Who I am
I am a registered counsellor and a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I am committed to protecting your personal information and handling it in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.
Information I collect
When you contact me or become a client, I may collect:
- Name
- Email address
- Telephone number
- Postal address (where applicable)
- Emergency contact details
- GP details (where appropriate)
- Information you provide during counselling sessions
- Brief clinical notes relating to our work together
How I use your information
Your information is used to:
- Respond to enquiries
- Arrange and manage appointments
- Provide counselling services
- Maintain confidential client records
- Meet my professional and legal obligations
Legal basis for processing
I process your personal information because:
- It is necessary to provide counselling services.
- I have legitimate interests in maintaining appropriate professional records.
- I have legal obligations in certain circumstances.
Confidentiality
Everything discussed during counselling is treated as confidential.
However, confidentiality may be broken where:
- there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or another person;
- safeguarding concerns arise involving a child or vulnerable adult;
- disclosure is required by law or court order.
Where possible, I will discuss this with you first.
Storage of information
Client information is stored securely and access is restricted.
Reasonable technical and organisational measures are used to protect personal data from loss, misuse or unauthorised access.
How long records are kept
Client records are normally retained for seven years after counselling ends (or longer where required by legal, insurance or safeguarding obligations). After this period they are securely destroyed.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the right to:
- Request access to your personal information.
- Request correction of inaccurate information.
- Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances.
- Request deletion where applicable.
- Object to certain types of processing.
- Lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
Requests to access your records will normally be responded to within one month.
Please note that there may be legal or professional reasons why some information cannot be disclosed.
Website forms
If you submit an enquiry through the website, the information you provide will only be used to respond to your enquiry or arrange an appointment.
Cookies
This website uses only essential cookies required for the website to function. No analytics or advertising cookies are currently used.
Contact
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact me using the details provided on this website.