AfriTherapy – Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

AfriTherapy is committed to protecting your privacy and safeguarding the confidentiality of your mental health journey.

We are not a data-driven advertising company. We only collect and process information that is strictly necessary to operate the AfriTherapy platform, connect clients with professionals, and maintain a safe, secure service.

This Privacy Policy explains:

• What information we collect
• How and why we use it
• When it may be shared
• How long we keep it
• The choices and rights you have regarding your data

By using AfriTherapy, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

3. Scope and Who This Policy Applies To

This Privacy Policy applies to:

• Visitors to the AfriTherapy website
• Registered clients using the platform to connect with professionals
• Registered professionals (therapists, counsellors, coaches, etc.) using AfriTherapy to list or manage their services

It covers all use of AfriTherapy's website and related services, regardless of where you are located.

4. Information We Collect

We collect only the minimum information needed to operate the platform.

4.1 Account Information

When you create an account as a client or professional, we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number (where provided)
• Password (stored securely in encrypted form)

For professionals only, we may also collect:

• Professional title and qualifications
• License or registration details
• Areas of specialization and services offered
• Practice location or service region

4.2 Usage and Technical Information

To maintain security and basic functionality, we may collect:

• Appointment and session information (e.g. booking time, therapist selected, session status)
• Basic device, browser, and log data (e.g. IP address, time of access, pages visited)
• Non-identifying usage patterns to help us understand how the platform is used

We do not attempt to build psychological or behavioural profiles from your activity.

4.3 Private Chat Sessions

Your therapy conversations are treated with a high standard of confidentiality.

• Private chat sessions between you and your therapist are designed to exist only for the duration of the session or for a short operational window.
• Chat content is temporarily stored only to allow real-time communication.
• We do not use the content of your therapy conversations for analytics, advertising, or profiling.
• We do not maintain permanent records of your therapy conversation content once a session is completed and the data is cleared from our systems.

Please note: therapists may keep their own records in line with professional and legal requirements. Those records are controlled by the therapist, not AfriTherapy.

4.4 Payment and Billing Information

When you pay for a session:

• Payments are processed by our payment partner (e.g. Paystack).
• We may receive limited transaction details (e.g. amount paid, time of transaction, status) for accounting and support.
• We do not store your full card details on AfriTherapy servers.

5. How We Use Your Information

We use your information only for purposes that are directly related to providing and improving our services.

We may use your data to:

• Create and manage your account
• Facilitate connections and bookings between clients and professionals
• Process payments and issue confirmations or receipts
• Send essential service-related messages (e.g. booking confirmations, security notifications, important updates)
• Maintain platform security, detect potential abuse, and prevent fraud
• Improve the platform based on anonymous or aggregated usage patterns

We do not use your personal information for:

• Behavioural advertising
• Selling user data to third parties
• Unrelated marketing campaigns without your consent

6. Legal Basis for Processing (where applicable)

Depending on your location and applicable law (e.g. GDPR-like principles), we rely on one or more of the following legal bases to process your data:

• Contract – to provide the services you sign up for (e.g. bookings, communication, payments).
• Legitimate interests – to maintain security, prevent fraud, improve services, and manage our operations in a way that respects your rights.
• Consent – where you explicitly agree to a specific use (e.g. optional communications, certain professional features).
• Legal obligations – to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or requests from competent authorities.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

AfriTherapy may use cookies or similar technologies to:

• Keep you logged in during a session
• Remember basic preferences (such as language)
• Help secure the platform and prevent unauthorized access

We do not use cookies to track you across unrelated websites for advertising purposes.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings, although disabling essential cookies may affect parts of the platform functionality.

8. Data Security

We implement technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (e.g. SSL/TLS)
• Secure password storage using industry-standard encryption
• Restricted access to user data based on role and necessity
• Regular updates, patches, and basic security audits

While no system can be guaranteed 100% secure, we strive to use practices that are reasonable and appropriate for the nature of the data processed.

9. Third-Party Service Providers

We work with a small number of trusted third parties to operate the platform. These may include:

• Payment processors (e.g. Paystack) to handle secure transactions
• Hosting and infrastructure providers to run the website and databases
• Security or monitoring tools to help keep the platform safe

These providers:

• Are only given access to the minimum data necessary to perform their role
• Are required to keep your information confidential
• Are not permitted to use your information for their own marketing or profiling purposes

We do not sell or trade your information to external marketing companies.

10. Data Sharing

We may share your information in limited circumstances:

• With your chosen therapist or professional – so they can contact you, manage your booking, and provide services.
• With service providers – as described above, strictly for operational reasons.
• To comply with law – where we are required to disclose information to regulators, law enforcement, or courts, in accordance with applicable law.
• To protect rights and safety – where reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of AfriTherapy, our users, or the public.

We do not share the content of therapy conversations for advertising or commercial data-sharing purposes.

11. International Transfers

AfriTherapy is based in Africa and may serve users in different countries. Your data may be processed or stored in countries other than your own, depending on:

• Where our servers are hosted
• Where our service providers are located

In such cases, we aim to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place and that the level of protection is consistent with this Privacy Policy and applicable law.

12. Data Retention

We keep personal data only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy or as required by law.

In general:

• Active accounts: We retain key account and booking information while your account is active.
• Closed accounts: Limited information may be kept for a period to meet legal, tax, or accounting obligations, resolve disputes, or maintain security records.
• Chat sessions: Private therapy conversations on AfriTherapy are designed to be temporary. Chat content is deleted once sessions are closed and operationally processed.
• Professionals' own records: Therapists and professionals may maintain separate clinical records outside AfriTherapy, as required by their professional and legal obligations. Those records are not controlled by AfriTherapy.

13. Your Rights

Depending on applicable law, you may have some or all of the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access – to request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction – to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Deletion – to request that we delete your personal information, subject to legal and operational limits.
• Restriction – to request limited use of your data in certain circumstances.
• Objection – to object to certain types of processing, where applicable.
• Portability – to request a copy of your data in a structured, commonly used format (where technically feasible and legally applicable).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through the Contact Us page. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.

14. Children's Privacy

AfriTherapy is primarily intended for users aged 18 and above.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from individuals under 18 without the involvement of a parent or legal guardian.

If we become aware that we have collected personal data from a minor without appropriate consent, we will take steps to delete that information as soon as reasonably possible.

If you believe a minor's data has been provided to us improperly, please contact us.

15. Links to Other Websites

AfriTherapy may contain links to third-party websites or services (for example, therapist websites, resources, or external content).

We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any website you visit.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect:

• Changes in our services or platform features
• Changes in applicable laws or regulations
• Improvements in how we explain our practices

When we make significant changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page, and
• Where appropriate, notify you through the platform or by email.

Your continued use of AfriTherapy after any updates take effect will mean you accept the revised Policy.

17. Contact Us

If you have any:

• Questions about this Privacy Policy
• Concerns about how your data is handled
• Requests to exercise your privacy rights

Please contact us through our Contact Us page on the AfriTherapy website.

We are committed to responding to your queries and concerns promptly, clearly, and respectfully.