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Introduction

Your privacy is very important to me and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose it was given to me. I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) (the GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003. This privacy notice tells you what I will do with your personal information from initial point of contact through to after your therapy has ended.

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I am happy to chat through any questions you might have about my data protection policy and you can contact me via annaandersontherapy@proton.me ‘Data controller’ is the term used to describe the person/ organisation that collects and stores and has responsibility for people’s personal data. In this instance, the data controller is me. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office ZB312717  My email address is: annaandersontherapy@proton.me

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Lawful basis for holding and using your personal information

The GDPR states that I must have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. There are different lawful bases depending on the stage at which I am processing your data. I have explained these below: If you have had therapy with me and it has now ended, I will use legitimate interest as my lawful basis for holding and using your personal information. If you are currently having therapy or if you are in contact with me to consider therapy, I will process your personal data where it is necessary for the performance of our contract. The GDPR also makes sure that I look after any sensitive personal information that you may disclose to me appropriately. This type of information is called ‘special category personal information’. The lawful basis for me processing any special categories of personal information is consent initially. I will then retain any counselling records in case of the need to reference them in the future (the official legal basis is to defend against potential legal claims).

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What information may be collected?​​

When you use the contact form on this website, you will usually provide your name, email, telephone number and the details of your message. This information will be used my myself as the data controller to respond to your enquiry.  By using this service, you consent for your information to be processed in this way.

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I may also ask you for additional and relevant personal information during your initial consultation and at any stage throughout the counselling process. This may include special category data, such as information relating to your physical or mental health, where this is necessary for the provision of counselling.  I may also collect information that is appropriate and necessary to assess risk and consider safeguarding, including where there may be a risk of harm to yourself or others.

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When you enter into a counselling agreement with Anna Anderson Therapy and sessions are booked and/or attended, I will keep brief, factual and anonymised session notes.  I may also keep records relating to dates and times of appointments and matters relating to payments. 

 

Please note that maintaining appropriate records is necessary for safe, ethical, and professional practice. If you do not consent to your information being recorded and stored, I may be unable to provide therapy.

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How your information is used

I retain personal data to support provision of safe, consistent and an ethically responsible counselling service.   This includes maintaining accurate records to support continuity of care, monitoring wellbeing, and responding appropriately to any identified risk or safeguarding concerns, were there may be a risk of harm to client or others.  Holding this information also enables me to uphold the counselling agreement, including managing appointments, communication, and professional responsibilities.  All data is processed in line with the principles and ethical requirements sent out by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, ensuring that it is used only when necessary, kept securely and handled with respect for confidentiality and the client’s rights.  

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How your information is stored

All information is secured securely and robust measures are in place so that there can be no unauthorised access.  Please feel to ask me any questions about the way your information is stored and I will be happy to explain my current procedures.  I review my procedures regularly. 

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Access to your information ​

You can also ask me at any time to correct any mistakes there may be in the personal information I hold about you.  To make a request for any personal information I may hold about you, please send a written request via email to  annaandersontherapy@proton.me 

I will usually respond within one month.​​​​​

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Data breaches

In the unlikely event of a data breach, protocol will be followed in line with the ICO’s guidance. ​

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Destruction of records

​Client information and records will be deleted/destroyed after five years after the final counselling session.​​

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Your rights under UK GDPR:

Under UK GDPR, you have a number of rights in relation to your personal data:

• The right to be informed – you have the right to be told how your personal information is collected, stored, used and shared. This is set out in this privacy notice.

• The right of access – you can request access to the personal information I hold about you, together with supplementary information about how it is used.

• The right to rectification – you can ask for inaccurate personal information to be corrected, or for incomplete information to be completed.

• The right to erasure – you can ask for your personal information to be erased in certain circumstances. This right is not absolute, and I may need to retain information in order to meet legal, ethical, insurance, safeguarding, or professional requirements.

• The right to restrict processing – you can ask me to limit the way I use your personal information in certain circumstances.

• The right to data portability – in some circumstances, you can request a copy of the personal data you have provided in a format that allows it to be transferred to another service. This right usually only applies where processing is carried out by automated means and on the basis of consent or contract.

• The right to object – you can object to the processing of your personal information in certain circumstances.

• Rights related to automated decision-making and profiling – you have rights in relation to solely automated decisions that have legal or similarly significant effects on you. As I do not make decisions about you solely by automated means, this right is unlikely to apply in my practice.

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Complaints

If you have concerns about how I handle your personal data, you are welcome to contact me using the details above. I would always aim to resolve any concerns directly.  I also always welcome any suggestions for improvement to the way I handle data. 

You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner's Office, the UK regulator for data protection.
Further information can be found at: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint