Privacy Policy

In my work as a psychotherapeutic counsellor I act as a data controller. I am responsible for collecting and for processing the information that yourself and your child has provided. Processing includes the organisation, retrieval, consultation, use, storing and destruction of information and its disclosure to other parties.

When you provide me with information about your child, yourself and your family, this information is protected and securely stored.

The main reason that your child's data is used by myself is so that a service can be provided to them. This service will be managed through a contract that we each sign. The key legal basis I use for the processing of the data is that it is a necessary part of the contract referred to above. I also ask for your consent to do so.

The information that you provide is used for the purposes of assessing your child's needs and for providing a counselling or psychotherapy service to them. Some non-identifiable information may be shared with my supervisor who will provide professional advice and feedback to me. This will be done anonymously so you and your child will not be identified from this process. I will securely store the information acquired from the counselling or psychotherapy sessions in a locked filing cabinet. It will be kept for no less than seven years but may be kept for much longer and this will depend upon a variety of different factors (e.g. legal rules, insurance requirements, changes to ethical policies, returning clients, etc.).

I may need to request further information from your child's GP or from another professional or third party so I can act in the best interests of the child.

On exceptional occasions, it may be necessary for me to share the information that you or your child have disclosed with further individuals or organisations. Reasons for doing this include, but are not limited to:

• as part of my duty to protect a child, a vulnerable adult, yourself or the public
• for the prevention and detection of a crime
• if I am required to do so by a court of law

I may also use some of this information for other reasons, such as to:

• maintain records
• respond to any enquiries you make about the services I have provided
• investigate complaints
• meet my statutory obligations
• ensure the accuracy of my records

I keep information about you and your child strictly confidential. This means I store it securely and control who has access to it. I never use or share it for marketing purposes.

I will only share such information as necessary, and where I am satisfied that the other individual or organisation is entitled to receive it.

If you believe that information I hold about you or your child is incorrect, or if you have concerns about how I am handling this information, please contact me.

If you wish to have your personal information deleted, please let me know and I will take reasonable steps to remove it unless I need to keep it for legal, insurance, auditing, internal risk management or archiving reasons.

If your child would like to have their personal information deleted then they should make the request themselves if they are aged 13 or over. As above, I will take reasonable steps to remove it unless I need to keep it for legal, insurance, auditing, internal risk management or archiving reasons.

If you would like further information then please contact me.

You can also refer to the Information Commissioner's Office website. Their website explains your rights in relation to the information we hold.