Practice & Legal
Cookie Policy
Which cookies this website uses, and why.
This policy explains how cookies and similar technologies are used on thechoicetochange.co.uk, the website of The Choice to Change.
It should be read alongside our Privacy & Confidentiality notice, which explains how personal information is handled more generally.
Last updated: 22 October 2026 · Contact: contact@thechoicetochange.co.uk · 01494 883815
The short version
This website uses only the cookies needed for the site to work securely, plus a small number of functional cookies that apply only if you choose to use the feature that sets them.
No analytics, advertising or social-media tracking cookies are currently set. There is no Meta Pixel, no Google Ads tag and no advertising remarketing on this site.
If that changes, this policy will be updated first, and any non-essential cookie will wait for your consent before it runs.
What cookies are
A cookie is a small text file that a website can store on your device. It allows the site to remember something between pages or between visits — for example, that a form has already been submitted, or that you are logged in.
Similar technologies include local storage and session storage, which work in a comparable way. This policy uses "cookies" to cover all of them.
Cookies are not programs. They cannot run on your device, install software or read other files.
Cookies we use
Strictly necessary
These cannot be switched off without breaking the site. They do not require consent under PECR because they are essential to a service you have asked for.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
wordpress_test_cookie | Checks whether your browser accepts cookies so forms and logins behave correctly | Session |
| Form session cookie | Keeps a form session consistent while you complete an enquiry. The exact name depends on the server configuration | Session |
| Form spam-protection cookie | Distinguishes a real form submission from an automated one. Set only when a form is used | Session |
wordpress_logged_in_* | Keeps an administrator signed in. Only set for site administrators, never for visitors | Session or 14 days with "remember me" |
Functional
These are set only when you actively use the feature that needs them.
| Cookie | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|
comment_author_*, comment_email, comment_author_url | Remembers your name, email and website so you do not have to retype them if you comment on a journal article | 1 year |
wp-postpass_* | Allows access to a password-protected page, if one is used | 10 days |
Analytics and marketing
None currently in use.
If analytics or advertising is ever added, this policy will be updated first, and the tool will not run until you have consented.
What we do not collect through cookies
This website does not use cookies to record what you write in an enquiry form.
Anything you type into the contact or consultation form is sent to the practice and stored securely so that your enquiry is not lost. It is not passed to analytics, advertising or social-media platforms. The Privacy & Confidentiality notice explains how that information is handled.
Your choices
Consent
Because the site currently sets only strictly necessary and user-initiated functional cookies, you are not asked to accept a cookie banner. If non-essential cookies are introduced, a consent banner will appear first, with Accept and Reject given equal prominence, and nothing non-essential will run until you choose.
You will be able to change or withdraw consent at any time through a cookie settings link in the footer.
Browser controls
You can also manage cookies through your browser. These links explain how:
Blocking all cookies may affect parts of this site, particularly forms. It will not affect your ability to telephone or email the practice.
Do Not Track
The site does not currently respond differently to browser "Do Not Track" signals, because no tracking is in place to switch off.
Third-party websites and embedded content
This site links to other organisations — for example professional bodies, support charities and video platforms. Once you follow a link, the destination site's own cookie and privacy policy applies.
If an embedded video, map or social-media post is added to a page, it will use the provider's privacy-enhanced mode where one is available, and this policy will say so.
How long cookies last
"Session" cookies are deleted when you close your browser. Persistent cookies remain until their expiry date or until you delete them. The tables above give the duration of each cookie the site sets.
Changes to this policy
This policy is reviewed at least once a year, and sooner if a new tool, plugin or embed is added, if analytics or advertising is introduced, or if the law and guidance on cookies changes.
The date at the top of the page shows when it was last updated.
Contact
Questions about cookies, or about how your information is handled, can be sent to:
The Choice to Change
Email: contact@thechoicetochange.co.uk
Telephone: 01494 883815
You also have the right to raise a concern with the UK regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office, at ico.org.uk.
Not an emergency service
This website and practice are not an emergency service. If you need urgent mental health support, please use the Urgent Help page rather than waiting for a reply to a website enquiry.
Questions about cookies or privacy?
If anything on this page is unclear, or you would like to know how your information is handled before you get in touch, please ask.