At ARTH, we respect your privacy and are committed to being clear about the personal information we collect, why we need it, how we protect it, and the choices and rights available to you.
This notice applies to visitors of our website, applicants and participants in our Applied Buddhist Psychology courses, and clients receiving counselling and arts-based therapy services. We aim to keep our practices aligned with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and other applicable Indian laws as they evolve.
Please note that this notice relates only to the handling of your personal information. It does not cover the nature, structure or process of therapy, which is explained separately through ARTH’s client intake and informed-consent documents.
Information collected automatically
When you visit this website, our hosting provider may automatically process limited technical information such as your IP address, browser or device type, pages visited, and the date and time of access to operate, secure, and maintain the website. ARTH does not currently use advertising or analytics cookies; nor do we collect or sell visitors’ personal information.
External links and third-party services
This website contains links to external services, including social-media platforms. If you follow these links or complete an application form hosted by an external service, your information will be processed according to that service’s privacy practices, not this notice.
Information collected for counselling and arts-based therapy
If you engage ARTH for individual, couple, or family counselling or arts-based therapy, we collect your name, contact details, and information relevant to your counselling needs, which may include your personal history, concerns, and session notes. This information is sensitive and is handled with particular care.
- This information is collected only with your specific, informed consent, given separately from your consent to any website or course-related processing
- It is used solely to provide you counselling/therapy services, maintain a professional record of your engagement, and, where relevant and with your consent, to coordinate with any other treating professional
- Session notes and related records are retained for about 5 years after the conclusion of your engagement with ARTH, or such longer period as required by law, after which they are securely deleted
- Your privacy is an important part of the counselling relationship, and the information you share will be treated as confidential. There are, however, a few limited circumstances in which some information may need to be shared:
– with your specific consent, with another treating professional to support your continued care;
– where necessary to protect you or another identifiable person from serious harm;
– where required to prevent an imminent threat to life;
– where legally compelled by a court, statutory authority, or applicable law;
– in the unlikely event that your therapist is affected by a serious illness, incapacity or death and is unable to contact you directly. As part of a professional will, a designated professional colleague may then access your contact details needed to inform you, keep your records secure and help you consider suitable next steps for your care. This colleague will also be bound by professional confidentiality.
In all such situations, information will be shared thoughtfully and limited to what is necessary for that particular purpose. - This confidentiality protection applies equally to information held in physical files and in digital or electronic form, including online sessions records where applicable.
- If you are a minor, or attending family/couple counselling, we will clarify with you and your family at the outset how consent and confidentiality will be handled among the individuals involved
Information you provide when applying for a course or programme
When you enquire about or apply for a course or programme, you may voluntarily provide your name, phone number, email address, postal address, photo identity document, and academic documents (such as a marksheet or degree certificate). This information is collected and used only to respond to your enquiry, verify your eligibility, process your application, and administer the requested course. More specifically,
- Contact details (name, phone number and email address): retained for the duration of the programme, issue or modify certificates and as a contact afterward, to enable communication, and maintain minimum academic records; this information is retained with us if we have an ongoing relationship.
- Access to your information provided on the admission form is limited to team members who need it for these purposes; we take reasonable technical measures (such as password-protected storage and restricted access) and organisational measures to protect it
- Identity and academic documents (photo ID, marksheet/degree certificate): retained only as long as needed to verify eligibility and finalise your admission, and deleted within approximately 60 days after that purpose is served, unless you request earlier deletion
- We do not use your information for unrelated marketing and do not share it with others except: to provide a requested service (for example, courier service)
- A WhatsApp group is usually created about 10 days before the course is scheduled to begin to facilitate programme-related communication, reminders and any last-minute updates. Please note that upon joining the group, your mobile number, WhatsApp name and such profile information as permitted by your WhatsApp privacy settings may be visible to other members of the group.
- If you are under 18 years of age, a parent or legal guardian must provide verifiable consent before we process your personal information, and all references to ‘you’ in this section will include your parent/guardian acting on your behalf
How we protect your information
We apply reasonable security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we hold, including restricted access to authorised team members, secure storage of physical and digital records, and password protection for digital files. In the unlikely event of a personal data breach affecting your information, we will inform you and take appropriate remedial steps without undue delay.
Your consent and how to withdraw it
Where we rely on your consent to process your personal information, you may withdraw that consent at any time by contacting us at arth.mumbai@gmail.com. Withdrawing consent will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before your withdrawal, and we will let you know if withdrawal affects our ability to continue providing a requested service.
Language
You may request a copy of this notice, or raise a consent request, in any other language listed in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India, and we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate this.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- Access a summary of the personal information we hold about you and how it has been used
- Request correction, completion, or updating of inaccurate or outdated information
- Request erasure of your personal information, subject to any legal requirement to retain it
- Withdraw your consent at any time, as described above
- Nominate another individual to exercise these rights on your behalf in the event of your death or incapacity
- Raise a grievance directly with us, and if unresolved, escalate your complaint to the Data Protection Board of India
To exercise any of these rights, or to ask a question about our services or programmes, please email arth.mumbai@gmail.com. We aim to respond within a reasonable time and no later than 30 days.
Applicable law
This website and the processing of personal information described in this notice are governed by the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, and other applicable laws in India.
Thank you for trusting ARTH with your information.
www.arth.co | 9920216977 | arth.mumbai@gmail.com
Version 3.0 | Effective date: 21 September 2026 | Supersedes prior privacy notice