Introduction

Your privacy is important to me, and I am committed to safeguarding my clients and prospective clients personal information. I adhere to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR, 2018). The GDPR ensures that sensitive, confidential and personal information is kept private, stored safely and processed in the way that has been agreed by you.

I have a ‘legitimate interest’ in processing personal data to enable me to fulfil my responsibility as a counsellor and to provide an effective counselling service. This Privacy Policy will let you know what personal information I collect and store, the purpose of the data collected, how long it is stored, how it is destroyed and your rights over your personal data. 

Information I collect from you

When you contact me with an enquiry about my counselling services, I will collect basic personal information in order to set up an initial appointment with you. This will include name, contact details, availability, and a brief reason for requesting therapy.

If you decide not to proceed with my services, I will ensure that all information is deleted within one month after our final contact. If you would like me to delete this information sooner, please let me know.

Once we have agreed to work together, I will collect your full personal details (name, contact and personal details). I will also request details for an emergency contact and your GP. These are required for contact, identification and safeguarding purposes as explained in the contract and client details form.

Separate from your personal details under an identifying code I take brief factual notes of our sessions and additional relevant information i.e. medical, social and family history, religion, sexual orientation that you choose to share with me and are relevant to the therapeutic work.

My use of this information

Your data will be used for contact, identification, emergencies and safeguarding (explained below) and for me to provide you with my services as a counsellor and the ongoing process in the therapeutic relationship. 

Data shared with me will not be disclosed to another person or organisation without your permission unless there is a legal requirement by law for me to do so, such as:

• I am concerned about the safety of another person or yourself
• If an emergency arises during our session that requires professional assistance i.e. your GP
• I am subpoenaed by a Court of Law
• There is a disclosure in relation to children defined by the Children’s Act, acts of terrorism, crimes, or fraud such as money laundering
• Sudden illness or death of myself, in which my Clinical executor will contact you

As part of my professional service, I am required by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) to undertake regular supervision, in which I discuss my clinical work. Your name and any identifying information is not disclosed. 

Security, storage and deleting/destroying information

I will take all reasonable precautions to prevent the loss, misuse, or alterations of information you share with me

All devices (work-phone, laptops, desktops) used by me are password protected. The use of Zoom and WhatsApp are encrypted platforms. Their privacy policies can be found at https://www.whatsapp.com/legal/privacy-policy-uk and https://www.zoom.com/en/trust/privacy/privacy-statement/.

Emails and text messages are not encrypted, therefore not fully secure. However, devices either require a pin number or password to access the lock screen.

All devices have a reputable anti-virus software.

Any handwritten information will be coded and kept in a locked cabinet behind a locked door. 

Your telephone number will be stored in my work phone using your initials. This will be used for contact purposes only and completely deleted once our work together has come to an end.

All personal data and session notes will be kept for up to 7 years after our work has ended. This complies with professional, legal and insurance requirements. After this period, handwritten data will be shredded and personal data held on devices will be completely deleted. 

Website Visitors

By accessing MB Counselling and Logotherapy, you are consenting to the information collection and use practices described in this privacy notice. Should you choose to contact me using the contact form on the website none of the data that you supply will be stored by the website or passed to any third party data processors. Instead the data will be collated into an email and sent to me over the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP). SMTP servers are protected by TLS (sometimes known as SSL) meaning that the email content is encrypted before being sent across the internet. The email content is then decrypted by local computers and devices.

The website uses cookies and Google Analytics. Almost all websites use cookies which are small files that get put on your computer by websites as you surf them. These cookies can store lots of information which can have privacy implications. Google Analytics is a service provided by Google that gathers anonymous data on how people are using websites and then provides visitor statistics, details of page views etc. This service is used by many website owners as the data helps website owners to improve their websites.

You can opt out of Google analytics and other Google services here:

https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout 

https://myaccount.google.com/dashboard

Your Rights Under GDPR

You have the right to request access to any information held by me about you.

You have the right to withdraw your consent, request client records to be corrected or erased.

You have the right to not receive unsolicited marketing or information from me that is not related to the purpose agreed to.

You will be notified of any data breaches within 72 hours.

Queries & Complaints
‘Data controller’ is the term used to describe the person or organisation that collects, stores and has responsibility for people’s personal data. In this instance, the data controller is Maxine Butler and I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Further information can be found at – https://ico.org.uk/

My registration number is ZB901483. If you have any questions about this privacy policy or the way in which I handle your personal information you can contact me via phone on tel:07961759776 or email at mailto:info@mbcounsellingandlogotherapy.com

I will do my upmost to resolve any concerns you may have, but if you wish to make a formal complaint about the way I have processed your personal information, you may choose to contact the ICO directly. For more information go to https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

Amendments

Updates may be made to this policy from time to time. Notification of significant changes to this policy may be sent to you by email to the last email address I have stored for you.