GDPR

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is concerned with the personal information about you that we at Counselling with Care, collect, store, and share. This page details our GDPR policy (previously known as Privacy Policy).  By contacting any of our therapists seeing clients through Counselling with Care you are agreeing to the terms and conditions laid out in this GDPR policy.  The point of contact for any questions or concerns around our GDPR policy should be directed to Michelle Rumsey

Personal Information we will Collect

  • Name.
  • Gender (or preferred identity).
  • Age.
  • Date of Birth.
  • Relationships & Progeny.
  • Occupation.
  • Address.
  • Telephone/SMS number (plus permission to send SMS & leave voice message).
  • Email address.
  • Counselling History.
  • Medical conditions relevant to counselling.
  • Doctors name/address/contact details
  • Prescribed medication.
  • Difficulties.
  • Session/Assessment summary.

How I will store your Personal Information

Storage Methods

  • Paper: Will be the contract information you supply and signed, or your parent/Guardian signed, assessment, emotional wellbeing questionnaire, adolescent Depression scale (if necessary), any additional paper work will be done by agreement of yourself and the counsellor. All paper formats are stored in a lock cabinet only therapists at Counselling with Care have access to.
  • Word Documents: We will store your assessment details from the first session and subsequent sessions in a document on a local drive or paper format. The documents will contain information about the session.
  • Email: your email address and correspondence will be stored in each therapist email account by nature of you contacting us.
  • Website: none of your personal information is stored on the Counselling with Care website, other than to momentarily collect & send it to our email account for the purposes of our initial contact.

Documents Held

Paper and Electronic… 

  • Contract
  • Agreement
  • GDPR agreement
  • Counselling with Care Assessment Record or if seen via a third party (for example insurance company) their assessment forms
  • Brief summary of session, date, session number and factual information about the session.
  • Questionnaires relating to emotional wellbeing
  • Email
  • Initial assessment
  • Letters/documents requested from police or courts

How I may Process/Share your Personal Information

Supervision

In compliance with our accrediting organisations (UKCP and, BACP), all the therapists at Counselling with Care are required to attend regular supervision sessions with a suitably qualified therapeutic supervisor.  Although aspects of your case will be discussed, your full name and contact details will not be revealed.  All our therapeutic supervisors are bound by similar confidentiality and GDPR policies.

Therapeutic Will

All the therapists at Counselling with Care are required to have a therapeutic will.  In the event of your therapist’s death, hospitalisation or similar of a close relative of theirs, the Therapeutic Executor will make contact to inform you of the situation and advise you of your options

Confidentiality

If we believe yours or another person (or group of people’s) safety is at significant risk, we may contact the suitable authority without your permission.  This includes your doctor, the emergency services and the mental health crisis team.

Erasing your Information

When we have finished working together, we will erase electronic copies of your information & correspondence within one month. If you are under 18 years old, we will keep your information until your 18th Birthday in accordance with the BACP ethical framework. If you are over 18 years of age Counselling with Care will hold onto your written information for up to seven years past the end of the last session. This is so that we have a reference of our work in situations such as you returning to counselling in the future. After this time has passed, I will shred the written information.

Your Rights

You have the following rights…

  • To be informed what information I hold (i.e. this document).
  • To see the information, I hold about you (free of charge for the initial request).
  • To rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
  • To withdraw consent to me using your personal information.
  • To request your personal information be erased (though I can decline whilst the information is needed for me to practice lawfully & competently and if the courts have subpoenaed this information)