I’m a trainee Integrative Humanistic Psychotherapist in Training with the Welsh Psychotherapy Institute (WPI) working in private practice under their Affordable Therapy Service, and a trainee member of the UK Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP). I work to the ethics and principles for both. I also adhere to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and I’m registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). This GDPR Privacy Notice is to be read in conjunction with the Client/Therapist Agreement, which we will discuss in our initial session.

What information I keep

I store information relating to your name, address, contact details, date of birth, GP details, medical and psychological history, texts and email correspondence between us, payment invoices and brief notes from our therapy sessions.

Why I can keep this information

I keep this information to enable me to provide you with therapy; for legal purposes; for insurance purposes and for safeguarding and emergency purposes. I can only keep your information with your consent, unless I need to keep them to continue providing a service, to meet legal obligations, or to respond to a court order or legal claim. 

Some of the information I collect, should you choose to share it with me, such as information about your GP, physical health, mental health, psychological history, medication, or experiences of healthcare, is classed as special category data under UK GDPR. I collect and process this information because it is relevant to providing psychotherapy safely and appropriately, understanding your needs, supporting therapeutic work, managing safeguarding concerns, and meeting my professional, legal, and insurance obligations.

How I store your information 

I keep brief paper notes from our sessions which are locked away securely in a locked filing cabinet with multiple levels of security. Any paper notes I keep are pseudonymised (which means they can’t be linked to a specific person without using extra separately stored information) and kept separately from any personal information I hold about you. Personal information I hold about you is stored separately in a separate locked filing cabinet with multiple levels of security. Details regarding bank transfers will be stored electronically for accounting and business purposes. 

How long I keep this information for

I keep your information for up to seven years after our last contact, in line with professional, legal and insurance requirements. After this, it is securely destroyed. You can ask me to delete your records sooner unless I need to keep them to continue providing a service, to meet legal obligations, or to respond to a court order or legal claim. 

Confidentiality

Sessions are conducted with strict confidentiality. I keep brief notes of our sessions and other relevant information necessary in order to provide you with a service. However, these are kept securely and separately from any other identifying information I hold about you. I won’t share your personal information without your express permission, except in these lawful circumstances:

• If I’m required to by law under the Terrorism Act 2000; Drug Trafficking Act 1994; Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 or Money Laundering Regulations 2007
• If required by court order
• If I suspect, or if you tell me that you, a child or another person(s) is at imminent risk of serious harm, I will discuss the possibility of sharing this information with relevant professionals and may need to disclose this information. Where possible, I will seek to gain your consent before disclosing your information.

We will go through confidentiality in full during our first session, and it is also outlined in the Therapist–Client Agreement. 

I have regular clinical supervision, as required by my UKCP and WPI trainee membership, to make sure I’m working safely and ethically. In supervision, I may talk through parts of your therapeutic process, but I do this using only the minimum information necessary and without identifying you wherever possible. My supervisor is a qualified psychotherapist who follows the same UKCP code of ethics and confidentiality.

The UKCP asks therapists to have arrangements in place so your information is cared for if I’m ever suddenly seriously incapacitated and unable to continue practice. This means I name trusted colleagues, called Clinical Executors, who would receive only the basic details they need to inform you and support you with onward care if needed. They also ensure your records are handled properly, securely stored, kept only for the required time, and then safely destroyed. They follow strict confidentiality rules and GDPR throughout.

Your rights to your information

You have the right to request copies of the information I hold about you, to withdraw your consent to this agreement and therapy at any time, and to request amendments to the information I hold about you. You also have the right to complain about how I handle your personal data. If you have a complaint about how I have handled your personal data, please contact me in the first instance by using the details in this Privacy Notice. I will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days, investigate it without undue delay, keep you informed where appropriate, and let you know the outcome. If your concern is not resolved, you have the right to complain to the ICO and WPI.

Information collected by using this website

If you contact me via my website contact form, or by another online directory, I will use this information to respond to your enquiry. If you contact me via another directory, your information will be covered by your agreement with them.

This website host and website builder (IONOS) does not collect non-essential cookies, and only uses strictly necessary cookies. When using the website, you will be provided with a link to see their Cookie Policy. The following explains how data is collected when you visit this website:

IONOS SiteAnalytics

This service allows us to analyse user behaviour on our website to improve its functionality and user experience. IONOS SiteAnalytics helps us understand how visitors interact with our content, which pages are most popular, and how we can optimise our site's technical performance.

Data Purposes

This list represents the purposes of the data collection and processing.

• Statistical analysis of user behaviour
• Measurement of website reach
• Technical optimisation of the website

Technologies Used

This service uses a tracking pixel or server-side log files to collect data. It does not use cookies to store information on your device.

Data Collected

This list represents all (personal) data that is collected by or through the use of this service.

• Referrer (previously visited website)
• Requested website or file
• Browser type and browser version
• Operating system used
• Device type used
• Time of access
• IP address in anonymised form (used only to determine the location of access)

Legal Basis

Your consent, according to Art. 6(1)(a) of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Location of Processing

Germany and the European Union.

Retention Period

The collected data is stored for a period of 8 weeks and then automatically deleted.

Transfer to Third Countries

No data is transferred to countries outside the European Union.

Data Recipients

IONOS SE
Elgendorfer Str. 57
56410 Montabaur, Germany

IONOS Privacy Policy

https://www.ionos.co.uk/terms-gtc/privacy-policy/

Contact details

If you have any questions about this GDPR privacy policy, or to make a complaint, you can contact me via email at melissa.psychotherapy@protonmail.com

Information Commissioners Office (ICO) website: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

Welsh Psychotherapy Institute (WPI) website: www.welshpsychotherapy.org.uk/index.php/contact-us/

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