Privacy notice
Digital data
I am a sole trader, and some digital data is kept on my personal mobile phone, and connected tablet. The data I keep here is you name, mobile phone number, and email address.
I use this contact information to: -
To remind you off appointments
To allow you to change or cancel appointment if necessary
To sign- post you to other services if specifically requested by you
To inform you of times when the therapy room will be closed, e.g. when I am on holiday
I do not share these details with anyone else without your express permission; unless required by law, or I think you are in danger.
my house has a ' ring' house light / video recorder beside the front door.
Artificial intelligence ( AI)
I use zoom for my online meetings. Zoom has the ability to record meetings , and create a transcript. I Do NOT use AI with zoom, it is switched off to protect the confidentiality of our meetings.
I may send links to apps, utube presentations etc , which I may feel would be interest to clients. Please note I do not have control over data collected if you should decide to visit these sites or use these apps some of which may use AI to collect your data.
Clinical will
As a therapist and member of the the British Association of Counsellors and Psychotherapists ( BACP) I am required to make a ‘ clinical will’. This is so in the event of my incapacity or death , a suitable person would contact my clients to let them know what has happened to me , offer support, and help clients find a new therapist if they wanted that help. The suitable person would be a fellow therapist whom I know and trust. They are known as my clinical trustee.
I usec app known as https://clinicalwill.app/ The information it would hold about clients would be name , email address and mobile phone number (if the client had previously given me permission to use mobile phone contact as per our previous contract ) There would be NO information about sessions, or anything discussed . This is purely so my trustee could contact my clients to let them know I can no longer see them . The app reminds users on monthly basis to update the information. This is to remind me that as soon as a client finishes their counselling sessions, their details are deleted from the app .
Paper data
Contract
Your contract with me includes
your name , email address , phone numbers, home address and the name and address of your doctors surgery. All contracts are kept separately from any notes about our sessions, in another room, in a locked fixed filing cabinet.
Counselling notes
Notes about our sessions/ conversations have a code , which only I know , with no name attached , this is for confidentiality. These sets of notes are filed in separate locked filing cabinet in a separate part of the building from your contract . I keep session notes short , and with little detail for example I include the date , length of session, and main topic discussed , for example 19th August 50 minutes Zoom session. Anxiety/ work.
These notes are kept in a locked filing cabinet, and not seen or shared with anyone else. (unless required by law or the courts)You have the right to see the notes I keep about you. If you wish to do so, please contact me by phone, or email so we can arrange a convenient time either for you to come and see them .
