Privacy Policy
I want you to feel completely comfortable about how I handle your personal information. This privacy policy explains everything you need to know about how I collect, use, and protect your data when we work together, whether that’s online or in person.
Your privacy and confidentiality are fundamental to our therapeutic relationship, and I’m committed to maintaining the highest standards of data protection while we work together, and after we finish working together.
What personal data do I collect and why?
I collect personal contact information such as your name, address, email address, telephone number, emergency contact and GP’s details. This is to be able to communicate with you, schedule appointments with you, and conduct therapy sessions with you. Your email address will be stored in my email account which is password protected. Your telephone number is stored within my call or text messages log, my phone has a security pin. Contact information is kept in a locked filing cabinet, for a period of seven years after the cessation of counselling for insurance purposes, after which, they are destroyed.
I keep clinical notes, which are relevant to your therapy sessions. These enable me to provide personalised, accurate therapy sessions with you. These notes are kept anoymised, and are kept in a locked cabinet. These notes are kept for a period of seven years after the cessation of counselling for insurance purposes, after which, they are destroyed.
Sharing your data
I do not share your data for marketing purposes, and will not share or sell your data to third parties.
I may be required to share your data if:
1) If you asked me to, or
2) If I was required by law, or required and compelled to by a court of law, or a legal duty or
3) For safeguarding purposes – if I am sufficiently concerned for your safety, or the safety of others, I may have to share your data with other professionals. In the event that I need to share your data, I will always endeavour to talk this through with you first. However, if I am unable to do this for any reason, I reserve the right to break confidentiality in the above circumstances.
Your rights
I try to be as open as I can be in terms of giving people access to their personal information. You have a right to ask me to delete your personal information, to limit how I use your personal information, or to stop processing your personal information. You also have a right to ask for a copy of any information that I hold about you and to object to the use of your personal data in some circumstances. You can read more about your rights at ico.org.uk/your-data-matters. If I do hold information about you I will:
• Give you a description of it and where it came from;
• Tell you why I am holding it, tell you how long I will store your data and how I made this decision;
• Tell you who it could be disclosed to;
• Let you have a copy of the information in an intelligible form.
You can also ask me at any time to correct any mistakes there may be in the personal information I hold about you. Any requests for personal information about you must be provided in writing to [email protected].
If you have any concerns about how I handle your personal data please do not hesitate to get in touch with me by emailing at the address given above. I would welcome any suggestions for improving my data protection procedures.
You can also take any queries or complaints about the way I have processed your personal information to the ICO which is the statutory body that oversees data protection law in the UK. I am registered as a data controller with the ICO. For more information go to ico.org.uk or call 03031231113.
Visitors to my website
When someone visits my website, I use a third party service, (Bluehost) to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. I do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way that does not identify anyone. I do not make, and do not allow Bluehost to make, any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting my website.
I use legitimate interests as my lawful basis for holding and using your personal information in this way when you visit my
website. I use Google Analytics so that I can continually improve my service to you, You can read Google Analytics privacy notice here https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/6004245?hl=en
I use WordPress as the content management system for our website. https://en-gb.wordpress.org/about/privacy/
Like most websites I use cookies to help the site work more efficiently. Find out more about the use of cookies here:
No user-specific data is collected by me or any third party. If you fill in a form on my website, that data will be temporarily stored on the web host before being sent to me.