Privacy Policy

Data Protection Act 2018 & General Data Protection Regulations Statement of Privacy Policy

To assist me in working effectively with you, Maria Louise Therapies keeps confidential records about all clients. These records are kept securely, are only seen by authorised personnel, and may be used anonymously in the production of practice statistics. The records held by me are subject to the General Data Protection Regulations 2018, which gives clients the right to access personal data held about them. To safely and appropriately provide you with therapy services, I need to collect personal data from you, and I am required to request your written consent to collect this data. This is a requirement under UK law.

Counselling is a confidential process, and I do not reveal your personal data or the content of your sessions to a third party without your express permission. The only exceptions to this would be if you were threatening your own life or the life of another, there was a safeguarding issue, or you were involved in a crime that falls outside of counselling confidentiality boundaries. In these cases, I may decide to contact emergency services or relevant authorities without your permission.

This agreement explains what information I collect, how it is used, where it is kept, how long it is kept for and the procedures that I have in place to safeguard your privacy.

What Information Do I Collect?

When you are referred to this service, I collect the following personal details:

Name, Address, Email Address, Landline Number, Mobile Number, Date of Birth, GP Name and Address, Disability Status, and Relationship Status.

During your initial telephone conversation, I may gather the following information from you:

Gender identity, relationship status, nationality, mental health history, sexual health history, current medications, results of relevant medical tests, name and contact details of medical or mental health professionals managing your care, and family history (no names other than your own).

During your therapy, as your counsellor, I will keep brief notes of each session to record the content of the session and any homework tasks that may have been agreed upon.

As Your Data Counsellor

As your counsellor, I am required to maintain my own privacy and data protection policy.

How do I use this information?

I collect this information for the following reasons:

• To accurately identify you and thereby safely and confidentially process your referral through the service.
• To communicate with other mental health and medical professionals in the support of your care.
• To identify all the factors that may be contributing to the problem you are seeking help with.
• To monitor and measure the effectiveness of the service.

Where do we keep this information?

Your referral data is received and stored via password-protected Word documents. Your referral data is processed via email using password-protected Word documents.

Your referral, assessment, and therapy data is kept together in paper format by me.  As your counsellor, I am required to be registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) and have my own privacy and data protection policy, which covers how data is controlled, processed, and kept.  Details can be discussed if necessary during your initial assessment session.

How long do I keep your data for?

I store your referral information and client notes securely for a minimum of 7 years, in line with guidance from my insurers, after which point they are shredded. Your records in my service are not classed as medical records or public records. 

How do we safeguard your privacy?

I receive your referral data via email. I process your referral data via password-protected Word documents. Other than your original referral information, all other documentation is identified by your initials only.

I have regular supervision to ensure that I am providing the best standard of care for you, and you are identified in supervision by your first name or initials only.

Supervisors may keep records of the guidance they have offered to the counsellor, which would not be identifiable to you. Supervisors do not have access to your client notes.

The only person that has access to your data is me, as the Data Controller, Data Processor, and your Counsellor.

Subject Access Request

Should you wish to access your data or have it destroyed before 7 years have elapsed, you may submit your request in writing to me (as the Data Controller and your counsellor). Each application will be considered on an individual basis and any decision to provide access to or destroy your personal data will be reached only after consultation with my insurers and professional bodies. Please be advised that I will not provide a court report or present as a witness on your behalf at any court case relating to any therapeutic alliance. Counsellors’ notes are considered to be an aide memoire of reported events and, as such, are not admissible by the court.