I am committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal data responsibly. This privacy policy explains what personal information is collected, why it is collected, how it is used, and your rights in relation to it.
This policy applies to current clients, former clients, and anyone who contacts me to enquire about my services. It is compliant with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025.
Personal Data
When you contact me to enquire or begin counselling, I may collect:
• Your name, address, telephone number, and email address
• Date of birth and emergency contact details
• Details of your GP and other healthcare professionals involved in your care
• Information about your health, mental health, and personal circumstances relevant to counselling
• Session notes and records of our therapeutic work together
• Payment information (although I do not store full payment card details)
Your information is stored securely and I take reasonable technical and organisational steps to prevent unauthorised access, loss, or disclosure.
I offer online counselling sessions via Google Meet or WhatsApp. I would encourage you to review the platforms own privacy policies before we begin online work together:
• WhatsApp Privacy Policy: whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy
• Google Privacy Policy: policies.google.com/privacy
I use these platforms solely to conduct our sessions and do not share any clinical or session content through them beyond what is necessary for our work. Please note that, as with any third-party platform, I cannot fully guarantee the security of data transmitted via these services and you should consider this when choosing your preferred way of working with me.
Why this information is collected
I am required to keep any personal information for the minimum time, as a legal requirement.
This enables me to:
• Contact you, schedule sessions and provide counselling to you.
• Keep a record of our work together.
• Meet my professional and ethical obligations as a counsellor.
• Meet legal and professional obligations. For example, safeguarding requirements.
• Handle any complaints or concerns you raise with me.
Because counselling involves sensitive information about your health and wellbeing, I also have specific legal grounds for handling this type of data. This includes my responsibility to provide a safe and professional service, and my duty to safeguard children and vulnerable adults where necessary.
Sharing your information
I treat everything you share with me as confidential. However, in some circumstances I may need to share information with third parties. These circumstances include:
- Prevention of serious harm to self or others, including risk of suicide or serious self-harm
- Crime
- Statutory obligations to disclose
- Court orders
- Requirements to produce counselling records
- Child protection concerns
In these instances, I may be required to report concerns to Social Care Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH), a GP or emergency services such as police or ambulance services.
For further information on any of these limits to confidentiality, please see the guidance shared by the NCPS. https://ncps.com/help/policy/safeguarding-policy
As required by my professional body, I receive regular clinical supervision to ensure the quality and safety of my practice. I may discuss aspects of our work with my supervisor. Where possible, I will use anonymised information. Concerns regarding safeguarding and child protection, will be discussed with my clinical supervisor to assess the most suitable action plan for managing limits to confidentiality. My supervisor is bound by their own confidentiality obligations and data protection duties.
With your consent, I may communicate with your GP, other healthcare professionals or education providers involved in your care. For example, following a referral or where I believe coordination would benefit your wellbeing. I will always discuss this with you unless there is a safeguarding reason not to.
When working within a school or organisation, I will request the organisation’s safeguarding policy and seek to always work within it. I will raise any concerns, in line with limits to confidentiality, within the safeguarding procedure of the school or organisation. I ask that I am introduced to the Designated Safeguarding Lead before commencing work, so this line of communication is established. I will raise any potential conflicts of interest in my policy and the school’s/organisations with the DSL if required.
Your rights
You have rights over your personal information. You can ask me to:
• Show you what information I hold about you
• Correct anything that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Delete your information, where I am legally able to do so
• Limit or stop how I use it in certain circumstances
Please be aware that if you ask me to delete your information or significantly limit how I use it, I may no longer be able to continue our counselling work together. This is because I am required to keep certain records to practise safely and meet my legal and professional obligations.
If you'd like to exercise any of these rights or if you have any concerns about how I've handled your information and wish to make a complaint, please get in touch with me directly in the first instance.
I will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days of receiving it and investigate your concern, while keeping you informed of progress. I will inform you of the outcome of the investigation as soon as reasonably possible.
If you are unhappy with my response, or if I have not responded within a reasonable time, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
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