data only for legitimate and disclosed purposes, including to:

• Operate and improve the Directory and related resources.

• Publish and manage therapist listings, tiers/badges, and search filters.

• Review therapist training and experience for editorial tiers (informational only).

• Respond to user enquiries and provide non-clinical support.

• Administer therapist subscriptions, notices, and account communications.

• Prevent abuse, enforce Terms & Conditions, and maintain site security.

• Comply with legal obligations and reasonable internal governance.

• Conduct optional marketing or updates, with explicit consent under PDPO/GDPR.
  
  

Direct marketing: We will only use your personal data for direct marketing with your consent or where otherwise permitted by law. You may opt out at any time (see Section 9).

4 | Who We Share Personal Data With

We may share personal data with:

• Service providers / data processors under contract (e.g., secure hosting, email/SMS delivery, analytics, survey forms, payment processors such as Stripe). These providers act solely on our instructions and are bound by confidentiality.

• Professional advisers and insurers (where necessary for legal or risk management purposes).

• Authorities if required by law, court order, or to protect rights, safety, or compliance.
  
  

We do not sell personal data to third parties.

5 | Cross-Border Data Transfers

We may transfer personal data outside Hong Kong (e.g., to global hosting, analytics, or payment services).

We take reasonable steps to ensure that any overseas recipient offers a comparable standard of protection consistent with the PDPO and, where applicable, GDPR safeguards (e.g., data processing agreements, adequacy mechanisms).

6 | Data Retention

We retain personal data only as long as necessary for the purposes described above or to meet legal and accounting obligations.

Type of Record Typical Retention Period General enquiries 12–24 months Therapist listing and vetting records Active duration + up to 6 years post-removal Billing and transactional data 7 years (for accounting and tax purposes) Analytics / cookies Per our Cookies Notice and provider defaults

When retention periods expire, data is securely deleted or anonymised.

7 | Security

We employ technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including:

• Encryption in transit (SSL/HTTPS)

• Access controls and password policies

• Data minimisation and least-privilege access

• Staff confidentiality obligations
  
  

No online system is completely secure. Please avoid sending highly sensitive or crisis-related details via public forms or email.

8 | Directory vs Therapist Responsibilities

The Directory publishes therapist profiles and provides non-clinical filtering guidance. We do not supervise clinical practice or maintain client records.

When a client contacts a therapist:

• Essentia acts as the data controller for Directory membership and administrative data (e.g., therapist contact details, subscription information).

• Each therapist acts as an independent data controller for their clinical practice and is responsible for their own privacy policies, consent forms, and data security.
  
  

9 | Your Rights (PDPO & International Equivalents)

Under the PDPO — and, where applicable, under GDPR or similar laws — you have the right to:

• Request access to personal data we hold about you.

• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete data.

• Opt out of direct marketing at any time.

• Withdraw consent (where processing is based on consent).
  
  

We may require identity verification before fulfilling requests and may charge a reasonable fee for data access requests (not corrections). We will respond within a reasonable period as required by law.

To exercise your rights, please see Section 13 (Contact).

10 | Children

The Directory is intended for adults (18+). We do not knowingly collect personal data from minors.

If you believe a child has provided personal data, please contact us to request deletion.

11 | Cookies and Similar Technologies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the site, improve functionality, and understand usage patterns.

See our Cookies Notice for more details and your choices.

12 | Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be posted with a new effective date.

Continued use of the Directory indicates acceptance of the updated Policy.

13 | Contact

Essentia Psychological Services Co. (Hong Kong SAR)

Trading as: Trauma Directory powered by Trauma Clinic 2.0

Business Registration No.: 56583587-000-08-19-6

Email: info@traumadirectory.org

Postal Address: Woho Business Centre, 119 Jervois Street, Hong Kong

Cookies Notice

Effective date: 01 September 2025

1 | What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files stored on your device to enable the website to function properly and to understand aggregated usage patterns. Similar technologies (e.g., local storage or pixels) may also be used by the platform that powers this website.

2 | How We Use Cookies

The Trauma Directory website is built and hosted on Framer, which automatically uses a limited number of cookies and technical tools to ensure the website loads correctly, remains secure, and performs efficiently.

These may include:

• Essential / functional cookies – required for the site to operate, manage caching, and remember basic preferences (e.g., language or layout).

• Analytics cookies – used by Framer and its hosting provider (e.g., Vercel) to collect aggregated, anonymised datasuch as total visits or page load times.

  We do not use cookies for targeted advertising or third-party marketing purposes.
  
  

3 | Your Choices

This website does not currently provide an in-site cookie management tool because of platform limitations.

You can, however, control or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time. Most browsers allow you to block cookies entirely or remove them after visiting a site. Please note that doing so may affect certain display or loading functions.

4 | Third-Party Hosting and Tools

Framer and its hosting providers (such as Vercel) may process limited technical data (e.g., IP address, device type, or aggregated usage statistics) to maintain performance and security.

These services are bound by their own privacy and security standards; Essentia does not access or store this technical data directly.

5 | Retention

Most cookies used by the hosting platform are session-based (deleted when you close your browser) or persist for short durations (typically up to 12 months) unless cleared earlier by you.

6 | Updates

We may update this Cookies Notice if Framer introduces new functionality or user controls. Material updates will be posted with a new effective date.

Contact: info@traumadirectory.org