Privacy Policy

Caring Conversations Counselling Services is committed to protecting your personal data and complying with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). This privacy policy explains how I look after your personal data when you visit my website or communicate with me via email or telephone.

I process personal data solely in order to provide counselling therapy and services. The purpose of this statement is to let you know what personal information and data I will collect and hold, why I collect it and how long it is kept for.

I am required to have regular supervision with another professional therapist as part of my ongoing accreditation with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I never disclose any personally identifying information about my clients within supervision.

My business is registered with the Information Commissioners Office, the UK authority for upholding data protection, (www.ico.org.uk). I am bound by their policies with regards your privacy, as well as the BACP code of professional practice.

Your personal information will be used in accordance with the provision of therapy. I will not share your personal details or information with any other person or organisation without your knowledge and permission, unless there is a legal requirement to do so, or if there is a safeguarding issue or a perceived risk of harm.

Disclaimer: Your role in protecting your own privacy
I make every effort to ensure that my clients' personal information is held securely and to safeguard against unauthorised access, whether I receive it via my website, email, text, over Zoom or phone or in person. At the same time, in agreeing to my privacy policy:
1. You acknowledge that the privacy of your communications and personal information can never be completely guaranteed when it is being transmitted over the internet.
2. You acknowledge and agree that any information you share via the internet is at your own risk.
3. You agree to take responsibility for your own role in safeguarding your data privacy in the email address you choose to use and whether or not you choose to password protect information you send to me.

Information About You

When asking for your information, this may be collected in a variety of ways and as such it is your decision and choice what you choose to share with me :
• when you first contact me via my website's contact form, or when you phone or email me to make an enquiry.
• any information you send me by email and share over the phone (text or voice message)
• during any sessions we have together in person face to face, by phone and online (via Zoom etc.)

Your privacy when you first get in touch

I'll only keep your contact information if I have the capacity to respond and be of help to you. When you enquire about therapy, I collect information in order to set up an initial assessment. This information includes your contact details, your availability and other relevant personal information. Once a client finishes their counselling therapy, their data and information is stored securely and kept for 7 years in accordance with GDPR regulations and to comply with my insurance, and then it is destroyed securely.

About your initial free phone consultation

If you make initial contact with me over the phone, or choose a free telephone consultation, you can choose how much you would like to share with me at this stage. The purpose of your initial telephone consultation is about the practicalities: to find out if our schedules are mutually workable, for you to ask any questions about my approach, and for me to provide you with some information about the ways in which I could assist. However having a simple overview of your current issues, and what you want from sessions, can be helpful to ascertain if I am best placed to work with you.

Emailing and Online Sessions

After we have decided on an initial appointment I will usually send you a confirmation email detailing the venue, fee and other relevant practicalities.

Zoom (along with Skype and Facetime) services have updated their privacy measures to ensure they are fully compliant with GDPR regulations 2018.

What type of information do I collect about you?

I will collect the following personal information from you if we decide to work together, because, as a registered healthcare practitioner, I would be reasonably expected to have this in case of an emergency:

Personal Information
• Your name and contact details
• Who should be contacted in case of an emergency (e.g. next of kin)
• GP address
• Brief medical /medication information

Measures I take to store your data securely

These are the measures I take to protect your data before it can be deleted or destroyed:

• Storing paper information securely
I keep handwritten or printed information about you to an absolute minimum in order to protect your data. Your address, telephone number and email address will be kept for contact purposes for the duration of the therapy. I may keep brief, anonymised notes following each session, which include personal details about you.

These notes are solely for the purpose of your therapy and do not include your name. Personal contact information is stored and files separately from any notes. Any information stored electronically is password protected and any paper notes are stored securely. All notes and records are kept for a period of seven years, as stipulated by my insurance, after which they will be securely destroyed. All handwritten or printed information that has any personally identifying information on it about my clients is kept in a securely locked filing cabinet.

Keeping electronic information securely stored
• My devices are all password protected, with strong passwords that are all different from each other, and which I change at suitable intervals.
• I do not store any personally identifying information of my clients on a mobile phone, except for your number and names are coded.