Privacy Notice
This privacy notice explains how I process data to comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018. I am a registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) under reference ZB437005. I am committed to protecting your personal data and collecting only necessary data, processing it in a fair, transparent, and lawful manner, keeping it no longer than necessary and thereafter securely destroying it.
The lawful basis under which I process special category data is that I am providing a health and/or social care service. I will never sell or share your personal data with other organisations for marketing or promotional, sales or other purposes. I do not use any form of automated profiling or decision-making.
In addition to contact details, I keep the therapy contract about our counselling sessions which may include sensitive information that you have disclosed to me. This information is held securely, electronically to which only I and my practice executer have access to.
Any paper-based session notes or other material from sessions is stored securely and in a way which is not personally identifiable. I keep contact details only on my private practice confidential mobile phone.
Information stored electronically is not shared with anyone expect my practice executer. I have regular supervision with supervisors, and these are the only people with whom I talk with about my work. Supervisors are bound by the same ethical code and terms of confidentiality as I am. Clients are identified by first name only. In the event of my becoming incapacitated in some way, my supervisor who is my practice executer is able to access only the contact details of my clients. The other occasions when data might be shared is when I have your consent to do so, or when I am obliged to break confidentiality for reasons which are discussed in the counselling agreement that I ask you to sign at the beginning of your counselling.
Generally, I keep personal data for up to 6 years as it could be useful and relevant for a client returning to counselling. I have chosen 6 years as a reasonable time between retaining potentially useful data and keeping data for no longer than is necessary.
You have a right to access these records if you wish and to make a complaint to the ICO if you think there is a problem with how these records are managed.