Privacy and General Data Protection Registration (GDPR)

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GDPR is concerned with the personal information about you that I collect, store and share. I am registered with ICO. Below shows my policy:

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• Full name

• Mobile phone number

• Email address

• Counselling History

• Medical conditions relevant to counselling

• Medication

• Goals for counselling

• Session summary

 

How I will store your information:

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• Written notes, which I write after each session – a very brief overview as a reminder for our next session, kept separately from your personal details and no names mentioned

• Email/SMS your email address and correspondence will be stored in my helen.jenkins@counsellingbyhelen account by nature of you contacting me. Your telephone number may be stored in my phone.

• Website: none of your personal information is stored on my website, other than to momentarily collect & send it to my helen.jenkins@counsellingbyhelen account for the purposes of our initial contact.

 

How I may share your information:

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As part of my ethical framework I attend monthly supervision to discuss my workings with some of my clients that I think may benefit them. I will ensure that you are not personally known to my supervisor and I will only divulge your first name.

Following your consent (which may be given by you in our introductory session), I may offer your contact information to a health professional, such as Doctor, Crisis team or other Mental Health professional If I am concerned about your safety or the safety of someone else you have divulged to me. If I have become aware of your intent to cause harm to another person/organisation (e.g. terrorism), the law may require that I inform an authority without seeking your permission. In such a situation, the law may require that I share your personal information without your knowledge (known as: whistle-blowing).

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Deleting your information:

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I will store your written session notes for up to 7 years after our last session of working together. This is if I need to refer to our time of working together if you decide to return to complete another piece of work together. After which time I will destroy all notes by shredding.

 

Your rights as a counselling client:

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• To be informed what information I hold 

• To see the information I hold about you 

• 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).