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Privacy Policy

Introduction

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Your privacy is very important to me. You can be assured that only necessary data is collected, your personal data is kept securely, and that your personal data is solely used for the purposes it has been provided for. I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003. (‘The Regulations’),


This privacy notice will inform you what I will do with your personal information from initial point of contact until after your therapy has ended, including:
 

  • The reasoning behind me processing your information

  • How long your information will be kept for

  • Whether there are other recipients for your information

  • Whether you have to provide information to me

  • Your data protection rights


For any concerns around data protection, I am happy to be contacted.

 


My lawful basis for holding and using your personal information
 

The GDPR states that I must have a ‘lawful basis’ for processing your personal data:

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  • If you are in contact with me with the intent to start therapy, or you are currently having therapy with me, I will process your data wherever ‘it is necessary for the performance of our contract.’

  • If you have concluded therapy, I will use ‘legitimate interest’ as my lawful basis for holding and using your personal information. This means that I have a legal right to continue to hold your information.

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Both during and after therapy has ended the Regulations require me to look after your sensitive personal information appropriately. This type of information is called ‘special category personal information’. This type of information is often disclosed during the provision of health treatment. The lawful basis for me processing any special categories of personal information is for the provision of counselling and psychotherapy and is necessary for the contract between me and you to be fulfilled.

 


How I use your information

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Initial contact

When you first contact me with an enquiry about my services I will collect information to help me satisfy your enquiry. This may include your name, address, email address, home and or mobile number and some limited information about the nature of your enquiry. This information may also be supplied by your GP or other health professional, or a friend or relative enquiring on your behalf.

 

If you don’t engage in therapy with me

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If you decide not to meet with me, or decide not to continue with therapy with me after our initial session, I will ensure all your personal data is deleted within 10 working days. If you would like me to delete this information sooner, just let me know.

 

While you are accessing counselling

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Confidentiality

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Everything that we discuss in your counselling sessions, and the fact that you are attending counselling, is confidential with a few exceptions. By law I will be required to disclose information if you tell me that you are involved in, or have information regarding certain serious criminal offences. I may also need to break confidentiality If I think that there is a risk of you causing yourself or someone else serious harm or if I become concerned that the safety or wellbeing of a child or other vulnerable person might be a risk.It is also normal practice for all counsellors and psychotherapists to have regular supervision during which I may discuss things that we have talked about. In doing so your anonymity would be maintained. My supervisor would be bound by the same rules of confidentiality as me.

 

Records

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I will keep a record of your personal details to help the counselling services run smoothly. I may make brief notes after each psychotherapy/counselling session to help me monitor my work. These notes are for my use only & help me to keep a track of everything that is being discussed. In line with industry standards, these notes must be kept securely for up to 7 years after your therapy comes to an end, after which they will be confidentially destroyed or deleted.

 

You have the right to view these notes at any time until they are destroyed or deleted. To make this request please contact me directly.

 

All confidential information is anonymised and either stored in a locked filing cabinet or stored securely and password protected within the confidential platform on which I maintain my records in accordance with the GDPR 2018

 

Any text or email correspondence will be deleted after 2 weeks. If it contains relevant information this will be transferred to your paper file.

 

Your Rights

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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 also have a right to:

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  • know what it is and where I got the information from;

  • know why I am holding it, how long I will hold it, and why I decided to do this;

  • know who else it could be disclosed to;

  • have an understandable copy of the information.

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You can also ask me at any time to correct any mistakes there may be in the personal information I hold about you.

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Under the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, you have the right to complain directly to me about any aspect of how I collect, use, share, store, protect or otherwise handle your personal data, including how I respond when you try to exercise your data protection rights.

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I encourage you to contact me first so I can try to resolve your concern, but you still have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (“ICO”).

More information can be found on the ICO website: https://ico.org.uk/

 

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