Privacy

According to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation I am obliged to inform you regarding personal information that I obtain, store & process/share which may be used in our work and to plan therapy sessions. This page details my GDPR policy and forms part of my counselling agreement. By signing the counselling agreement we both indicate our agreement to this statement.

Personal Information I will collect:

  • Gender (or preferred identity).

  • Date of Birth.

  • Relationships & Progeny.

  • Telephone/SMS number (plus permission to send SMS & leave voice message).

  • Email address.

  • Therapy and Psychological Services History.

  • Medical conditions relevant to counselling.

  • Prescribed medication.

  • Session summary.

How I will store your Personal Information:

Storage Methods.

  • Electronic:

·         Contact Sheet

·         Contract/Agreement

·         Assessment Record

·         Brief Session Notes

·         Client Code (linking documents)

Your name appears only in the contact sheet and the contract/agreement. Other documents are linked to you by your client code. All documents are password protected. My devices and cloud storage are also password protected.

  • Email/SMS/WhatsApp: your email address and correspondence will be stored in my email account by nature of you contacting me. Your telephone number may be stored in my SMS or WhatsApp app should we exchange messages this way. Electronic correspondence will also be held by the corresponding app.

  • Website: none of your personal information is stored on my website, other than to momentarily collect & send it to my e-mail account for the purposes of our initial contact.

How I may Process/Share your Personal Information.

Supervision

In accordance with the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy ethical framework, I receive professional supervision with a qualified clinical supervisor. The supervision process is for my practice (rather than seeking instruction on working with you). Your identity remains confidential throughout these sessions and my supervisor is also bound by a confidentiality agreement.

Therapeutic Will

As part of my duty of care to all clients, in the event of my death or sudden incapacity to work I have a clinical will in place. This is a password protected document that my clinical executor has access to. This means that should the situation arise, you will be contacted by my clinical executor, informed of the situation and appropriate support (e.g. an alternative therapist) can be provided for you.

Emergencies

In circumstances where there is a risk of harm to you or to a third party, I may share your contact information with an emergency healthcare service or involve other professionals such as your GP. In such cases I will aim to discuss any action with you first and seek to gain your co-operation. If I have become aware of your intent to cause harm to another person/organisation (e.g. terrorism), the law may require that I inform an authority without seeking your permission. In such a situation, the law may require that I share your personal information without your knowledge.

Erasing your Information

When we have finished working together, I will erase copies of your correspondence within one month. I will hold onto your records for up to seven years past the end of our working together in accordance with the requirements of my insurance provider. After this time has passed, I will securely delete your records.

Your Rights

You have the following rights:

  • To be informed what information I hold (i.e. this document).

  • To see the information I hold about you (free of charge for the initial request).

  • To rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

  • To withdraw consent to me using your personal information.

  • To request your personal information be erased (though I can decline whilst the information is needed for me to practice lawfully & competently).