PRIVACY STATEMENT
I will collect personal data including your name, address, date of birth, contact details and relevant information such as family history, current and past mental health issues, current medication and any ongoing psychological support for the purposes of providing counselling and contacting you about our sessions.
I keep my records, including session notes, in a locked filing cabinet accessible only to myself. These records are kept for 7 years, which is a legal requirement, after which time they are destroyed. Contact details may be kept on my laptop, tablet and phone, and are deleted when our sessions have ended.
Any information I hold will only be shared with a third party if I believe that there is a risk of harm to somebody under the age of 18, a vulnerable adult or if you disclose to me that you are about to commit an act of terrorism, money laundering or drug trafficking. I will, if possible always ask for your written consent if disclosure is to occur. This includes contacting your GP if I feel that there is a significant risk to your own safety. As a counsellor who is accredited by BACP, I have monthly supervision and I may disclose some of what you tell me, to my supervisor. I will not identify you in this process.
Under GDPR ( General Data Protection Regulations) you have rights as an individual about how your data is collected and used. At the start of our work together I will ask you to sign a copy of this privacy statement, which will ask for your agreement for me to use your data in the way that is specified above. If you have any concerns over how I have handled your data you should contact the ICO (Information Commissioners Office), I am registered with the ICO.
If you wish to remove your agreement to my use of your data whilst I am working with you, you will need to contact me via email to advise me of this.
