To safely and appropriately provide you with psychosexual and relationship therapy I need to collect personal data from you and I need your written consent to collect this data.
Psychosexual and relationship therapy is a confidential process and I do not reveal your personal data or the content of your sessions to a third party without your express permission. The only exceptions to this would be if you were threatening your own life or the life of another, there was a safeguarding issue, or you were involved in a crime that falls outside of counselling/psychosexual confidentiality boundaries. In these cases, I may decide to contact emergency services or relevant authorities without your permission.
This privacy policy explains what information I collect, how I use it, where I keep it, how long I keep it for and the procedures that I have in place to safeguard your privacy.
What Information Do I Collect?
When you contact my service via email, I collect the following information on my online Enquiry Submission Form:
Name
Email address
Mobile number
Reason for your enquiry
When you contact my service via the phone and when you choose to proceed from a phone or online enquiry, I collect the following information on my Registration Form:
Name
Address
Email address
Landline number
Mobile number
Date of birth
GP name and address
Next of kin
Reason for your enquiry
If you opt to access my service, I will complete an assessment, during which I will gather the following information from you:
Mental health history
Family history
Current medications
Name and contact details of medical or mental health professionals managing your care
Family history
Gender identity
Preferred pronoun
Sexual orientation
Relationship status
Nationality
Religion
Sexual health history
Results of relevant medical tests
During your therapy I will keep brief notes of each session to record the content of the session and any homework tasks that may have been agreed.
How do I use this information?
I collect this information for the following reasons:
· To accurately identify you and thereby safely and confidentially process your referral through my service.
· To identify all of the factors that may be contributing to the problem you are seeking help with.
· To monitor and measure the effectiveness of my service.
Where do I keep this information?
Your Enquiry Submission Form and any emails relating to your referral within the service are kept on my password protected computer. Your Registration Form and Assessment Form are processed via email using password protected word documents and stored in my password protected computer folders. My computer is stored in a locked office to which only I have access. Your session notes will also be stored on computer.
I will keep your mobile number stored in my mobile phone, which is password protected.
How long do I keep your data for?
I destroy computer records of your enquiry, registration and assessment forms on completion of your therapy. I store your client notes on my computer for a minimum of 7 years, in line with guidance from my insurers, after which point they are permanently deleted. Your records in my service are not classed as medical records or public records.
How do I safeguard your privacy?
Other than your enquiry and registration information, all other documentation is identified by your initials only.
The only people who have access to your data are:
Myself
The Executor of my Clinical Will
You will not be personally identified in any reports that monitor and measure the effectiveness of my service.
I have regular supervision to ensure that I am providing the best standards of care for you. You are identified in supervision by your first name or initials only. Supervisors may keep records of the guidance they have offered to me which would not be directly identifiable to you and which would be stored in line with their individual Privacy Policies. Supervisors do not have access to your client pack.
Subject Access Request
Should you wish to access your data or have it destroyed before 7 years have elapsed you may submit your request in writing. Each application will be considered on an individual basis and any decision to provide access to or destroy your personal data will be reached only after consultation with our insurers and professional bodies.
Website and Cookies
Please see our website for our separate Cookie Policy.
Data Breaches
I strive to do my utmost to protect your data. However, in the event of a personal data breach the following actions will be taken.
· All breaches will be reported with 72 hours to the data protection officer where deemed necessary.
· If the breach is likely to result in a high risk of adversely affecting individuals’ rights and freedoms, I will inform those individuals without undue delay.
· A record of any personal data breaches will be kept.
