Privacy Policy

Introduction

Your privacy is especially important to me and I want you to be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and used only for the purpose it was given to me. This privacy policy tells you what I will do with your personal information from initial point of contact, during and after your therapy has ended. It is in line with GDPR, the Data Protection Act 2018 and The British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists (BACP 2018).

I am happy to chat through any questions you may have about my data protection policy and you can contact me via email.

Lawful basis for holding and using your personal information

Under GDPR I must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data and there are different lawful bases depending on the stage at which I am processing your data. During our work together and after therapy has ended I will work within these guidelines to uphold the necessary and lawful bases relevent to how I hold and use your personal data.

How I use your information

Initial contact

When you first contact me with your enquiry I will collect information such as telephone number and/or email address to help me respond to your query. Any notes made during the initial assessment, and before you decide to enter into therapy, will be stored securely. If you choose not to proceed with therapy, this information is deleted after one month unless you wish me to delete it sooner. Sometimes your GP, another health professional, employer or parent/carer may give me your details when making an enquiry on your behalf.

While you are accessing counselling

If you decide to work with me, I will collect further details from you such as date of birth, emergency contact details and GP’s contact details. I do not contact your GP unless I believe there is a serious risk to you or another and it is necessary to do so.

Everything you share in our sessions is confidential and will only be broken if there is:

· Disclosure of harm to self or others

· Safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults

· Acts of terrorism

· Drug trafficking

· Money laudering

· Other legal exceptions, such as if a court order is received and a legal obligation arises.

I will always try to speak to you about this first, unless there are safeguarding issues that prevent this.

As part of my professional commitment, and upholding the BACP Ethcial Framework, I have regualar supervsion. This is where I discuss our work, in a non-identifiable way, with a qualified supervisor, who is also bound by the BACP Ethical Framework.

How I store your information

As we work together I will record relevant information and keep brief notes to help me keep track of the issues we are exploring. Your personal details are stored separately from your therapy notes and linked by a reference number. Paper records are locked in a secure cabinet and digital records are kept on password protected devices. Emails and text messages that are no longer needed are deleted within one month, unless they form part of your records. I keep a diary to manage appointments; names are anonymised and securely stored.

In case of sudden illness or death, I have a short document known as a clinical will and this means clients can be contacted in my absence. Only clients name and contact details are held and accessed only by another registered counsellor in an emergency.

After counselling has ended

Once counselling has ended your records will be kept for a minimum of seven years. This is in line with BACP and in keeping with legal and insurance requirements. For clients who are minors, the retention period is extended and records kept for seven years after they reach the age of eighteen, or until they are twenty five. In both instances all personal details are securely destroyed.

Third parties

I do not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes. If your therapy is paid for or arranged by a third person, I will only share dates of your attendance for invoicing.

Your rights

You have the right to ask to ask for a copy of the information I hold about you. Requests should be made in writing and I will respond in 28 days. In rare instances, such as legal reasons, that I am not allowed to provide some or all of the personal information. I may charge a reasonable fee to cover administrative costs.

If you are concerned about how I manage your personal information, please speak with me. If you wish to make a formal complaint you can contact the ICO on Information Commissioner's Office or call 0303 123 1113.

Data Controller and ICO registration

I am the data controller for your personal information and I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration number ZB955333.

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