Privacy policy

This policy explains how I, Hannah Mostert (registered counsellor, practice number 0958352), handle personal information through this website and the practice, in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

Who is responsible for your information

Hannah Mostert Counselling, Blouberg Therapy Centre, 103 Blaauwberg Road, Table View, Cape Town 7441. Contact: hannahpuissamostert@gmail.com. I am the responsible party for the information described here, and I act as the Information Officer for the practice.

What I collect

• Enquiry details you send by WhatsApp, phone or email, such as your name, contact details and what you tell me about your enquiry. This website has no contact form or online booking, so nothing is submitted or stored through the site itself.
• Information you provide on the intake form at the start of counselling, such as your name, contact details, identity number for practice and HPCSA record-keeping, and relevant background. At intake you also sign the practice's POPIA and PAIA consent and consent to the use of AI-assisted transcription.
• Clinical and session records, which are kept separately under HPCSA confidentiality requirements.

Why I collect it and the legal basis

To respond to your enquiry, arrange and provide sessions, keep the records I am professionally required to keep, and meet legal and ethical obligations. I process your information on the bases permitted by POPIA, including your consent and the performance of our arrangement.

How it is stored and protected

Information is stored securely and access is limited to me. Session notes are kept separately from enquiry messages. The website itself stores no personal information. Reasonable measures are taken to protect the information I hold, and retention follows the periods set out below.

Who it is shared with

Your information is not sold. I use a Google advertising tag only to measure clicks on the contact links, as described under Website measurement below. A small number of trusted service providers help me run the practice: Google (Gmail) for email and Google Ads for advertising measurement, Otter.ai for AI-assisted transcription, and Afrihost for website hosting (no personal information is stored on the website). Some of these providers may process information on servers outside South Africa under their own safeguards. Clinical information is disclosed only where required by law or to protect someone from serious harm, consistent with HPCSA guidelines.

Website measurement

This website uses Google's advertising tag (Google Ads) to measure when a visitor chooses to contact the practice, specifically when you click a WhatsApp or phone link on the site. This helps me understand which enquiries come from my Google advertising. The measurement is provided by Google as a third party and may set cookies or similar identifiers in your browser. Google may process this information on servers outside South Africa under its own safeguards. The website itself stores no personal information, and the tag does not capture the content of your enquiry. You can block this measurement through your browser settings or privacy tools.

AI-assisted transcription

In line with my ethical and professional responsibilities to maintain accurate clinical records, this practice uses a secure, licensed AI-assisted transcription service (Otter.ai) to support clinical note-taking and documentation. This tool serves solely as administrative support to help generate summaries and preserve accurate records of counselling sessions. I take reasonable and appropriate measures to protect client confidentiality and privacy, including minimising the inclusion of personally identifiable information wherever possible and managing all records in line with the ethical guidelines of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and POPIA.

The use of this service does not replace clinical judgement, and I retain full responsibility for the accuracy, security and confidentiality of all clinical records. AI-generated transcriptions and summaries are treated as part of the confidential clinical record and are stored and protected accordingly. The HPCSA is actively evaluating and developing guidelines on the use of AI technologies in healthcare settings.

Where this applies to your sessions, you will be asked to acknowledge and consent to the use of AI-assisted transcription through the practice consent form, on the understanding that all reasonable measures will be taken to protect your privacy and confidentiality in line with applicable ethical and legal standards.

Your rights under POPIA

You may ask what information I hold about you, ask for it to be corrected or deleted, object to its processing, or complain to the Information Regulator. To make a request, contact me at hannahpuissamostert@gmail.com.

Retention

Enquiry information is kept only as long as needed to deal with your enquiry. Clinical records are kept for the minimum period required by the HPCSA's record-keeping guidelines and applicable law.

Changes

This policy may be updated. The current version's review date is shown below.

Last reviewed: 27 June 2026.