Privacy Policy

I collect and am responsible for using certain personal information about you. I do so in accordance with UK data protection law.

What personal information do I collect?

I may collect your name, address, phone number and email address, along with any personal information you choose to share with me during our work together.

How do I use your personal information?

I use your contact details to communicate with you about our sessions.

I also keep brief notes following sessions. These are kept to support our ongoing counselling or coaching work together.

Confidentiality and sharing information

The work we do together is confidential, and your privacy is very important to me.

There are, however, some exceptional circumstances where I may need to share information. These include situations involving serious risk of harm, or where I am legally required to do so (for example, by a court of law, or in relation to terrorism, drug trafficking or money laundering).

I would not normally contact your GP or any other professional without your knowledge and permission. The exception would be if I felt there was a serious risk to your safety or the safety of others.

If something you share suggests that someone else may be at risk, I would always aim to discuss this with you first and support you in taking appropriate steps. If this is not possible, I may need to contact relevant services.

Lawful basis for processing your data

Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, I process your personal information in order to provide counselling and coaching services, maintain clinical records, communicate with you about appointments, meet my professional obligations and manage my practice.

The lawful bases I rely upon are:

• Performance of a contract between us

• Legitimate interests in providing safe and effective therapeutic services

• Compliance with legal obligations

• Protection of vital interests where there is a serious risk of harm

As counselling records contain special category data relating to health and wellbeing, I also process this information in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 2018 relating to the provision of counselling and related support services.

How your information is stored

Your information is stored securely using WriteUpp, a practice management system designed for healthcare professionals. Appropriate technical and organisational measures are in place to help protect your information.

I keep your name, contact details, appointment records and brief session notes for up to seven years after our work together ends, after which they are securely deleted unless there is a legal or regulatory requirement to retain them for longer.

As part of my professional practice, anonymised information may be discussed in clinical supervision and may be used for professional accreditation, re-accreditation and reflective practice purposes. Reasonable steps are taken to ensure that you cannot be identified.

To support the administration of my practice, I may use trusted third-party service providers such as practice management, video conferencing, accounting or IT service providers. Where this occurs, only the minimum information necessary is shared and appropriate confidentiality and data protection safeguards are maintained.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have the right to:

  • Access the personal information I hold about you

  • Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information

  • Request erasure of your data in certain circumstances

  • Request restriction of processing

  • Object to how your data is used

  • Request transfer of your data to another organisation

You will not usually need to pay a fee to exercise these rights.

If you would like to make a request, please contact:
hello@hackneytherapyshed.co.uk

I will respond within one calendar month.

How to make a complaint

If you have any concerns about how I use your data, you are very welcome to contact me in the first instance so we can try to resolve this together.

If you are not satisfied, you can contact the Information Commissioner’s Office:

Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

Helpline: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk

ICO Reference Number: ZB587251