Anything you talk about in our counselling sessions will be kept confidential. The only exceptions to this may be if I feel that you or someone else is in immediate danger, if I believe that a young or vulnerable person is being harmed, or in the case of some illegal activities. I will always talk to you about this first to try and gain your permission to pass on the relevant information to the appropriate authorities, but may need to act even if you withhold your permission.
In compliance with NCS Ethics and Standards I meet with a supervisor monthly to discuss the work I am doing.
Please make sure that I have a means of contacting you, preferably by phone or text in a way that is safe and comfortable for you.
If I pass you in the street, or meet you anywhere outside of our counselling sessions, I will be guided by you as to whether to greet you or not. Please don’t be offended if I don’t greet you; this is so as to protect the confidentiality of our relationship.
Data Protection
The GDPR replaces the 1998 Data Protection Act to ensure your personal and sensitive, confidential data is kept private and held securely, being processed in the way that you have agreed to. It is there to protect your rights as a consumer of a service or product that might involve your identifiable data, e.g. your name and address and other personal information. It also covers any session records, text messages or emails we exchange.
I am insured with the Psychologists Protection Society, who recommend that I hold your data for 7 years after your final session. Under the GDPR you can make a request in writing to me, for all your records to be anonymised after we end therapy, but I am not allowed to delete them permanently for 7 years.
I will ask you to complete a form about why you are requesting therapy, any medication you take, and who your doctor is, alongside very brief session notes. This information enables me to provide a high quality service to you, ensuring I am equipped with the knowledge of our previous discussions prior to each session. Your signature on that form demonstrates that you have given permission for me to keep this information.
All paper documents are stored in a locked filing cabinet.
Text messages are on a phone that is secured with a pin code.
All emails and any electronic documents e.g. A letter to your GP, or an invoice, are password protected and stored on a password protected computer if they contain personal or sensitive information.