The Data Protection Act (2018) incorporates The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and is concerned with personal information that is collected, stored and processed.

Personal Information / data I may need to collect from you during our initial session may include your:

Name
Address
Telephone number
Email
Date of birth
Emergency contact details
GP

Stored notes

Paper – sometimes I may make a few notes after our session to remind myself of things we’ve discussed. These will only be identifiable to myself using your initials and would be kept separate from your personal contact details. These notes will be locked away in a filing cabinet and legally I would need to keep these for 6 years after your counselling has come to an end. After this time they would then be shredded and destroyed.

Phone – I may have your number stored for telephone counselling or should I need to contact you regarding our session.

Emails/ texts will be deleted straight away but any electronic correspondence regarding your contact details will be stored safely and password protected. When your counselling comes to an end, all electronic contact details will be deleted within one month.

Processed – in the event of an emergency, such as you falling ill or if you are at risk of harm to yourself, I would need to pass your details on to a medical professional and discuss this confidentially with my Supervisor, however your personal details would not be given to them.
In the event of your intention to harm anyone else, your details would be passed on to the relevant authorities.

Client rights

You will be made aware of all the information I hold on you.
You can ask to see that information at any time.
You may request I amend or change any details that are incorrect.
You may also ask me to delete all information I hold on you but this would mean our counselling sessions would need to end.