Terms Of Service

Client Confidentiality Statement

Lindsay Owen is registered with the Information Commissioner’s office (ICO) and am required to be transparent about how and why I use your personal data.

The personal information I record at Assessment.

During your initial assessment I will ask you to read and sign a counselling contract, I will complete other forms to collect personal data, data collected includes; name, address, date of birth, telephone numbers, email address, GP details, general health and any other information that you wish to share relating to what has brought you to counselling now.

This information helps establish how you perceive your situation, how it is impacting you and what you would like to achieve.

Personal information collected during counselling.

Brief anonymised counselling notes are made after each session. These notes are not shared with anyone unless required by law or at the client’s request, although this request can be refused.

Personal data as listed above, and counselling notes are kept separately and securely as a way of protecting your identity. You have the right to view these notes and to access any of the information held under the Data Protection Act 2018 and the GDPR. If requested this information will be provided to you within one week unless circumstances require longer.

Storage of personal information

All personal data and counselling notes are stored separately in a locked filing cabinet and retained for 7 years from the date of the last session, after this period notes are shredded.

Your contact details such as telephone numbers and email addresses may be stored electronically and backed up in the cloud with a UK based company, these details are deleted one month after your final session.

Emails sent will not be electronically retained, they will be deleted or printed and placed in your records within one month of sending.

Your telephone number if stored on a mobile device will be deleted one month from your last session, this also applies to text messages.

Confidentiality

Your counselling sessions are confidential within this service and this confidentiality extends to any records in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations 2018 (GDPR), however this is subject to the following exceptions:

  1. Where the client gives consent for information to be shared.
  2. If it is considered that there is a possibility of significant risk of harm to yourself or others confidentiality cannot be maintained.
  3. Confidentiality will need to be broken if information is received relating to involvement in acts of terrorism, drugs trafficking, money laundering or serious criminal offences.