Privacy policy
Updated 4 August 2026
This page explains what data I receive when you write to me or read this site, why it is needed, how long it is kept and how to have it deleted. It is written in plain language: this is about messages and about what you tell me in session, which is sensitive information.
Who is responsible for the data
The data is held by Roman Budaev, psychotherapist, in private practice in Ukraine. There is no third-party company keeping records on my behalf.
What data I receive
Through Telegram and email:
- the name or username you give yourself;
- your email address or Telegram username, so that I can reply;
- the content of our messages, including what you describe about your condition;
- appointment arrangements.
During a session I hear what you tell me about your health. That is health data, and it is treated separately: see the section on medical confidentiality.
The site also collects anonymised visit statistics: see the section on analytics.
Why
- to answer you and arrange an appointment;
- to carry out the consultation itself;
- to remember the context of our work if we have met before;
- to meet legal obligations where they apply.
The data is not used for advertising, mailing lists or sale, and is not passed to anyone — apart from the cases in the section on medical confidentiality.
Where it is kept and for how long
Messages stay where they were written: in Telegram and in my mailbox. I keep no separate patient database, no medical files and no session recordings.
Messages are kept while our work continues and for up to three years after your last contact, in case you come back and the context is needed. After that they are deleted. At your request — sooner, see the section on deletion.
Who has access
Only me. There are no assistants, administrators or receptionists in this practice, and access to messages is not given to anyone.
The services we talk through — Telegram and the email provider — process messages on their own servers under their own terms. If you would rather your messages did not stay in those services, say so and we will agree on another way to communicate.
Medical confidentiality and its limits
Everything you tell me is covered by medical confidentiality. I do not discuss it with relatives, employers or anyone else, and I do not confirm to outsiders that you have contacted me at all.
There are limits, and it is fairer to state them in advance. Confidentiality may be broken where:
- there is an immediate risk to life — yours or someone else's;
- there is violence against a child;
- a formal request comes from a court or law enforcement in the manner provided by law.
In such cases I disclose only what is needed to remove the danger and, where possible, I tell you that I am doing so.
Analytics and cookies
The site uses Google Analytics — anonymised statistics: how many people visited, from which pages and devices. Names, messages and the content of consultations do not go there.
The service relies on cookies and passes data to Google. You can switch the collection off in your browser: block cookies for this site or use private browsing. The site will work either way.
Children
Work with a child begins at the request of a parent or legal guardian. I receive the child's information from them and treat it the same way as any other health data.
Your rights
You can:
- ask what data about you I hold;
- have inaccuracies corrected;
- ask for our messages to be deleted;
- withdraw your consent to processing;
- complain to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights if you believe your rights have been breached.
There is no charge for this, and I do not ask for identity documents.
How to have messages deleted
Write to me in the same channel we used — "please delete our correspondence". I do it within a few days and confirm.
What gets deleted: the Telegram history and the emails. Note that in Telegram the copy on your own device stays with you — that one you delete yourself.
Security
The site runs over a secure connection, and email and Telegram are accessed from my own password-protected devices. Nothing online is guaranteed absolutely: if a subject is particularly sensitive for you, say so and we will agree how to discuss it.
Changes to this page
If the way I handle data changes, I will update this text and the date at the top of the page. No separate notifications are sent.
Questions about your data
Write by email or on Telegram — I answer personally. The same address takes requests to delete correspondence.