Privacy Policy

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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 BACP. These guidelines have been set up to protect your confidential material and ensure that your therapist always conducts themselves with professionalism and integrity. 

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 

At the point of booking your initial consultation with me, you will be asked for your personal contact information, your name, address, email address and telephone number. And you may also choose to share details of the issues you are looking for help with. To fulfil my duty of care to you, in your initial consultation or first session, I will ask you for contact information for your GP and elected Emergency Contact person. These details will be stored securely and will only be accessible to me.  

This personal information will be held for the duration of your therapy after which it will be deleted. 

Please note that I will need to keep a record of your name and client reference number for seven years after the end of your therapy, so that we 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 am providing to you i.e. to arrange, cancel and rearrange appointments and collect payment for sessions. 

Confidentiality 

Everything that you discuss with me is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if there is concern about your safety or the safety of someone else or I am instructed to do so by a Court of Law. I will always endeavour to speak to you about this first. 

During remote working I will ensure that I am conducting online and telephone sessions in a quiet, private and confidential setting. I have selected video calling platforms that offer 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. 

A requirement of the BACP is that I have regular supervision with an experienced registered supervisor. I discuss my clinical work to ensure that I am offering you the best service possible. These conversations are bound by confidentiality, and you will only be referred to by your first name. 

I keep also keep basic notes of each session. These are anonymised and are stored in a locked filing cabinet or within a password protected file. These notes are for my use only and help to keep a track of everything that is being discussed. In line with industry guidelines, 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. 

Your communications with me 

My email account uses are password protected If you send an email to my email address, (louisebradleycounselling@gmail.com) only I will have access to it. 

My phones and laptop used to respond to your emails are encrypted, fully protected with anti-virus software and password protected. 

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 to share information with you that is pertinent to your therapeutic process. 

Your phone number may also be used to issue appointment reminders via text message. You can opt in or out of text updates. 

Your rights 

Any personal data retained by me is kept in accordance with the GDPR, 2018. 

Under these guidelines you have the following rights 

1. The right to request access to your data. 

You can request to view the information that I hold about you (contact details, appointment logs etc.) at any time. If during therapy you would like to see your session notes, please let me know. Should you require a copy of your notes after your therapy has come to an end you can make this request by emailing louisebradleycounselling@gmail.com 

1. The right of rectification 

At any point during your time using my service or during the seven years thereafter, while I retain your records, you have the right to request amendments to your contact details or session notes. This right can be exercised either by speaking directly to me  or by contacting me in writing. 

1. The right to be forgotten. 

You can request that I delete and confidentially destroy the information that I hold about you and your sessions at any time. This request can be made by contacting me at louisebradleycounselling@gmail.com 

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

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

Consent 

When you book your first session, you will be asked to sign a contract, which includes consent. You are entitled to withdraw this consent at any time and can do so by emailing me at louisebradleycounselling@gmail.com 

Breaches of data protection 

In the event of any breach of my 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 

Should you have any concerns about my data protection practices, you can raise these directly with your me.