Privacy Notice and Information Consent
I hold certain client information in an electronic form in line with Article 9, paragraph 2(h) of the EU Data Protection Regulation, and the Data Protection Act 1998. To this end I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and am obliged to make this Privacy Notice available to clients to explain what information I hold and how I use it.
1. I store client contact details on a word-processed document held on a desktop PC. Both the computer and the document are individually password-protected. I would only use this information if I needed to contact you. I store client emails on the same password-protected desktop PC.
2. Texts are stored for up to a few weeks and then deleted. I do not store client phone numbers on my phone (so please identify yourself if you get in touch!) My diary is not stored electronically.
3. I keep brief session notes on a password-protected PC. This is solely so I can review the content of sessions and remind myself of areas for future exploration. These notes do not include surnames or contact details.
4. I do not store client information for the purpose of promoting goods or services or share with third parties to that end. Everything I hold about clients is entirely confidential save for one exception. To comply with best practice as laid down by the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and subsidiary bodies, I supply a copy of my current client list (the one held on laptop with contact details) to a psychotherapeutic colleague as part of my “Therapeutic Will”. In the event of my death or a serious illness, that colleague would be able to contact you to let you know what was happening.
5. I normally hold information (except texts) for six years from the date of a last meeting, after which it is deleted.
My website host states that my website does not use cookies as standard for any purpose that impacts on visitors. The email contact form only captures an enquirer's name and email address along with IP address of the computer used to make the request. No cookies are captured.
To see the information I hold about you, let me know in writing and I will provide it free of charge within 30 days. I will comply with any written request to delete electronic information held about you within the same timescale. If you are unhappy with the way I have handled your information, please let me know. Unresolved complaints about the service I provide may be addressed to the UKCP or the ICO.
If you do not wish to give consent to any or all of the processes described in bold in the numbered paragraphs above, please let me know the specific items on which you withhold consent. I am probably able to process the specified information in a non-electronic form.