Growing Wings
COUNSELLING IN SWANSEA & ONLINE
Growing Wings Privacy Policy
This policy tells you what personal information I hold and why, as well as explaining what rights you have.
My contact details
Data Controller details
I am registered as the data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (CSN2382135)
(Date completed privacy policy – 09/01/2024)
The type of information I collect
To provide you with professional psychotherapy and counselling, there is certain information I need to collect. In line with GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation (2018), the type of personal information I may keep includes data which may be used to identify you such as your contact details, records of phone conversations and emails, medical history and other related health information, treatment details such as assessment outcome measures and relevant notes.
Your personal information will not be shared with anyone else without your knowledge and permission, except in exceptional circumstances such as being required for legal processes.
How your information may be shared
I will always try to seek consent to share information where required. I would only share data in line with ethical and legal obligations such as:
- If I receive a Court Order to release my notes.
- If you disclose that you are at risk of serious harm to yourself or others.
- If you share information regarding an act of terrorism, drug trafficking/money laundering or child protection issues.
- If you request to be treated by another professional, data will be shared with your explicit consent.
Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the lawful bases I rely on for processing this information are:
Your consent. You are able to remove your consent at any time. You can do this by contacting me by email: julieship@protonmail.com or telephone: 07359681025.
We have a contractual obligation. Processing data is necessary for a contract to be made with you. You will be given a contract to read and sign before therapy commences so that we can work together on the issues you were referred with.
We have a legitimate interest. In order to fulfill my role as a psychotherapist, I am required to retain personal information to provide relevant therapy and achieve the best possible outcome. I am bound under the Code of Practice and Ethical Framework for Counselling Professions of BACP (British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, 2018) and NCPS (National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society, 2023.)
How I store your personal information
I am fully committed to complying with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to the responsible and secure use of your personal data. Every effort will be made to keep all information confidential in line with ICO guidelines.
Your information will be securely stored in a lockable cabinet which is only accessible by myself, and on a password protected laptop.
Your personal information will be kept for the duration of our time together. When therapy concludes, all data will then be securely disposed of, except for session notes, which will be securely stored for up to 7 years or, in the case of children, 7 years after they reach the age of 18, as specified by the professional body frameworks.
Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights including:
Your right of access - You have the right to ask us for copies of your personal information.
Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask us to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask us to complete information you think is incomplete.
Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances. This includes your personal information that is no longer relevant to its original purpose, or if you wish to withdraw consent. In all cases and when considering such requests, these rights are obligatory unless it is information that I have a legal obligation to retain.
Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask us to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to object to processing - You have the the right to object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.
Your right to data portability - You have the right to ask that we transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances.
You are not required to pay any charge for exercising your rights. If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you.
Please contact me at julieship@protonmail.com if you wish to make a request.
Full details of your rights can be found at https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about my use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to me by email: julieship@protonmail.com or by telephone: 07359681025.
You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how we have used your data.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
ICO website: https://www.ico.org.uk