Privacy Notice
Maintaining your privacy and your trust is very important. I strive to be especially clear on how we use your personal information if and when I collect it, and on the ways in which we can work together to protect your privacy.
Data Protection Act 1998 & General Data Protection Regulation (also known as Regulation (EU)2016/679 or “GDPR”) (enforced from 25th May 2018)
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is concerned with the personal information about you that Leah Connelly Couselling collect, store, and share. This page details our GDPR policy (Privacy Notice).
Please read this Privacy Notice carefully to understand practices regarding your personal data, and make sure you understand it. Your acceptance of our Privacy Notice is deemed to occur upon your first use of our Site, so if you do not accept and agree with it you must stop using our Site immediately.
Please be aware that our Site and Services may contain links to third party websites that are not covered by this Privacy Notice. With that in mind, we ask you to review the privacy statements of other websites and applications.
Data Controller
For the purposes of the data protection & privacy legislation the Data Controller is:-
Leah Connelly
(“I”,"we," "us," "our")
Legal Status:
Sole Trader
Trading as:
Leah Connelly Counselling
Coltwood House
2 Tongham Road
Runfold
Farnham
GU10 1PH
Email: leahcounselling@yahoo.com
Leah Connelly Counselling intend to ensure any data you provide is kept secure, managed respectfully and only used for the purposes for which it has been provided. Leah Connelly Counselling does not and will never sell, rent or trade your details with any other person or organisation.
Personal information I may collect are your:
- Name.
- Gender (or preferred identity).
- Age.
- Date of Birth.
- Relationships & Progeny.
- Occupation.
- Address.
- Telephone/SMS number (plus permission to send SMS & leave voice message).
- Email address.
- Counselling History.
- Medical conditions relevant to counselling.
- Prescribed medication.
- Concerns bringing you to counselling and changes wanted.
- Session summary.
How I will store your Personal Information and Security.
Storage Methods. - Paper: Written notes and forms will either be securely filed in a locked filing cabinet (or equivalent).
- Mobile Phone: I will store your contact information and use only your initials in contacts. I will hold your name and telephone number on my mobile phone until our counselling relationship ends and then I will delete it from my contact list. I only hold texts whilst they are relevant e.g. sent by either of us in connection with your appointments.
- Email/SMS: your email address and correspondence will be stored in my email account (currently Yahoo mail) by nature of you contacting me. Your telephone number may be stored in my SMS if we exchange messages this way. Electronic correspondence will also be held by the corresponding app (Gmail, Phone's SMS). E-mail unless encrypted, is not a fully secure means of communication. Whilst I endeavor to keep my systems and communications protected against viruses and other harmful effects, I cannot bear responsibility for all communications being virus-free.
- Website: If you contacted Leah Connelly Counselling via the link on my website your information is passed to me by WebHealer (http://www.webhealer.net) who manage the site. Enquiries submitted through this contact form are sent directly to me by email and then deleted from WebHealers systems. They are retained by WebHealer only until they are confident the message has been successfully delivered.
Links to other websites - Our website may contain links to other websites of interest. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide whilst visiting such sites and such sites are not governed by this privacy policy. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.
- Transmission of data and information email is not a secure or an encrypted transmission method for sending your personal data, unless otherwise indicated. Your attention is therefore drawn to the fact that, any information and personal data carried over the internet is not secure. Information and personal data may be intercepted, lost, corrupted or accessed by other people.
- Upon receipt of your personal data we are committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, we have put in place appropriate physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.
How we use cookies
A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Once you agree, the file is added and the cookie helps analyse web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site. Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can tailor its operations to your needs, likes and dislikes by gathering and remembering information about your preferences.
We use traffic log cookies to identify which pages are being used. This helps us analyse data about web page traffic and improve our website in order to tailor it to customer needs. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes.
Overall, cookies help us provide you with a better website, by enabling us to monitor which pages you find useful and which you do not. A cookie in no way gives us access to your computer or any information about you, other than the data you choose to share with us.
You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. This may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
Documents Held
Paper... - Contact Sheet
- Client Registration Form/Contract Agreement
- Brief Session Notes (if made)
- GDPR Agreement (Privacy Notice)
- Client Data Protection Consent Form
Electronic... - Contact name & telephone
- Email/SMS.
HOW WE MAY PROCESS/SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.
Your contact details and personal information will never be shared with outside parties apart from the exemptions below.
Your contact details will be used to contact you. Other personal data such as your name, address and date of birth will be used to verify your identity if there is a need to contact your GP or a request for access to personal data from yourself or legitimate legal instrument such as a court order.
Supervision
In compliance with my accrediting organisations the BACP I am required to attend regular supervision sessions with a suitably qualified therapeutic supervisor. I only use your first name and age. In order to protect your privacy, my Supervisor will not know you personally nor professionally. I may refer to your information verbally when it's helpful to my professional processes. My Clinical Supervisor is also ICO Registered and GDPR Compliant.
Therapeutic Will
I have a therapeutic will. In the event of your therapists death, hospitalisation or similar of a close relative of theirs, the Therapeutic Executor will make contact to inform you of the situation and advise you of your options if. They will only have your name and contact telephone number if we are currently working together.
Breaking Confidentiality
If we believe yours or another person (or group of people’s) safety is at significant risk, we may contact the suitable authority without your permission. This includes your doctor, the emergency services and the mental health crisis team.
We are also required by law to pass on information relating to acts of terrorism and ongoing abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult. We will at all times attempt to gain your permission before breaking confidentiality in these instances however we retain the right to do so without your consent.
Retention period for personal data
Except as otherwise mentioned in this privacy notice, we keep your personal information only for as long as required by us: - to provide you with the services you have requested;
- to comply with other law, including for the period demanded by our insurance;
- to support a claim or defence in court.
Erasing your Information
All the information we hold about you (as detailed) will be held securely for a maximum of 7 years after your final session with Leah Connelly Counselling (or from the last point of contact if you choose not to go ahead with treatment). This is so that I have a reference of our work in situations such as you returning to counselling in the future. Your telephone number and electronic copies of your information & correspondence will be erased from my mobile phone and email within four weeks of your final session.
How you can complain - If you are not happy with our privacy policy or if have any complaint then you should tell us by email. Our address is leahcounselling@yahoo.com
- If a dispute is not settled then we hope you will agree to attempt to resolve it by engaging in good faith with us in a process of mediation or arbitration.
- If you are in any way dissatisfied about how we process your personal information, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office. This can be done at https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
Review of this privacy policy - We may update this privacy notice from time to time as necessary. The terms that apply to you are those posted here on our website on the day you use our website, in which case, we will publish the amended version on the website. You confirm that we shall not be liable to you or any third party for any changes made to this privacy policy. It is your responsibility to check this page from time to time to ensure that you are happy with any changes.
- We advise you to print a copy for your records.
- If you have any question regarding our privacy policy, please contact us.
Your Rights
You have the following rights... - To be informed what information I hold (i.e. this document).
- To see the information I hold about you (free of charge for the initial request and then £5 for every additional request).
- To rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- To withdraw consent to me using your personal information.
- To request your personal information be erased (though I can decline whilst the information is needed for me to practice lawfully & competently).
