Privacy Notice

By accepting these website terms or by visiting www.seenandheardtherapies.co.uk you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this privacy policy.

Your privacy is very important to me and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose it was given to me. I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (The GDPR) and The Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003..

This privacy notice gives you all the information about what happens with your personal data and how I keep it safe, from initial point of contact through to after your therapy has ended, including:

  • Why I am able to process your information and what purpose I am processing it for
  • Whether you have to provide it for me.
  • How long I store it for.
  • Whether there are other recipients of your personal information.
  • Whether I intend to transfer it to another country.
  • Whether I do automated decision making or profiling.
  • Your data protection rights.

I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office registration number ZA570321

If you have any questions about this document, please feel free to contact me. My email address is [email protected]

The lawful basis for holding and using personal information.

  • It is necessary for me to process your/your child’s personal data to fulfil my contractual obligations.
  • All personal data is processed lawfully, fairly and transparently and I only use if when it is lawful for me to do so, which is to provide you with a counselling/psychotherapy service.

What information I hold about you/your child.

For me to fulfil my responsibilities as a counsellor/psychotherapist I will need to record some personal information, explained below;

  • Identity and contact information includes name, date of birth, gender, home address and telephone number.
  • Professional contact information includes details of other professionals, such as a GP.
  • Counselling information includes information shared for the purposes of providing you/your child with counselling/psychotherapy. This also includes brief notes that I make from our sessions. My notes also include any agreements we might have made, for example cancelled sessions or holidays.

How I use this information and who I share this information with

  • When requested by you, and where the release of the notes is not judged by me as likely to cause you significant harm, or harm to another person.
  • Where there is a specific legal requirement for me to do so.
  • Where there is an ethical duty for me to do so. For example; to avoid significant harm to yourself or another person, including safeguarding of children or vulnerable adults.
  • In the case of working with children, if I am concerned that the child or anyone else around them is at risk of harm.
  • I use this information if I need to contact you.
  • If I need to contact your/your child’s GP or another professional. However, where possible/appropriate this would be discussed with you beforehand. 
  • I have clinical supervision monthly and discuss my work. Here, I only use your or your child’s first name. My supervisor is also GDPR compliant.
  • I only share the minimum amount of information necessary for the purposes above. I do not transfer your information outside of the United Kingdom.
  • I need this information to provide a counselling/psychotherapy service.
  • I do not use automated decision making.

How I store your information.

How long I keep this information for.

  • Regarding adults, I am obliged to hold your personal data for five years. After this time, your personal data is safely destroyed.
  • With regards to minors, I am obliged to hold their personal data for five years after they turns 18.  (Unless there is a specific reason why it is necessary to keep the information for longer, for example, because I believe that there is a risk of harm to them or someone else or there is the possibility of legal proceedings). After this time, their personal data is safely destroyed.
  • All data is checked annually to ensure these time frames are met.

You/your child has the right to:

  • Request access to your personal information.
  • Request correction of the personal information that is held about you.
  • Request deletion of your personal information.
  • Object to processing of personal information.
  • Request restriction of processing of personal information.

However, with regards to minors, these rights belong to them. In certain circumstances, parents or those with parental authority may be able to exercise these rights on their behalf. However, this will depend upon the age of the child and a number of other factors such as their understanding of the issues and the consequences of disclosing their confidential counselling information. I would always seek to discuss this issue with the child before making a decision.

If you are concerned about the way your information is being held please discuss it with me, or email me. If you are still unhappy you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office which is the statutory body that oversees data protection law in the UK.