We are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This policy explains when and why we collect information about our clients, how we use it, the conditions under which we may disclose it toothers and how we keep it secure. Any questions regarding this policy and our privacy practices should be sent to contact@hopecounsellingtherapies.co.uk

How do we collect information about you?

We obtain information about you when you initially call or contact us to make an assessment appointment. This includes:

• Your name, address, telephone number and email address

• Client contract/consent

• Who to contact in case of emergency

• A brief outline of why you have contacted our service

• GP/Mental health team contact details

• Details about any ongoing health concerns/conditions

• Banking information for payment

• Brief counselling notes following each session

  How is your information used?

  We may use your information to:

• Process a payment you have made

• For developing statistics and monitoring activity

• For compliance with legal and regulatory requirements and related disclosures

  We are legally required to hold some types of information to fulfil our statutory obligations. We will hold your personal information on our systems for as long as it is necessary for the relevant activity.

  Protecting your interests:

• We will not sell your information to third parties

• We will not share your information with third parties for marketing purposes

• We may share personal data in an emergency or to otherwise protect your vital interests

  The right to erasure

  Clients can ask for their data to be erased and to prevent processing:

• Where the personal data are no longer necessary for the purpose for which they were originally collected/processed

• When the individual withdraws consent

• When the individual objects to the processing and there is no overriding legitimate interest in continuing the processing

• If the personal data is unlawfully processed

• Where the personal data has to be erased to comply with a legal obligation

• The counsellor can refuse to comply with a request for erasure where the personal data are held

• To exercise the right of freedom of expression and information

• To comply with a legal obligation or in the public interest, or the exercise of official authority

• For public health purposes

• For archiving purposes in the public interest, statistical purposes

• In the exercise of defence of legal claims

  How you can access and update your information

  The accuracy of your information is important to us. If you change email address, or any other information we hold is inaccurate or out of date, please email us at contact@hopecounsellingtherapies.co.uk

  You have the right to ask for a copy of the information we hold about you. A request should be made in writing by emailing contact@hopecounsellingtherapies.co.uk. We will keep your personal information for a set amount of time as guided by our insurance.

  Security precautions are in place to protect the loss, misuse or alteration of your information. When you give us your personal information, we take steps to ensure that it is treated securely. Once we receive your information, we make our best effort to ensure its security on our systems/premises. All sensitive information is stored in a password protected software on a password protected laptop.

  Outside office hours the password protected laptop is stored in a locked filing cabinet. Every effort is taken to protect the information we store.