Any personal data provided by you to Jo Shenton Counselling, 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 for the purposes for which you have given consent, to provide the services you have requested from us.
Introduction
Jo Shenton Counselling is committed to protecting your privacy. Please read the following in order to learn more about Jo Shenton Counselling privacy policy and the information collection and use practices.
This policy only applies to data collected by Jo Shenton Counselling. When you request counselling with Jo Shenton Counselling and provide your personal details, you will be asked to consent to the processing of your data under the terms of this policy.
What information do we collect?
- Counselling Requests– Registering with Jo Shenton Counselling to request access to counselling service can be done online, on paper or in person. Our request process involves providing Jo Shenton Counselling with your name, address, telephone numbers and email address. We may also request information on your availability, therapeutic issues, and other details which we deem relevant to processing your request.
- Forms – The information you give us on our forms (including all enquiry and application forms) may include your name, postal address, email address, phone number and other messages to us.
What do we use your information for?
We use information held about you in the following ways:
- To provide clients with the professional counselling service requested.
- To offer suitable counselling appointments.
- To notify you about changes to your appointments and other changes to our services.
- To seek feedback from you on your experience of counselling.
- To improve the service to ensure that it is provided in the most effective manner for you and for us.
- To administer our service, including the arrangement of appointments.
- To keep in touch with those who consent to this, for the purposes of organisational, service and professional development.
- To fulfil our administrative, legal and contractual obligations.
What information do we share?
We will not share any information about you with other organisations or people, except in the following situations:
- Consent – Jo Shenton Counselling may share your information with professionals or others whom you have requested or agreed we should contact.
- Serious harm – Jo Shenton Counselling may share your information with the relevant authorities if we have reason to believe that this may prevent serious harm being caused to you or another person.
- Compliance with law – Jo Shenton Counselling may share your information where we are required to by law or by the regulations and other rules to which we are subject.
How do we keep your information safe?
All information you provide to us is stored as securely as possible. All paper forms and correspondence are kept in locked filing cabinets. All electronic records are stored on our own computer server, all access to which requires password-protected authentication.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is never completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your information using industry-standard protocols and encryption, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to us via email, including forms completed on our website which are transmitted by email; any transmission is at your own risk. Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.
Your identifiable personal information is kept separately from any session notes and other descriptive material. Client notes and other documentation are destroyed 3 years after the end of counselling. Personal contact details are destroyed/deleted after 7 years of no contact or updates.
Your rights
You have the right to ask us to provide a copy of the information held by us in our records.
You may withdraw your consent for us to hold and process your data at any time. However, if you do this while actively receiving counselling, your counselling would have to end. You can withdraw your consent by contacting Jo Shenton Counselling.
Changes to this policy
Jo Shenton Counselling may edit this policy from time to time. If any substantial changes are made, you will be notified.
