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Your privacy is very important to me and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose that it is given to me.

 

I adhere to the current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) (the GDPR).

 

I collect and use client data so that I can work ethically, safely and follow the professional standards of the British Association for Counselling & Psychotherapy (BACP) of which I am a member.  I am also registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

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‘Data controller’ is the term used to describe the person or organisation that collects, stores and has responsibility for people’s personal data. In this instance, I am the Data Controller - Harriet Nichols.

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Initial contact:

 

When you contact me with an enquiry about my counselling services, I will collect information to help me satisfy your enquiry. This may include (but may not be limited to) your name, telephone, email, whether you have had therapy before, reasons for seeking therapy and hopes for having counselling.

 

If you decide not to proceed, I will ensure all your personal details are deleted within 48 hours of receiving written or telephone confirmation.

 

While you are accessing counselling:

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If you decide to proceed and to have counselling with me, I may keep the following data:

 

• Personal Identification Information: Your name, address, date of birth, nationality, contact details (email, phone number), relationship & employment status (if relevant), pronouns, next of kin/emergency contact details and GP details

• Special Category Data: Relevant health information such as medical conditions, prescribed or self-prescribed/illicit use of drugs, disability, medication, emotional and psychological issues and current difficulties, family / relationships, counselling/therapy history, hopes for starting counselling and any other other information that may be related to your counselling sessions

• Session Notes: Brief written records of our initial assessment session and our counselling sessions, including any information you choose to share

• Payment Information: Details of payments for counselling services, including bank account details

• Communication Data: Emails and other forms of communication between us

 

Session notes, text and email exchanges and storage of any relevant medical information is kept to a minimum.

 

Rest assured that everything you discuss with me is confidential, subject to the exceptions that are set out below.

 

How long I will hold your data after the counselling has ended

 

I take the security of the data that I hold about you very seriously and I take every effort to make sure it is kept secure.

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• Personal identification information – I will hold the personal identification information and special category data to ensure the counselling service runs smoothly. This is stored on practice management software called Kiku which is GDPR compliant, fully encrypted and password protected. 

 

• Session notes – I keep brief written session notes which are also recorded on the practice management software Kiku.

 

• Payment information – I ask that clients pay using a BACS transfer so that there will be a record of payment. This data will be kept for up to 7 years for tax purposes.

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• Communication Data - For security reasons, I do not keep text messages and these are deleted as soon as possible and no later than after each counselling session. 

 

As a requirement of my policy of insurance, I am required to keep your data for at least 7 years following the contact we have together, whereafter the data will be routinely and securely destroyed. I would only retain any personal data after that time if it was necessary to comply with a legal/insurance obligation or to resolve an ongoing issue.

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You can read more about the practice management softwware that I use here: https://www.wearekiku.com

 

Visitors to my website

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When someone visits my website, I use Wix as my site provider and they may collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. I do not make attempts to find out the identities of those visiting my website.

 

You are invited to visit Wix for further information on their data and privacy policy - https://www.wix.com/about/privacy 

 

My email account is with a secure provider (Gmail). I use Zoom and Google Meet for online counselling sessions and you can read more about their privacy policies here:

- https://policies.google.com/privacy 

- https://support.google.com/meet/answer/9852160?hl=en

 

 I cannot be held responsible for any breaches in confidentiality caused by failures in any of the software or platforms utilised for my services, or for the security of your own email provider, which you may wish to consider when you choose to email me.​

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Complaints 

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I am committed to protecting your personal data, but if for some reason you are not happy with any aspect of how I collect and use your data then please do email me - info@hattienichols.com.

 

If you feel that I am unable to resolve your concerns satisfactorily and you want to make a formal complaint about the way I have processed your personal information, you can contact the ICO which is the statutory body that oversees data protection law in the UK. For more information you go to www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

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This is a summary of the key points in my privacy policy only - a copy of my full privacy policy will be given to my clients at the outset of us working together. If you have any queries in the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me. 

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