Privacy policy

1. General information

This Privacy Policy informs you about how Swiss Mental Care (hereinafter "we", "us", or "the Practice") processes personal data when you visit our website, contact us, or utilize our mental health services.

As a Swiss practice handling health-related information, we take data protection and medical confidentiality (Art. 321 Swiss Criminal Code) extremely seriously. We collect and process personal data in compliance with the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP) and applicable Swiss regulatory requirements.

2. Data controller

The entity responsible for processing your data is:

• Swiss Mental Care
• Fernanda from Swiss Mental Care
• Zürich
• Email: fernanda@swissmentalcare.ch

3. Data collection and purpose

We process personal data only to the extent necessary to provide our services, respond to inquiries, and manage client administration.

A. Website inquiries & direct contact — when you submit information through our website, contact forms, or via direct email, we collect:

• Name and contact details (email address, telephone number)
• Content of your inquiry or message

Purpose: To evaluate intake suitability, schedule consultations, and communicate regarding services. B. Therapeutic & client records — for active clients, we process health data (clinical notes, diagnostic information, payment records) strictly for providing mental health care and managing invoicing.

4. Hosting, software, and third-party processors

We do not sell, rent, or voluntarily transfer your personal data to third parties for commercial or marketing purposes.

To run our online presence and practice efficiently, we utilize select technical service providers (data processors) that comply with Swiss (FADP) and/or European (GDPR) data protection standards.

5. Technical and organizational security measures (TOMs)

To safeguard your sensitive data against unauthorized access, loss, or misuse, we maintain physical, technical, and administrative security measures, including:

• Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) on all platforms and accounts handling client communications.
• Device encryption & access restrictions: physical locking of computers, tablets, and hard-drive encryption.
• End-to-end / transport encryption: standard TLS/SSL encryption for email communications and website submission traffic.

Residual risk disclosure: While we apply state-of-the-art security measures to protect your information, the transmission of information over the internet (specifically unencrypted standard email) carries inherent security risks, such as unauthorized interception or technical errors beyond reasonable control. By submitting information to us electronically, you acknowledge this technical reality. If you prefer not to transmit sensitive mental health details via standard web forms or unencrypted email, please contact us to discuss secure alternative communication channels.

6. Data retention

We store your personal data only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or to comply with statutory Swiss retention periods (e.g., standard Swiss medical record retention obligations of up to 10 years).

7. Your rights

Under the Swiss Federal Act on Data Protection (revFADP), you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Right to information / access: you can request confirmation as to whether we process your data and receive details about that processing.
• Right to rectification: you can request the correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal data.
• Right to erasure / "to be forgotten": you may request the deletion of your data, subject to legal or medical record retention mandates.
• Right to restrict processing: you can ask us to limit how your data is used under certain circumstances.

To exercise these rights, please contact Fernanda at fernanda@swissmentalcare.ch.

8. Changes to this privacy policy

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect changes in legal requirements or operational practices. The version published on our website at the time of your interaction applies.