Privacy

Privacy Notice for Counselling Clients

 

This privacy notice tells you what to expect me to do with your personal information.

I comply with my obligations under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by:

  • Keeping personal data up to date;
  • By storing (and destroying) data securely;
  • By not collecting or retaining excessive amounts of data;
  • By protecting personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, and disclosure by ensuring that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

What personal data I process:

I collect and process the following personal data from counselling clients:

  • PERSONAL DATA: Basic contact information (name, home address, email address, contact numbers, GP and next of kin contact details).
  • SENSITIVE PERSONAL DATA: Client counselling records (anonymised brief session notes), risk assessments, assessment/outcome measures.

I use your personal data for the following purposes:

  • To deliver the services that clients have requested.
  • To contact clients as necessary in accordance with the services they have requested.
  • To maintain accounting records.

The lawful basis for processing personal data:

I have a legitimate interest in using the personal and sensitive personal data collected as it is necessary information needed to provide counselling services.

No information you provide will ever be passed to others without your consent (unless deemed important to do so to reduce risk to you/others as per the counselling contract).

Your information will never be sold to others.

What I do with your personal information:

Your privacy is taken very seriously, and your personal information will only be used to provide you with the services you have requested.

If you do not provide the personal information requested, then I may be unable to provide a counselling service to you.

How long I store personal information:

I will only store your personal information for as long as it is required.

For legal/insurance reasons, your data will be stored for a period of 7 years after the end of counselling. After this time, the data is deleted at the end of each calendar year.

If you make an enquiry and then decide you do not want to have counselling with me, I will delete your data at the end of the following calendar month.

How I ensure the security of personal information:

Personal information is stored on a laptop that is owned by myself, Rachel Angus, and password protected. Only initials are entered into mobile phones for contact purposes. The Rachel Angus Counselling email account is password protected. Written notes and any other paper files are either scanned and then held securely under password protection, or stored in a locked, secure environment.

Your rights and your personal data:

Unless subject to an exemption under the GDPR, you have a range of rights with respect to your personal data, which includes the following:

  • The right to request a copy of the personal data which I hold about you;
  • The right to request that I correct any personal data if it is found to be inaccurate or out of date.
  • The right to ask for deletion of your personal data.

A full summary of your legal rights over your data can be found on the Information Commissioner's website at https://ico.org.uk.

If you would like to access the rights listed above, or any other legal rights you have over your data under current legislation, please get in touch with me at rachelanguscounselling@gmail.com. Please note that relying on some of these rights, such as the right to deleting data, will make it impossible for me to continue to deliver some services to you. 

If you believe I have not complied with data protection laws, you can lodge a complaint with the ICO at:

Information Commissioner's Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9 5AF

Helpline number: 0303 123 1113. Website https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

 

    Last Updated

    November 2024