Hello Mind Ltd

Data Protection and Privacy Policy

I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office because I hold personal information on clients and have a duty to protect the security of that information under the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation 2018.

Any personal information provided by you to me through any means (verbal, written, or in electronic form) will be held and processed in accordance with the data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 for the purposes for which you have given consent, to provide the service you have requested from me.

Introduction

I am committed to protecting your privacy. Please read the following to learn more about my privacy policy and how I collect and use information you give me. If you have any queries concerning your personal information or any questions on my use of the information, please contact me in writing or by telephone.

When you request therapy with me or otherwise give your personal details to me, you will be asked to consent to my processing of your data under the terms of this policy.

What information do I collect/receive?

Counselling Requests

Making an enquiry about my services can be done by phone or email.

Booking an initial appointment for therapy may involve asking the times you are available. At the initial appointment I will ask what is triggering your interest to work with me at the present time and brief information about your personal circumstances. A note is only made of the information provided at this appointment if you decide during the meeting that you would like to proceed and book some sessions.

Client Contact Details

Client contact details include full name, date of birth, any relevant medical information, the reason you are seeking counselling/psychotherapy, GP contact details, telephone number of a friend/relative in case you become unwell during a session and how you heard about me.

Client Case Notes

Brief notes of the material discussed in sessions are kept in the form of client notes. Client notes are stored separately to contact details and do not include the full name or contact details of the subject.

Referral Information

Information from employers, employee assistance programmes, and insurance companies includes contact details and may include reason for referral. If the information is in the form of paper copies contact details are separated from other information and stored as above.

What I use your information for?

I use information held about you in the following ways:

To provide you with the professional service requested

o To notify you about changes to your appointments and other changes to my service.

o To administer the service, including the arrangement of appointments, financial control, data analysis and statistics.

What information do I share?

I will not share any information about you with other organisation or person, except in the following situations:

Consent.

I may share your information with professional carers or others whom you have requested or agreed I should contact.

Serious harm.

I may share your information with the relevant authorities if I have reason to believe that this may prevent serious harm being caused to you or another person.

Compliance with law.

I may share your information where I am required to by law or by the regulations and other rules to which we are subject.

As part of the backups of encrypted data processed and held by professional IT security companies.

As part of my ethical requirement for Supervision — in this instance material is anonymised

Clinical Will — should I be prevented from continuing sessions unexpectedly I have made arrangements for your contact details to be passed to my clinical executors in order for them to contact you

How do I keep your information safe?

All information you provide to me is stored as securely as possible. All paper forms and correspondence are kept in a lockable filing cabinet. Client/supervision notes which do not include client full name & contact details are kept in rooms which are not accessible by visitors in my absence. All electronic records are stored on my laptop which is protected by a password and a reputable secure back-up service.

Your identifiable personal material is kept separately from any session note and other descriptive material. Client notes and documentation are destroyed seven years after the end of your treatment.

Your rights

You have the right to ask me to provide a copy of the information held by me. You also have the right to require me to correct any inaccuracies in your information. If you would like to do this, please contact me in writing.

You may withdraw your consent for me to hold and process your data at any time. However, if you do this while actively receiving counselling/psychotherapy/supervision our sessions would have to end.

Changes to this policy

I may edit this policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation. If I make any substantial changes, I will notify current users of the service via the contact details I hold.

Consent

I have read this Data Protection and Privacy Policy and consent to hello Mind Ltd holding and using my personal information in the ways and for the purposes outlined above.