Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 2026

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Somata is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information responsibly.

This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we may collect when you visit our website, contact us, enquire about our training, apply for a course or join our mailing list, and how we use and protect that information.

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Who We Are

Somata provides Transactional Analysis and psychotherapy training in the UK.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, Somata Limited is responsible for deciding how and why your personal information is processed.

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Contact: Rebecca Davies
Business: Somata Limited
Address: 1 Broyle Farm Cottages, The Broyle, Lewes, BN8 5AL
Email: rebecca@somata.co.uk

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What Personal Information We Collect

Depending on how you interact with Somata, we may collect:

• your name;

• your email address;

• your telephone number, where provided;

• information you provide through our website contact or enquiry forms;

• information about the training or course you are interested in;

• information provided as part of an application for training;

• communications between you and Somata;

• mailing-list preferences and consent; and

• technical information about how you use our website, where collected through cookies or analytics.

 

If you apply for training, we may also collect information needed to assess your application and suitability for the programme, including information about your education, qualifications, employment, professional experience and relevant life experience.

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Because of the nature of psychotherapy training, information you choose to provide may sometimes include special-category personal data, such as information about your physical or mental health. We will only collect and use this information where it is necessary and where the requirements of UK data protection law are met.

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How We Use Your Personal Information

We may use your personal information to:

• respond to enquiries;

• provide information about Somata’s training and courses;

• process and assess applications for training;

• communicate with prospective and current students;

• administer courses, training and related services;

• manage our relationship with students and applicants;

• send marketing emails or updates where you have chosen to receive them;

• operate, maintain and improve our website;

• understand how visitors use the website; and

• meet our legal, regulatory and professional obligations.

 

We will only use personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we have a lawful reason to use it for another purpose.

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Our Lawful Bases for Using Your Information

Under UK data protection law, Somata must have a lawful basis for processing personal information. Depending on the purpose and circumstances, we may rely on:

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Consent – where you have actively agreed to a particular use of your information, such as receiving marketing communications or allowing non-essential cookies and tracking technologies.

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Contract – where processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract, or to perform a contract with you, for example in connection with an application or training you undertake with Somata.

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Legitimate interests – where processing is necessary for Somata’s legitimate interests, such as responding to enquiries, administering the organisation, maintaining the website and improving services, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and interests.

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Legal obligation – where Somata needs to process or retain information to comply with a legal requirement.

Where Somata processes special-category personal data, we will also ensure that an appropriate additional condition for processing applies under UK data protection law.

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Training Applications

If you apply to train with Somata, we may collect additional information needed to consider your application, communicate with you about it and determine whether the training is appropriate for you.

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This may include information about your education, qualifications, employment, professional experience and relevant life experience.

Where information is particularly sensitive, we will only collect what is necessary for the relevant purpose and will take appropriate measures to protect it.

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Email Marketing

If you choose to join our mailing list, we may use your name and email address to send you news, training information and other relevant updates from Somata.

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You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe link in our emails or by contacting us.

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Unsubscribing from marketing communications will not prevent us from contacting you where necessary in relation to an enquiry, application, course or other service you have requested.

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Cookies, Analytics and Advertising

The Somata website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the website and, where you have provided the appropriate consent, to understand website use, improve the visitor experience and measure the effectiveness of our advertising.

Somata may use:

 

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to understand how visitors use the website and help us improve its performance and usability.

Google Ads to promote Somata’s training and measure advertising performance and conversions.

 

Hotjar to help us understand how visitors interact with the website and identify potential usability issues.

Non-essential analytics, behaviour-analysis and advertising technologies will be subject to the choices you make through the website’s cookie consent controls.

 

Somata intends to configure Hotjar so that sensitive information entered into enquiry, application or other form fields is not intentionally captured in session analysis.

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The cookies and storage technologies used may change as the website and its integrations change. Please see our Cookie Policy and cookie settings for current information and to manage your preferences.

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Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell your personal information.

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We may share personal information where necessary with trusted service providers and organisations involved in operating Somata and providing its training and services.

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Depending on the circumstances, these may include:

• website hosting and website service providers;

• email and communications providers;

• mailing-list providers;

• administration and IT service providers;

• payment processors, where applicable;

• analytics and website measurement providers;

• visiting tutors and other core tutors, where relevant to the training;

• UKATA and UKCP, where relevant;

• external examiners; and

• professional, regulatory, legal or accounting advisers where necessary.

 

Somata does not routinely share student information with supervisors.

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Where third parties process personal information on our behalf, we expect appropriate data-protection and security arrangements to be in place.

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We may also disclose information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal rights.

Where enabled and subject to the appropriate consent choices, website usage and advertising data may also be processed by Google in connection with Google Analytics and Google Ads, and by Hotjar in connection with website behaviour and usability analysis.

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International Data Transfers

Some technology and service providers used by Somata may process or store personal information outside the UK.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, Somata will take steps to ensure that the transfer is handled in accordance with applicable UK data protection requirements and that appropriate safeguards are used where required.

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How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was collected, including where information needs to be retained for legal, regulatory, professional, training or accounting purposes.

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The appropriate retention period may vary depending on the type of information, the nature of Somata’s relationship with you, any professional or regulatory requirements, and whether the information is needed to establish or defend legal rights.

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When information is no longer required, we will delete it securely or anonymise it where appropriate.

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Mailing-list information is retained until you unsubscribe or otherwise ask us to stop using it, subject to any minimal suppression record that may be needed to respect that request.

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How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

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Access to personal information is limited, as appropriate, to people who need it for legitimate business, training or administrative purposes.

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Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you the right to:

• ask for a copy of the personal information we hold about you;

• ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information;

• ask us to delete your personal information in certain circumstances;

• ask us to restrict how we use your information in certain circumstances;

• object to certain uses of your information;

• withdraw consent where we rely on consent; and

• request the transfer of certain information in a portable format.

 

Not all rights apply in every circumstance.

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If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact:

Email: rebecca@somata.co.uk

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Complaints

If you have concerns about how Somata handles your personal information, please contact us in the first instance so that we have an opportunity to address your concerns.

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You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator.

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Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by other organisations.

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Somata is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites. We recommend reviewing the privacy information provided by those organisations when visiting their websites.

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Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, website, technology or legal obligations.

The latest version will be published on this website with the date it was last updated.