Privacy Policy: Counselling and therapy

Confidentiality

 Confidentiality will only be breached in your counselling or therapy if your therapist has concerns that you or anyone else is at serious risk. If this occurs, they will aim to discuss these with you and any recommendations will be documented.

As  accredited members of  BACP we adhere to their ethical framework and guidelines to ensure that you receive a professional and competent service. Any work undertaken not psychosexual in nature is covered by UK law.

Information collected about you and its use

Upon starting therapy, basic personal information will be collected for contact and identification reasons. These include full name, address and  GP details.  . It is possible that notes may be  taken during sessions.
The assessment and any other notes are used solely to support the services offered to you. 

  Any information gathered is securely kept for seven years at our premises in Deal in accordance with UK law.

Your rights

You have rights relating to the information we hold to verify the accuracy. Any notes will be factual and brief.  You have the right to request a copy of any information that we hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information, please email or write to us via the contact details stated in this agreement. Information will be provided to you within 30 days.

We want to make sure that your information is accurate and up to date. Please let us know if you change your address, G.P. or phone number.

Notes will only have practical and informational material unless there are risks which may need noting. Please note that for couples work the “client” is the couple and that release of notes without consent of the partner may not be possible. We are not able to keep information disclosed by one party confidential

How long we keep your information for - data retention

Your information is kept for the time necessary to provide therapy, We will hold your details and any brief notes for seven years following the end of your therapy to comply with any obligations that are placed upon us by our insurers and the law.

Sharing of data

There may be times where your information needs to be shared with third parties e.g. a medical professional. We will explicitly ask for your consent before doing so, and the data will be sent to them securely.

Security of your data

Information will be kept securely and confidentially in line with the data retention policy as stated above. Any paper notes are kept in a secure, robust locked filing cabinet and stored within a secure building. All digital information is stored on a domestic computer, which is password protected and stored within a secure building. 

Lawful basis for processing your information

The lawful basis for my holding and using your information is in relation to the delivery of a contract to you as a health care professional. As  accredited members of BACP we operate under a strict code of confidentiality, with the exception given above.