Courses and workbooks · Privacy notice · 24 October 2026
Who is responsible for your information?
Matthew Gorner is a sole trader trading as Matthew Gorner Counselling & Psychotherapy, 3 Bailey Place, London, N16 8BA. For questions about this notice or your information, email courses@matthewgorner.com.
This notice covers courses.matthewgorner.com and the courses and digital workbooks supplied through it. Psychotherapy services and the main website have separate information and arrangements.
Information used to run this site
- Accounts: your name, email address, username and account settings. WordPress stores a protected representation of your password rather than displaying it to us.
- Orders: billing details, products purchased, prices, payment status, transaction references, refunds and download permissions.
- Learning: enrolments, lesson progress, completion records and any answers or messages you choose to submit through course features.
- Support: messages and information you send when asking for help.
- Technical information: browser and device information, IP addresses and records needed to operate the site, prevent misuse and investigate technical problems.
Please keep private reflections on your own device unless a course specifically asks you to submit something. Do not upload identifiable client information, confidential case material or sensitive information about other people. This learning platform is not a clinical record system.
Why this information is used
Account administration, taking and fulfilling orders, providing course access and answering purchase-related requests are necessary to provide the contract you request or enter into. Keeping required business records is based on legal obligations. Protecting the site, investigating misuse and resolving disputes are based on legitimate interests in operating a reliable and secure educational business. Where an optional activity needs consent, it will be requested separately.
Buying a product or creating an account does not itself subscribe you to marketing emails. Essential account, order and access messages are part of providing the service.
The account details and checkout fields marked as required are needed to create your account, process your order or provide course access. If you do not provide them, the relevant service cannot be supplied. Workbooks can be purchased without an account where guest checkout is offered. Payment-status checks automatically grant or remove access to purchased content; contact us if access appears incorrect.
Service providers
Hostinger provides the website hosting that stores account, order and learning records. WordPress, WooCommerce and Tutor LMS run on that hosting to provide the site features; installing this software does not itself mean its developers receive your personal information. Titan handles service and support email, with WP Mail SMTP connecting the website to the email service.
Stripe processes payment details through its own secure payment fields. The website keeps order references, payment status and, where applicable, limited payment-method information; it does not receive your full card number or security code. Stripe also uses information for its own fraud-prevention and legal purposes, as explained in Stripe’s privacy notice.
Google Fonts supplies the website fonts, which involves your browser connecting to Google’s servers. Account profile images can be requested from Gravatar, operated by Automattic; this sends an email-derived hash with the image request, along with normal browser connection information. See Google Fonts privacy information and Automattic’s privacy notice. These services are used to display the site and account profile images.
If a lesson offers externally hosted media, check the provider information before choosing to load it. Links to the main website or other websites take you to services with their own privacy notices.
Processing outside the UK
Service providers may process information outside the UK, including in the United States. Hostinger’s data processing terms and Stripe’s data transfer terms describe safeguards for relevant UK transfers, including standard contractual clauses with the UK International Data Transfer Addendum. Titan publishes its data processing terms and subprocessor information. Contact courses@matthewgorner.com for further information or a copy of applicable safeguards.
Cookies and similar technology
Login sessions, the shopping basket and checkout use cookies or similar browser storage to work correctly. WooCommerce uses basket cookies for the browser session and a customer session cookie that normally lasts two days. Login duration depends on whether you select “Remember me”. Stripe uses technology for payments and fraud prevention; see Stripe’s cookie information.
WooCommerce’s optional order-attribution tracking is switched off. Cookies left from an earlier visit may remain until they expire or you clear your browser’s site data. Clearing essential cookies or blocking them can sign you out or empty your basket. Optional analytics or advertising features will be assessed separately, with consent requested where required before they are enabled.
How long information is kept
Account and learning records are kept while needed to provide your access and maintain your progress. Order and payment records are kept as needed for accounting, tax, disputes and other applicable legal requirements. Support and technical records are kept for as long as necessary to resolve the issue, maintain security or meet a legal obligation. Information should be removed or anonymised when those purposes no longer require it; requesting account closure does not necessarily remove records that must be retained.
Your choices and rights
You can ask for access to your information, correction, deletion, restriction or a portable copy where the relevant right applies. You may object to processing based on legitimate interests. Where consent is used, you may withdraw it without affecting earlier lawful processing. Some requests are subject to legal exceptions and identity checks.
Contact courses@matthewgorner.com. You can also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Changes to this notice
The date above identifies this version. Material changes to how information is used will be explained when relevant.