Privacy Policy

This privacy notice sets out how I use and protect any information that you provide when you visit this website or when you contact me by other means and the lawful basis under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the General Data Protection Regulations (‘GDPR’ ) that permits me to do so. You may visit this website freely without having to contact or use services.

Consent to hold your personal data
I am committed to ensuring that I protect your privacy and I will seek your explicit written consent to hold personal data, specifically and only for the purposes of providing counselling to you. If you make contact via this website or by phone, you will be asked to provide certain information by which you can be identified (see below).

• Please be assured that all this information is held securely and will only be used in accordance with data protection principles and complies with the UKCP code of ethics.
• The basis on which I hold or share information about you is outlined below and also the limits around confidentiality.
• You have the right of access to information I hold about you and to amend or ask for deletion of information that may not be accurate or correct. 
• I will not hold your data for longer than is deemed necessary for the purposes of counselling and following best practice and legal guidance. 
  
  The types of personal data collected
  
  For the purposes of initiating and clinically considering counselling for you, I will collect the majority of this information during our first contact and assessment.
  
  At first contact
• I will collect the following information in order to establish if I can provide you with counselling:
• Your name
• Contact information including your email address and phone number.
• Information about any disability or communication difficulty you may have
• At first contact you may also choose whether or not to share with me a brief description of what is bringing you for counselling now

• Your availability 

At assessment

At assessment you will be asked to sign an informed consent form to give me permission to process your data and also information about your healthcare professionals and emergency contact details. Other information relevant to you engaging in counselling with me:

• Date of birth
• Geographic information from your postcode
• Some detail about what is bringing you for counselling now
• Information about your education or employment status
• Information about early family history 
• Information about relationships and support 
  
  During counselling
• Anonymised counselling notes – your identity is protected and these notes are not shared with anyone unless I am legally required to do so, or the client specifically requests me to share them with another third party, which I have the right to refuse to do.

•

• Personal data (including special categories of personal data as identified above) that identifies you and counselling notes are held separately and securely to protect your anonymity.
• You have the right to view these notes and you would be advised of any request to share your notes.
• These notes are the property of the therapist and not the client
  
  What I do with the information gathered
• I collect this information to understand your clinical and other needs from counselling and provide you with a better service, and in particular to assist with clinical assessment, and for professional supervision of how I work.
• The lawful basis and purpose of holding this data is to ensure that I can meet the terms for providing a contract for counselling with you.
• I will also use your personal data to meet any legal obligations placed upon me – for instance when you exercise your rights to see what data I hold under data protection law or in order to meet any legal compliance placed on me; or occasions where I may be obliged to disclose information related to safeguarding children, young people and adults at risk.
• Your written consent will be sought at assessment for the need to meet possible disclosure to other bodies and for when I process any special categories of sensitive personal data about you.
  
  Where I store your personal data
  
  
  
• I will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy notice and in line with UKCP code of ethics. 
  
  Controlling your personal information
• I do not share your personal information with anyone else unless in pursuit of counselling on your behalf and only then if I have your permission to do so. In exceptional circumstances I may be required by law and my ethical responsibilities to break my confidentiality with you.
• I would discuss this with you first wherever possible, but if you do not give consent, I may still have to disclose information. This relates to situations where you may be at risk of harm, causing harm to others, the safeguarding of children, young people and adults at risk, acts of terrorism and unreported road traffic accidents where I am under legal obligations.
  
  I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office on the Register of Fee Payers. Ref: ZB658957 have the right to complain to the Information Commissioners’ Office in connection with enforcement and compliance with data protection law at www.ico.org.uk
  
  By visiting this web site you are agreeing to the contents of this Privacy Notice.