Privacy policy

We are a Data Controller for the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998 (Data Protection Law). This means that we are responsible for, and control the processing of, your personal information with us.

We want to reassure you that we are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy, and that your personal and private information is stored and processed in a fair, lawful, and transparent way.

When I Collect Your Information

We may collect your information when you interact with us directly. This includes when you ask about, or use the services we provide; when we contact you to provide a service or follow up call; when you make and attend appointments; when you communicate with us via the website or you provide us with other personal information

What Information I Collect About You

Personal information we collect includes details such as your name, date of birth, email address, postal address, telephone numbers, as well as other information you provide in any interaction with us. This may include Sensitive Personal Information. Data Protection Law recognises that some categories of personal information are more sensitive. Sensitive Personal Information can include information on: Race; health; sex Life; ethnic origin; religious beliefs; political opinion and sexual orientation.

If you share your personal experience or the experiences of a friend or relative, we may also collect this type of information. If you provide us with any Sensitive Personal Information by telephone, email or by other means, we will treat it with confidentiality – always in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

Client Case Notes

What clients say to us is confidential but there are limits to confidentiality.

As a therapist I engage in regular supervision, which means discussing aspects of my work with an experienced independent supervisor and the Manager. This is to ensure I am working ethically and within my competence. There are also things I must pass on to others. For example:

• When there is a legal requirement to disclose information related to a criminal offence.
• When there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or someone else.
• If you make a disclosure about a child or vulnerable adult that may be at risk of harm / has been harmed ( a child is anyone under 18 years of age )
• If you tell me about an act of terrorism or any knowledge of terrorist activity

How Your Information Is Used

The information we collect is to help us deliver a safe and confidential service. I will use information:

• To keep a record of your relationship with us
• To communicate and stay in touch with you
• To provide the services that you have requested
• To comply with legislation
• To fulfil our contractual obligations, to provide the services that you have requested

How Long We Hold Your Information For

We only keep it as long as is necessary for the relevant activity, which may be to fulfil legal obligations.

Who Has Access to Your Information

We undertake regular reviews of who has access to information that we hold to ensure that your information is only accessible by appropriately trained staff and volunteers, trusted partners, and contractors. We do not sell or share your information with third parties for marketing and advertising

Lawful Bases for Using Your Information

We are processing your personal information on the lawful basis of your and our legitimate interests. This means there is a legitimate interest for us to process your information to help us deliver the services you have requested from us. Whenever we process your personal information under legitimate interest, lawful basis, we make sure that we consider your rights. Examples of where we have a legitimate interest to process your information:

• To improve our services
• Where we contact you about services you have requested
• For our legal purposes (for example, dealing with complaints and claims)

Our Communications with You

If you engage in our services, we may contact you by phone, email, post, or text message. You can contact us to update your preferred methods of communications at any time.

Your Rights

You have various rights in respect of the personal information we hold about you. These are available in detail from the Information Commissioner's Office (https://ico.org.uk/). A summary of your rights:

Access to Your Personal Information

You have the right to request a copy of the personal information that we hold about you, and we will not make a charge for this. Requests can be made verbally or in writing. We will respond as soon as possible and within 30 days of receiving your request. There may be occasions where we will ask you to provide us with evidence of your identity. We can provide the data electronically if requested.

Your Right to Object

You can object to our processing of your personal information where we are relying on a legitimate interest (or those of a third party) and there is something about your situation which makes you want to object to processing on this ground. Please contact us with the details of your objection.

Withdraw Consent

If you have given us your consent to use personal information, you can withdraw consent at any time.

Restriction of Use

You can ask us to restrict the personal information we use about you where you have asked for it to be erased or where you have objected to our use of it. Please note, some of these rights only apply in certain circumstances and we may not be able to fulfil every request. If you wish to exercise any of these rights or make a complaint, you can do so by contacting us. You can also make a complaint to the Data Protection Supervisory Authority or Information Commissioner's Office (https://ico.org.uk/).

Security

When you give us personal information, we take steps to ensure that it is kept securely. Certain details like your name and email address is transmitted normally over the Internet or in the post and this can never be guaranteed to be 100% secure. While we always strive to protect your security, we cannot guarantee the security of any information you transmit to us in this way, and you do so at your own risk. Once we receive your information, we make every effort to ensure it kept by us security.

IP Addresses and Cookies

Currently, we do not collect any information about your computer, including IP addresses and cookies.