PRIVACY POLICY

Your agreement and consent:

It is really important to me that your privacy is protected both throughout your time in therapy and thereafter. I, therefore, strictly adhere to current data protection laws ( GDPR, 2018 ) and the ethical guidelines of my professional bodies.

To provide you with the best service possible, I will need to store your contact details, personal information and records of your therapy sessions. This information will be held securely in accordance with the GDPR, 2018 and will never be passed on to third parties for the purposes of sales, research or marketing. Full information about my privacy policy and my terms and conditions of business can be found here and in the attachments supplied with your appointment confirmation email.

Please find below some of the key points to draw your attention to:

Confidentiality

Our work together will follow the BACP 2018 Ethical Framework for Counselling Professions Guidelines. Suppose I ever believe that you may pose a danger to yourself or others, are involved in a serious crime, or disclose any safeguarding or child protection issues, drug trafficking, or money laundering. In that case, I cannot maintain confidentiality and must inform the relevant authorities. I will try to discuss this with you before taking action. However, I reserve the right to act without prior consultation if I believe the situation is urgent.

Everything that you discuss during your session is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if there is concern about your safety or the safety of someone else, or I am instructed to do so by a Court of Law, for example, you are involved in a serious crime, or disclose any safeguarding or child protection issues, drug trafficking, or money laundering. In that case, I cannot maintain confidentiality and must inform the relevant authorities. I will always endeavor to speak to you about this first.

Additionally, I regularly attend supervision to review and reflect on my work with all clients alongside a qualified supervisor.

Cancellation Policy

I require at least 48 hours’ notice of any changes to your appointment. Cancellations must be made within my office hours. Full details can be found here. Cancellations made after my admin office has closed will not be received until the office reopens. In these instances, notice will not be classified as having been provided until this point.

Where this notice is not given, £50.00 will be charged.

Data Protection and Your Rights Under GDPR

I am a member of the Information Commissioner’s Office  ZB930184  ( ICO ) and adhere to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) regarding data protection. I will use your information to contact you about appointments and will not reach out for other reasons. All session notes are stored in a locked filing cabinet, to which only I have access. Session notes are anonymized, and any identifiable personal data is kept separate from these notes. After your therapy concludes, your notes will be retained for seven years before being securely destroyed.

During your time at Reflective Time Counselling Service, I will need to keep a record of your personal information and contact details, as well as your GP and emergency contact details. This information will be confidentially destroyed once your therapy has come to an end.

Please note that in order to meet service and accounting needs, any personal information held in invoices or online booking documentation will be held for up to 7 years after your therapy has come to an end.

Notes are also kept of each session. These are anonymized and are stored in a locked filing cabinet. These notes are for my use only and help me to keep track of everything that is being discussed. These notes must be kept securely for 7 years after your therapy has come to an end, after which they will be confidentially destroyed.

You have the right to view these notes at any time. To make this request, please send an email to info@rtcounsellingservice.com 

Viewing your notes, you also have the right to request an amendment.

Once therapy has come to an end, you have the right to request that I delete all data that I hold about you (personal contact details and clinical notes, etc).

The only situations where we would not be able to comply with such a request would be if:

1. It is necessary for us to retain these records in order to continue providing an effective service
2.  I am compelled to retain these records by a Court of Law or to establish, exercise or defend legal claims

Anti-discrimination practice 

I am dedicated to offering a service entirely free from discrimination, and I will ensure this commitment is reflected throughout the counselling process. I have professional liability insurance that covers my counseling practice under the ethical framework of the BACP. This legislation is designed to ensure equal treatment and protection from discrimination based on characteristics such as religion, belief, age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnerships, pregnancy and maternity, race, sex, or sexual orientation.