As I Am Counselling
Privacy Policy
As your counsellor, I will hold personal information about you. This privacy notice explains how I look after your personal information. It informs you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.
It is important that you read this privacy notice so that you are fully aware of how and why I am holding and using your personal information.
My contact details
As I Am Counselling
Tel : 07539 374 173
Email : asiamcounselling@outlook.com
Address : 235 Wooldridge Close, Feltham, TW14 8BJ
Personal Information collected
Personal information means any information about an individual from which that personal can be identified. I may obtain, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal information about you.
With your permission, I collect from you and process the following information:
Name
Date of birth
Address
Telephone number
Email
The above are used to make/maintain contact regarding counselling appointments only and will not be shared with anyone else at any time. They will be securely destroyed at the end of counselling.
It is important that the personal information which I hold about you is up to date and accurate. Please inform me of any changes to your personal information during the course of our relationship.
GP name
This may be used to contact your GP if you make any disclosures relating to harm to self, and I would never contact your GP without discussing this with you.
Basic information about family background, e.g., marital status, progeny, family of origin
This is used only to inform our counselling and your details are kept under an anonymised client code.
Secure storage. How I store your personal information
Your personal information is stored securely.
Your contact details are kept separate from our session notes.
Your phone number and email are stored in a password protected phone under your anonymised client code.
There is password protection and/or encryption on all devices that use electronic data, e.g., computer, phone, tablet, and my email account is password protected.
No-one apart from myself has access to passwords on devices, so if we communicate via email or text, you can be assured of confidentiality. I will only keep such communications for as long as necessary, e.g., to process your request, and they will then be deleted.
I make brief, handwritten notes of counselling sessions for supervision purposes. These notes are kept under an anonymised, non-identifiable client code and stored securely in a lockable filing system.
In the case of letters/emails to third parties requested by yourself the client, a copy is retained with any personal information securely redacted.
Notes are retained for 6 years (as a requirement for insurance purposes) and are then securely destroyed via a professional shredding company.
All client data is used in a safe and ethical manner in line with EU General Data Protection Regulations May 2018 (GDPR). It is not shared with other people without your consent.
Right to Access
You have a right to ask for a copy of your personal information, free of charge (for the first request), in electronic or paper format. You also have the right to ask me to amend or change any incorrect information about you via writing to - asiamcounselling@outlook.com I reserve the right to charge for any subsequent requests for your personal information. Please allow 24-hours for this request to be processed.
Right to be Forgotten
You have the right to ask me to erase any information that I hold about you. This includes your personal information that is no longer relevant to original purposes, or if you wish to withdraw consent. In all cases and when considering such requests, these rights are obligatory unless it is information that I have a legal obligation to retain (e.g., for clients aged under 18).
Data Portability
As the client, you have the right to receive your personal information which you previously provided. You also have the right to transfer that information to another party. For the purposes of the GDPR 2018, the “data controller” is Natalie Baker, trading as As I Am Counselling.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal information, you can make a complaint to me via writing at - asiamcounselling@outlook.com You can also complain to the ICO if you are unhappy with how I have used your data.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number : 0303 123 1113
ICO website : https://www.ico.org.uk
If you are happy with the way your personal information is being collected, stored and used, please sign below:
NAME: …………………………………………………………………………….
SIGNATURE: ……………………………………………………………………………. DATE: ………………………………