Counselling and Coaching starts with confidentiality. When we agree to work together, I will go through this in detail. For now, it’s important that you know the basic ethical framework within which I work, is the one belonging to my professional body, which is the British Association for Counsellors and Psychotherapists, (BACP). You can find out more about them here:
I also sit as a Professional Panel Member on the BACP’s Professional Conduct Panel.
If you have any concerns about my work, which you feel unable to raise with me directly, then you are welcome to raise them with BACP, quoting my membership number 032065.
The following is what I call ‘the small print’. The relevance of including it now, is that if you contact me, then I will automatically be holding some information about you … your name and email address. I hold all information in accordance with GDPR, for as long as we work together. At this stage, if you contact me, then I will hold those details until we arrange to work together, or decide not to.
I’m tempted to say if you have any queries about how I keep your contact details, then contact me … but that would mean giving me your contact details .. so it’s a bit chicken and egg. Hopefully the privacy notice below will help.
The Coaching Counsellor customer privacy notice
This privacy notice tells you what to expect me to do with your personal information.
- Contact details
- What information I collect, use, and why
- Lawful bases and data protection rights
- Where I get personal information from
- How long I keep information
- How to complain
Contact details
Telephone
07816624092
What information I collect, use, and why
I collect or use the following information to provide services for my clients:
- Names and contact details
- Addresses
- Pronoun preferences
- Occupation
- Date of birth
- Marital status
- Third party information (such as family members or other relevant parties)
- Payment details (including card or bank information for transfers and direct debits)
- Transaction data (including details about payments to and from you and details of products and services you have purchased)
- Usage data (including information about how you interact with and use our website, products and services)
- Health information (such as medical records or health conditions)
- Information relating to compliments or complaints
- Records of meetings and decisions
- Website user information
I also collect or use the following information to provide services for my clients:
- Health information
- Sex life information
- Sexual orientation information
I collect or use the following personal information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims:
- Names and contact details
- Purchase or service history
- Customer or client accounts and records
- Financial transaction information
- Correspondence
Lawful bases and data protection rights
Under UK data protection law, I must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.
Which lawful basis I rely on may affect your data protection rights which are in brief set out below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:
- Your right of access – You have the right to ask me for copies of your personal information. You can request other information such as details about where I get personal information from and who I share personal information with. There are some exemptions which means you may not receive all the information you ask for. You can read more about this right here.
- Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask me to correct or delete personal information you think is inaccurate or incomplete. You can read more about this right here.
- Your right to erasure – You have the right to ask me to delete your personal information. You can read more about this right here.
- Your right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask me to limit how we can use your personal information. You can read more about this right here.
- Your right to object to processing – You have the right to object to the processing of your personal data. You can read more about this right here.
- Your right to data portability – You have the right to ask that I transfer the personal information you gave us to another organisation, or to you. You can read more about this right here.
- Your right to withdraw consent – When I use consent as our lawful basis you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. You can read more about this right here.
If you make a request, I must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.
To make a data protection rights request, please contact me using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.
My lawful bases for the collection and use of your data
My lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to provide and improve products and services for clients are:
- Consent – I have permission from you after I gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
- Contract – I have to collect or use the information so I can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
- Legitimate interests – I’m collecting or using your information because it benefits you, my organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. My legitimate interests are:
- Personal information collected during the process of providing counselling sessions
- Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.
Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for dealing with queries, complaints or claims are:
- Consent – I have permission from you after I gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.
- Contract – I have to collect or use the information so I can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.
- Legitimate interests – I’m collecting or using your information because it benefits you, our organisation or someone else, without causing an undue risk of harm to anyone. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to portability. My legitimate interests are:
- Potential clients may provide personal information to myself when asking whether I am able to help them by providing a counselling service to them
- Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.
Where I get personal information from
- Directly from you
How long I keep information
I keep information as long as we are working together. At the end of this time I will ask you whether you would like me to keep the information longer, in case you want to access my services again, or if you would like me to destroy it. If you decide you would like me to keep it, then we will agree a timescale.
How to complain
If you have any concerns about our use of your personal data, you can make a complaint to me using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.
If you remain unhappy with how I’ve used your data after raising a complaint with me, you can also complain to the ICO.
The ICO’s address:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Helpline number: 0303 123 1113
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint
Last updated
19 November 2024