GDPR Policy

While we are working together, I will collect and record information about you and your sessions in the following ways.

1. I record your contact details. This allows us to manage your sessions and keep you informed.
2. I record your next of kin and GP information in order to alert them in the case of emergency. If we become worried about your wellbeing, we may inform your GP so that they can also be involved in your care. I will always aim to discuss this with you beforehand.
3. I will record a brief summary of what was discussed in each session. This means that I have an ongoing record of your session which allows me to provide continuity of care.  

To comply with GDPR regulations, I must have a legal basis to record and use your data in this way. The legal basis I use is that you have given us your consent, by signing our Counselling Agreement. You have rights relating to your data, and these are listed below.

All information is securely held, either in locked filing cabinets or secure databases, for 7 years. I will not pass on your information to anyone outside the service, with the following exceptions;

• I am concerned that you pose a threat to yourself or others (as above).
• I am required to by law.
• In the event of my incapacity or death your personal contact information will be disclosed to my clinical executor of my Professional Will so that they can notify you.

Your rights in relation to your data

The GDPR provides various rights for individuals regarding their data. These are listed below.

The right to be informed: Our GDPR Policy informs you of the reason for collecting your data and the use we make of this. 

The right of access: You have the right to access the information that I hold on you. In the case of notes about our sessions, I may decide to show them to you only while we are together in a session.

The right to rectification: You have the right to have data that I hold about you corrected, where it is inaccurate or incomplete. 

The right to erasure: You have the right to withdraw your consent for me to hold your data, in which case it would be erased. 

The right to restrict processing: You can ask me to restrict the way in which I use your data but must provide a reason for wanting this restriction. This is usually a temporary measure. 

The right to data portability: You have the right to ask me for the data that I keep electronically, so that you can provide it to a third party, you can also ask me to provide it directly to another organisation. In either case I will provide the data in a way that makes it possible to be used easily by the third party.