I am committed to ensuring that your privacy is protected. In accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018, this privacy statement explains what happens with the personal information you share if you see me for counselling.

Personal information I collect:

your name and preferred method of contact (telephone or email)

health and history relevant to counselling, including relevant prescribed medication

how you hope to benefit from counselling

brief session summary written after each meeting

This information is collected for the purposes of arranging appointments, understanding how I can best support you, and keeping an accurate record of our work together.

How I store your information

All personal information and session notes are stored securely in a locked filing cabinet and retained for the legal requirement of 7 years, after which time they will be shredded. Session summary notes are kept separately to your personal information, and are identifiable by a code only.

Your preferred contact telephone number will be stored in my mobile phone, identified by your first name only. If you prefer to arrange appointments by email, then your email address will be stored on my electronic devices. All contact details will be deleted within one month of our last session.

Any details you send will not be electronically retained and will be either deleted, or printed and placed with your paper records within one month of sending.

All text messages are deleted within one month of sending.

Confidentiality and information sharing

All sessions will be conducted in confidence. The date, session number and brief notes will be documented, and kept separately to your personal information. I will not share you information with anyone else, unless:

you have given your permission to share information

there is significant risk of harm to yourself or others

I am required to give evidence in a court of law

you share information relating to terrorism, fraud or money laundering

Supervision

As an accredited member of the BACP, I am required to have monthly supervision with an experienced therapist who is qualified in supervision. This process is to support me in my counselling practice and ensure I am working safely and appropriately. I do not share your identity in my supervision sessions, which are bound by the same level of confidentiality as described above.

Therapeutic executor

A copy of your completed contact sheet (name and preferred method of contact) will be kept in a sealed envelope in a locked filing cabinet, and shared with my supervisor in the event of my unexpected death, serious accident or sudden illness (i.e. circumstances in which I am unable to continue work and unable to contact you myself). This copy of your details will be stored in this way only for the duration of our work together, and will then be shredded.

Your permission

I will seek your permission to:

contact you via your preferred method and will only leave a message with your consent

share any information outside of the above exceptions (see Confidentiality)

publish any marketing materials, such as testimonials using a pseudonym

Your rights

You have the right to see the information I hold about you (free of charge for the initial request). I aim to keep all personal data up to date; please notify me as soon as possible if you believe that any information I hold about you needs changing. You have the right to rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.

Amendments and updates

I may amend and/or update this privacy policy from time to time, in which case I will publish the amended version on my website, and notify you of any changes if we are still working together.