I take your privacy and confidentiality very seriously. I take pains to protect your privacy and to ensure that our communications are confidential. I abide by the directives in the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and I operate under the jurisdiction of the law in the United Kingdom (England and Wales).
We will discuss confidentiality and privacy when we meet for the first time.
Our privacy policy https://www.karenadlertherapy.com/privacy-policy/ outlines how I collect, store and share your personal information in line with General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR). Signing my contract at the start of our work indicates our agreement of this policy.
What information do I collect and why?
My intake form requests your name, address, date of birth, telephone number, email address, emergency contact and medical information relevant to counselling, as well as some background information. This is so that I can provide you with psychotherapy or counselling. Your phone number and email address are collected so I can contact you regarding your sessions, or forward you a contract. Your name, address and emergency contact details are in case of emergency (see emergencies below).
What information do I store and how do I keep it secure?
I keep brief paper notes following sessions which I anonymise with a unique client identifying code. These notes are locked securely in a cabinet and separated from your intake form which is also locked securely. I store your phone number in a separate business-related mobile phone which is passcode protected and allows me to make contact in case of emergencies. Your email address will be stored in my work computer under a separate work email account. I also have the following in place to ensure data is secure:
- My computer is password protected.
- Client notes are separated from assessment details and locked securely away. No identifying details are recorded on these notes.
- Email messages and text messages are regularly deleted unless relevant to sessions.
- I have a separate mobile phone for business that is password protected.
Clinical will
In the event of my serious illness or death, your name and contact details will be shared with my Clinical Executor, who is another accredited psychotherapist. This is so that in the event of my death you can be contacted if you are still having sessions with me.
Emergencies
If your health is at risk and preferably with your consent, I may share your contact details with the emergency services.
The right to access and be forgotten
You have the right to ask to see the information that I hold about you and rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal information held as well as to withdraw consent to me using your personal information at any time. You have the right to request that any information I hold be erased. Exceptions are if the information is needed to be retained for insurance or legal obligation.
Erasing your data
Within four weeks of the end of our work together, I will erase the electronic copies of the data and correspondence that I hold on you. Written and printed data will be kept for up to seven years as recommended by my professional body and insurers. After this time all data will be securely destroyed.
Complaints
In the event of concerns or complaints about our work together, please raise this with me in the first instance. Therapy can often bring up difficult feelings that might be directed at me. It is part of the therapeutic work to try to understand and resolve these.
If this process still remains unsatisfactory for you and escalation is unavoidable, any further complaints should be addressed to the UKCP https://www.psychotherapy.org.uk/ukcp-members/complaints/how-to-make-a-complaint/