Privacy Policy
WHY WE STORE INFORMATION
The General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) define specific legal bases for storing information. Several of these apply to the information which I store about clients:
* I ask clients and/or parents to consent to me storing and using this information
* I only store the information which I need to provide the therapy which you have asked me for
* In some cases, I need to use this information I have collected in order to protect vulnerable children and young people (Safeguarding)
SECURITY OF YOUR INFORMAITON
We are registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
The Information Commissioner Office (ICO) website: www.ico.org.uk
* We are committed to processing your information lawfully, fairly and with transparency.
* The security of your information is very important to us.
* We will take all reasonable steps to ensure the appropriate security is in place to keep your information safe and secure.
* We will let you know immediately in the unlikely event that there is a problem with any data security.
WHAT INFORMATION WE STORE
During our referral process, we collect the following information about you:
* Full names of yourself or child, parents or carers, and other significant family members
* Date of birth, gender, ethnicity, languages spoken
*Emergency contacts and ways of dropping off and collecting if applicable.
* Address, telephone numbers, and email addresses
* GP and/ or school contact details
* Reasons for seeking counselling, therapy or another service
* Relevant medical, disability information and safeguarding notes
* Support networks
We also store very brief records of our therapy sessions, including dates, times, a very brief description of general themes (not specific content discussed), progress made from our perspective and any safeguarding concerns. We also keep copies of any letters or emails sent to us in relation to our work. Your address, phone number, or e-mail address may be used to contact you in relation to your therapy or service.
During the referral process, we will ask you to confirm the best ways to contact you, including whether to contact young people directly, parents or carers.
HOW WE STORE AND USE THIS INFORMATION
We keep typed/electronic records that are completely protected in password protected software, on password protected laptops. These are to help us in our work with you and ensure that we offer a high quality service.
We store any records securely. We will also securely dispose of all records seven years after your therapy ends (or for children and teens after their 25th birthday).
CONFIDENTIALITY
We will not usually tell anyone anything that happens in therapy, 1:1 guidance, or what is discussed, apart from in therapeutic supervision where your name is kept anonymous.
However, clients have the right to share whatever they like from their experience of therapy or services with anyone they choose.
Every month we receive external supervision for any professional counselling sessions we have undertaken.
This is a professional and ethical requirement of the counselling body BACP to ensure that we offer safe and effective counselling.
It is also kept confidential. There are some situations where we may have to pass on information without a client’s agreement.
These are:
* When a therapist is concerned that yourself, a family member, a child, young person, or someone else would be at serious risk if we did not pass on information.
* When we have information relating to acts or potential acts of terrorism or money laundering, we are legally obliged to report this.
If at all possible, we will discuss our concerns with the client first and come to an agreement about what is best to do.
We will tell the client what information we are going to share, and who we are going to tell.
If the client is under 18, we may also discuss the situation with parents / carers before sharing information, as long as it is safe to do so.
If she need to share information without the client’s or family’s consent, she will consult with her counselling supervisor before taking action, unless waiting to do this would increase the risk. She will write down what information has been shared and why she has breached confidentiality.
ACCESS TO RECORDS
You have the right to see records that are kept about you at anytime. If you would like to do this, please ask us.
We will explain anything in a record that is unclear. You have the right to correct any part of a record that you believe is wrong. Information stored about children belongs to the child, and young people have the right to ask to see their own records.
If younger children want to see their records, their parents can request this on their behalf.
We then have a legal obligation to consider whether it is in the child’s interest to release this information to their parent.
CLIENTS' WRITTEN AND ARTWORK
We provide secure storage for art and craft work which clients produce during therapy sessions or services.
At the end of therapy, you can decide whether to take your work home or whether you would prefer us to destroy it for you.
If we lose contact with a client before the planned end of their therapy or service, we will store artwork for up to three months, during which time you can arrange to come and collect it from our St Helens base.
After three months any work which has not been collected will be disposed of securely.
WHENEVER YOU SIGN UP TO ONE OF OUR SERVICES
Whenever you sign up to professional counselling, or another of our services, you will be sent a clear working agreement detailing everything you need to know.
To see our yearly reviewed wider range of policies, please don't hesitate to contact us and we can send these over to you!