Privacy Policy

I adhere to the Ethical Framework for Good Practice provided by BACP (British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy) with which I am an Accredited Registered Member. You may find details on their website here: https://www.bacp.co.uk/ethical_framework/new_ef.php 

I have insurance for personal liability and professional indemnity which covers me to work anywhere in the world. Some countries however such as Canada and certain States within the USA have different legislation regarding counselling, and we would therefore need to ensure safe and legal practice before our work can go ahead. 

Any claims made against me are subject to UK law. I would be happy however to discuss any issues you might have regarding my counselling practice and hopefully we can resolve these together. 

I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) as a controller of sensitive data and work to their standards for storing any information about you. More information can be found at: https://ico.org.uk/ 

As this will be a professional relationship, I am unable to accept friend requests on social networking sites. Also, could I please ask that you refrain from sharing any content of our counselling sessions on any public networking sites. 

Clear-mind takes the privacy rights of all its clients seriously and adopts a high standard of compliance and confidentiality when dealing with your data. 

We will use the personal data collected from you when you enter details into our website and access therapeutic support via our services. If you decide to access our services fully after submitting an online query (for assessment or treatment), you will be required to sign a contract which provides more detail on issues such as therapeutic notes.

 Data collected-

  Name - Used to address you when contacting you directly.  

 Contact information such as email and address - used to contact you directly.  You have the right to request a copy of the information we hold on you, you also have the right to request your information be removed and securely deleted, subject to areas of public policy specified in the GDPR, or to our own specific needs concerning legal obligations or claims. 

  If you have any questions regarding my privacy policy, would like a copy of the information I hold on you or would like to request your data to be removed please contact us at clear=mind@outlook.om  Should you decide to start Therapeutic Counselling with Clear-mind there will be additional data taken, what data is taken and how we use this is outlined in our GDPR and Data Protection statement. The GDPR (2018) forms part of the Data Protection Act (2018) and provides you with greater transparency over your personal data, such as data used to identify you. We abide by the terms of GDPR (2018) and have outlined how your personal data is used or stored.   

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I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO) as a controller of sensitive data and work to their standards for storing any information about you. More information can be found at: https://ico.org.uk/ 

GDPR

General Data Protection Regulation & Data Protection Statement   Reviewed January 2021 Under the General Data Protection Regulations 2018, you have certain rights 

▪ You are allowed to see your notes. This is facilitated by making a formal request. ▪ Records are kept for 7 years after termination of therapy and then destroyed.

 ▪ Having your records amended (change of name and address)

 ▪ In the case of clients under 18, records are kept for 7 years after the child turns 18.   

   Under GDPR, you can request your data to be erased. However, there are exceptions to this. 

▪ In the case of counselling records, insurance companies and ethical bodies ask for records to be available for the period as outlined above. 

  ▪ Your email address is used to confirm appointments if needed and for general communication.

 ▪ Your phone number is used to confirm appointments if needed and for general communication, phone numbers are saved on under your assigned code number.  

 ▪ Your address is used to contact you in writing. 

▪ Your GP’s address is used to contact your GP at your request or if there are significant safeguarding concerns.

 ▪ Your emergency contact number may be used in the event that a planned session has been missed and the counsellor has been unable to contact you by other means. This may also be used if the counsellor has concerns about your wellbeing and needs to ensure someone is available to look after you.

 ▪ Clinical notes which are brief notes are made at the end of each session.

  ▪ Assessment information is taken during the initial session / assessment. The information is used to assess any risk, take note of any client goals and to help the counsellor assess what support you are looking for.  

How your data is stored  Your name, email, phone number, address and emergency contact number are all stored in a locked cabinet at my premises.

 . All notes will be assigned a code n umber protect your confidentially so your name will never be attached to any client notes, this is . information will not be shared with any third party and you have the right to remove personal contact information at any time . 

 Whenever clear-mind remove data it is removed and destroyed securely.

If you have any concerns about how we have handled your data, you can complain to the ICO  https://ico.org.uk/ 

If you have any queries  please email us at clear-mind@outlook.com