Privacy Policy
Your privacy is very important to me. I have therefore produced this Policy in order for you to understand how I use, disclose and make use of personal information:
1. The client will be treated with respect and care at all times.
2. Disclosure of all information during therapy and consultations remains confidential. However, I have a professional obligation to report to relevant authorities any concerns if I believe the client may be intending to cause harm to themselves or others.
3. A query on suitability or conflict of therapy with other practitioners may have to be sought occasionally, with client permission.
4. If you have symptoms of illness/pain etc, it is highly recommended you seek medical advice from your GP.
5. A full copy of the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy’s (AfSFH) is readily available.
6. I have a policy of 24-hours’ notice of cancellation of appointment, otherwise half the fee will be charged.
I value your privacy as I do my own.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is concerned with the personal
information about you that I collect, store and share.
The following details my GDPR policy.
PERSONAL INFORMATION I WILL COLLECT.
Your Name and address
Date of Birth
Relationships and Occupation
Telephone numbers / Email address
Medical conditions relevant to the sessions
Prescribed medication
Details of your GP for me to contact in case of emergency or in the rare
situation where I feel you may harm yourself or others
Any other information you feel you would like to share (but this is optional)
Session summary of what you want to achieve by coming to see me.
HOW I WILL STORE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.
STORAGE METHODS:
Paper: written notes (described below).
Smartphone: I will store your contact information in my phone which is password protected. I do not store your full name, I keep a record of your first name followed by the leading letter of your surname. This allows me to contact you in case of emergencies or to re-arrange appointments, if this is a suitable way for you to communicate with me.
Email: your email address and correspondence will be stored in my email account by nature of you contacting me. This will be deleted once we have finished the sessions and I have signed you off. Any relevant emails that I feel need to be kept will be printed off and added to your written notes.
Website: None of your personal information is stored on my website, other than to momentarily collect and send it to my email account for the purposes of our initial contact. Any further communications are deleted once the correspondence has been completed.
DOCUMENTS HELD.
PAPER:
Initial Consultation notes including contact details.
Client/therapist Agreement
Brief Session Notes
GDPR Agreement
ELECTRONIC:
Contact name and telephone numbers
Email/SMS
HOW I MAY PROCESS/SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.
SUPERVISION
I undertake supervision as a form of good practice. This process allows me to voice any concerns I may have in a safe environment which is strictly confidential. In order to protect my clients’ privacy, my supervisor will not know you personally or professionally. I will refer to you by a Pseudonym and I may refer to your information verbally when it’s helpful to the professional processes.
EMERGENCIES
If your health is in jeopardy or I feel you may harm yourself, I may share your contact information with an emergency healthcare service (e.g. GP or Mental Health Crisis Team). If I become aware of your intent to cause harm to another person/organisation, the law may require that I inform an authority including sharing your contact details
ERASING YOUR INFORMATION
When we have finished working together, I will erase electronic copies of your information within one month of completion of the sessions. However, I will store a paper copy of relevant information and communications in a secure place for up to seven years after the completion of our work together. This is so that I have a reference of our work in situations such as you returning to sessions in the future and it is also an obligation under my professional standards and insurance policy. After this time has passed, I shred the written information.
YOUR RIGHTS
You have the following rights:
To be informed of what information I hold (i.e. this document).
To see the information I hold about you (free of charge for the initial request).
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).
If you have any queries on the above, please do let me know.