Your privacy matters.
Here’s my privacy and GDPR Policy.
I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), reference ZA440860.
Reasons for processing information
I process personal information to enable me to provide psychotherapy/counselling and to maintain my records.
Information I will record about you if we start working together
I will record your name, email address and telephone number in order to facilitate regular therapy sessions. I will record your address, GP surgery details and an emergency contact in case a mental health or other immediate health concern arises during the course of therapy (please refer to confidentiality for more information).
I will keep anonymously coded records of your attendance and payments.
I will keep brief anonymously coded sessional notes about the factual content of our sessions.
How I will store information
Your name, contact details and allocated client code will be kept in an encrypted, password-protected folder on my laptop (also password protected).
Your anonymised sessional notes, attendance record and payment record are stored electronically on a GDPR-compliant platform with two-factor password authentication.
Working agreements are stored electronically on a GDPR-compliant platform with two-factor password authentication.
Emails and texts are stored on my phone and laptop, both of which are password protected.
How long I will store information
As soon as the information in the confidential details form (i.e. your contact details, GP details etc) has been transferred to the encrypted password-protected device, I will delete both the form and the email.
I will retain your sessional notes and contact details for seven years after the termination of therapy. After seven years these records will be deleted.
Anonymously coded records of your attendance and payments will be kept indefinitely for reasons of professional accreditation and financial management.
Correspondence (emails or texts) will be deleted when they are no longer of use. For all enquiries received but not followed on will be deleted when no longer of use.
Accessing your information
You can access on request any information I hold about you. I require written notice and will provide the information within 4 weeks.
Information sharing
Information will be shared if there is a perceived risk of harm to your self or others (see confidentiality information for more details), or if there is a legal duty for me to do so.
During supervision I may share some information from our sessions with my supervisor (please refer to my practice information for more details). Your identity will not be disclosed.
Your basic contact details will be shared in the event of my sudden death or illness with my supervisor on a strictly confidential basis. No other information will be shared.
In the event of a medical emergency during a session, your emergency contact and/or GP/the emergency services will be contacted.
Cookies
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Your Rights.
You have the following rights
To be informed what information I hold
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).