Privacy Notice

In order to provide you with the best service possible, I need to hold your personal contact details and notes of your therapy sessions. This privacy notice tells you what I will do with your personal information from initial point of contact through to after therapy has ended.

I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) (the GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003. I also work within the ethical guidelines regarding protecting client privacy and confidentiality set by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

The purpose of this statement is to let you know what personal information I collect and hold, why I collect this data, how long it is stored for and your rights over your personal data. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), reference A8741038.

Information about you

The lawful basis for me processing any special categories of personal information is that it is for provision of health treatment (in this case therapy sessions) and necessary for a contract with a health professional (in this case, a counsellor).

When you enquire about Counselling or other services, I will ask for the details needed to answer your enquiries and to keep you informed. I collect personal information from you if you choose to set up an initial appointment. This information includes contact details, your availability and other relevant personal information.

If you decide to access counselling with me, I also I keep brief session notes. These are stored securely. Once you have finished sessions, your file is stored securely for 7 years and then destroyed (if you are over 18). For clients who are under 18, these records are destroyed 7 years after the clients 18th birthday.

How do I use this information?

Your data will be used only to provide you with my services and to give you information relating to my services.

I will not share your details with any other person or organisation without your knowledge and permission unless there is a legal or safeguarding requirement, as stated in the counselling contract. A breach of confidentiality is when a person shares information with another in circumstances where it is reasonable to expect that the information will be kept confidential.

Security

I will take all reasonable precautions to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of information you give me.

Communications in connection with this service may be sent by email. For ease of use and compatibility, my communications will not be sent in an encrypted form unless you request this. Email, unless encrypted, is not a fully secure means of communication.

Contact via email, phone or text, (including whatsapp) are deleted monthly, unless the content forms part of the therapy notes. My phone is password and laptop are protected and secured. I store phone numbers and dairies appointments by first name or pseudonym only. The systems used to deliver webcam and phone sessions have been security checked.

Whilst I endeavour to keep my systems and communications protected against viruses and other harmful effects, I cannot bear responsibility for all communications being virus-free.

Your rights over your personal data

If you would like to see the information I hold about you, or would like to correct, update or delete any records, please email me at alison.clist@outlook.com.

If you have any concerns about our use of your data, please contact me directly at alison.clist@outlook.com. I will do my utmost to resolve any concerns you have. If for any reason I cannot resolve the issues you may choose to contact the ICO directly.

Website visitors

By accessing this website, you are consenting to the information collection and use practices described in this privacy notice.

The website uses cookies and Google Analytics. Almost all websites use cookies which are small files that get put on your computer by websites as you visit them. These cookies can store lots of information which can have privacy implications. Google Analytics is a service provided by Google that gathers anonymous data on how people are using websites and then provides visitor statistics, details of page views etc. This service is used by many website owners as the data helps website owners to improve their websites. You can opt out of Google analytics and other Google services here – http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout and https://www.google.com/dashboard/.

Changes to privacy notice
This privacy notice may be updated from time to time, so please check occasionally for any updates.