Privacy policy

I understand how important your privacy is. I take care to maintain your confidentiality in accordance with current data protection laws (GDPR, 2018) and the ethical guidelines of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). These guidelines have been set up to protect your confidential material and ensure that I, as your counsellor, always conduct myself with professionalism and integrity. ‘Data controller’ is the term used to describe the person that collects and stores and has responsibility for people’s personal data. In this instance, the data controller is Jackie Maddison. In order to provide you with the best service possible, I will hold your personal contact details and records of your therapy sessions. Please find below important information about how this information will be held and used.

Your personal information

I use a secure, encrypted and password protected practice management platform to collect and store your personal data. At the point of booking your initial consultation with me, you will be asked for:

• Your personal contact information (name, address, email address and telephone number)
• Your GP’s contact information
• Your emergency/next of kin’s contact details
• Any other details relevant to counselling that you choose to share with me

I ask for these details in order to be able to fulfil my duty of care to you. Your contact information and other relevant details are stored securely on an electronic, password protected system and can only be accessed by me. Please note that I will need to keep a record of your name, client reference number and notes for seven years after the end of your therapy, so that I can respond effectively to any potential requests regarding your clinical notes and treatment. I will never pass on your contact details to any third-party organisations for the purposes of sales, marketing or research and will never use your personal data for any purposes other than the administration of the counselling service I providing to you i.e. to arrange, cancel and rearrange appointments and collect payment for sessions.

Online Bookings

When you make an online booking or payment, the system will send a booking notification to me via email and the messaging system.

Anonymised payment details are recorded in the system’s financial income reports. These reports will only hold your first name, last name initial and unique client reference number.

Cookies

My website uses cookies. By using the service, you consent to the use of cookies. Cookies are small pieces of text sent by your web browser by a website you visit. A cookie file is stored in your web browser and allows the Service or a third party to recognise you and make your next visit easier and the Service more useful for you. My website uses cookies for the following purposes: to enable certain functions of the Service, to provide analytics, to store your preferences.

Your payment details

All payments made through my online practice management system are made through the secure Stripe Connect server. My website therefore does not hold your payment information. Where you have made payment for your session via BACS bank transfer, I do not have access to your account details, only your name and reference, therefore do not hold this information.

Your therapy sessions

Everything that you discuss with me is strictly confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if:

• I believe you or someone you are in contact with is at risk of serious harm. I would always endeavour to discuss this with you beforehand.
• I am legally obliged to do so - If a client discloses involvement in, or information about, acts of terrorism, the counsellor is legally obliged to inform the authorities, and cannot inform the client of their intention to do so.
• You give me information regarding money laundering or drug-trafficking offences – the counsellor is obliged to pass this information to the police.
• A judge or coroner legally orders the release of client notes.
• You request that I make a disclosure.

During remote working I will ensure that I am conducting online and telephone sessions in a quiet, private and confidential setting. I have selected a platform that offers end to end encryption to ensure maximum privacy. Please note however that I cannot be held responsible for any breaches that occur due to failures in this technology. I discuss my clinical work with a supervisor. This is to ensure that I am offering you the best service possible. These conversations are bound by confidentiality and I will keep identifying details out of any discussion. I keep notes of each session. These are anonymised and are stored in a locked filing cabinet or within a password protected file within a secure system. These notes are for my use only and help to keep a track of everything that is being discussed. In line with my insurance, these notes will be kept securely for up to seven years after your therapy comes to an end. After this time, they will be confidentially destroyed. If your sessions are paid for or arranged via a third party, (e.g. your employer, a friend, or a family member), other than payment requests, invoices or receipts your counselling information will not be shared. Details about what is discussed in your sessions will remain confidential between us. Any other information can only be shared if you provide your written consent.

Communication

If you send an email to my email address, only I will have access to it. All phones, tablets and laptops used to respond to your emails or texts are encrypted, fully protected with anti-virus software and password protected. I will not keep text messages for more than 4 months after we have finished working together. All email correspondence will also be deleted after 4 months if they are no longer

relevant.

Data Usage

I will only use your email address and telephone number to contact you about your appointments. I may also contact you directly via email in order to share information with you relevant to your counselling with me. Your phone number may also be used to issue appointment reminders via text message. You can opt in or out of text updates.

Your data protection rights

Under data protection law, you have rights including:

• Your right of access - You have the right to ask for copies of your personal information.
• Your right to rectification - You have the right to ask me to rectify personal information you think is inaccurate. You also have the right to ask me to complete information you think is incomplete. 
• Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask me to erase your personal information in certain circumstances. 
• Your right to restriction of processing - You have the right to ask me to restrict the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances. 
• Your right to object to processing - You have 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 I transfer the personal information you gave me 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, I have one month to respond to you. Please contact jackiemaddisoncounselling@gmail.com if you wish to make a request.

Instances where I would not be able to comply with your request are as follows:

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

Consent

When you book your first session with me, you will be asked to provide a digital signature and tick a checkbox to confirm that you consent to the storage and processing of your personal data for the purposes of providing therapeutic services. You are entitled to withdraw this consent at any time and can do so by contacting me.

Breaches of data protection

In the event of any breach of my data protection policies, I will notify you and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours and will seek to rectify this immediately.

Raising concerns

If you have any concerns about my use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to me via email. You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how I have used your data. I am registered with ICO. My ICO reference number is available on request.

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