This information forms part of a contract that we will sign should counselling commence.
Confidentiality
Information given to me during the counselling process and any records will be kept private and confidential, with the following exceptions:
- Legal – I have an obligation to share information concerning the safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults; acts of terrorism; serious illegal behaviour, and adherence to court orders.
- Moral – I have an ethical responsibility if I believe there to be an imminent risk of serious injury or death to yourself or others.
- Professional – I may share anonymised information with my supervisor in the course of delivering the best service to you.
Data Protection
In order to fulfil my responsibilities as a counsellor, I will keep a record of your name, address, contact details and GP practice; these will be kept in a locked filing cabinet. Separately, under a code or pseudonym, I will keep brief factual notes of our sessions together, also locked away. Information will be kept for 7 years following the conclusion of our work together, unless legal or professional circumstances determine otherwise.
I will keep contact details on my (work) mobile phone, and laptop, and where we agree to communicate by text, call or email, any messages may be kept for the same duration as counselling notes. My phone and laptop are password protected and details are stored in a secure ‘cloud’ for restoration if lost or stolen.
You have the right to ask to see any information held by me about you. You may ask verbally or in writing, and I will endeavour to provide you with the information requested within four weeks. You also have the right to ask for information held to be corrected or deleted. This does not include any data I am obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.