Privacy Statement
Debbie Waters Counselling is committed to complying with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and to the responsible and secure use of your personal data. The purpose of this statement is to let you know what personal information Debbie Waters Counselling collects and holds, why it is collected, how long it is kept and your rights over your personal data.
Debbie Waters Counselling has a legitimate interest in processing personal data in order to provide counselling services and is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), reference ZA479135
What is personal information?- The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) defines personal information that can be used to identify a living individual. Individuals can be identified by various means including their name, address, telephone number or e mail, for example.
Why do you want to process my personal information?- I need to process your personal information to fulfil my contractual obligations to you as a counsellor, firstly to assess whether I am able to offer you counselling and then to deliver effective counselling support.
What are the laws that protect my personal information?- The DPA and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) require that the collection and storage of personal information is:
How will you collect my personal information?- I will collect your personal information over the telephone, in writing, and in person during our meetings.
How will you store my personal information?- Your personal information will be stored both electronically and physically. Personal information is stored on devices that are password and/ or fingerprint I.D protected, and in files that are further password protected and only accessible by me. Names and contact details are stored separately to other personal information ( anonymised format) Information is stored physically using paper records held securely in locked storage in an anonymised format and only accessible by me.
What types of information will you collect about me?- Like many site operators, we collect information that your browser sends whenever you visit our Site ("Log Data"). This Log Data may include information such as your computer's Internet Protocol ("IP") address, browser type, browser version, the pages of our Site that you visit, the time and date of your visit, the time spent on those pages and other statistics.
When you make an enquiry I will request ( if not already provided) your name, contact number and e mail ( if available). At the consultation appointment I will then ask you to provide me with your address, age, information relating to psychological issues you would like to address, symptoms and availability.
Once we have agreed that counselling is appropriate and your therapy commences I may ask for additional personal information that may include: goals for therapy, GP contact details, emergency contact, previous therapy, current medication, network of support, health and physical issues, coping strategies including alcohol and drug use.
What is ‘special category ‘ information, and why do you need to process this?- Special category information is defined by the GDPR as being information that is more sensitive than other personal information, and requiring higher levels of protection. Examples could include information about your health, race, sexuality, sex life, or religion. To lawfully process special category information, I am obliged to identify a specific condition for processing it under Article 9 of the GDPR.
The condition of the GDPR that I apply to the processing of your special category information is that it is ‘pursuant to contract with a health professional’. This means that, if you begin counselling with me, or ask me to assess whether or not you are eligible for me to offer counselling to you, then I will likely need to process some special category information about you. Usually, this is information about your mental health, and I need to process it in order to fulfil my contractual obligations to you in delivering safe, effective counselling.
What is a ‘data controller’, and who is the ‘data controller’ for Debbie Waters Counselling?- The GDPR defines a ‘data controller’ as the person who: ‘determines the purposes and means of processing personal data’. For the purposes of the GDPR, the ‘data controller’ in Debbie Waters Counselling is Debbie Waters working from Bodmin Osteopaths, 50 Fore st, office 3, Bodmin PL31 2H.
Who will my personal information be shared with?- Your personal information will be used only to provide you with counselling. I will not share your personal details with any other person or organisation without your knowledge and permission, unless there is a legal requirement, if there is a child or adult safeguarding issue, or a perceived risk of harm to you or others. This could include sharing some of your personal information with your G.P., or other healthcare professional, under certain exceptional circumstances. These include the requirements of a court of law, the threat of serious physical harm to you or to others, or during regular consultations with my professional supervisor
Some of your personal information such as website visits, telephone call data, or payment information, is shared with the website provider, mobile phone operator, or card payment provider respectively. These providers operate under their own privacy policies, and these can be provided upon request.
Can I ask for a copy of the personal information that you store about me?- If you would like to see the information I hold about you, or would like to correct, update or delete any records known as the ‘Right to Erasure’, please email info@debbiewaterscounselling.co.uk .
If you have any concerns about the use of your data, please contact info@debbiewaterscounselling.co.uk . If I am un able to resolve your concerns you may choose to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office ( ICO) on 0303 123 1123, or visit https://ico.org.uk/concerns/ for more information.
Phone: 07974000761 Email: info@debbiewaterscounselling.co.uk .
MBACP Registered Number 00808715.
50 Fore st, office 3, Bodmin PL31 2H
Please email or call me for more infomation.