I understand how important your privacy is. I will take care to maintain your confidentiality in accordance with current data protection laws (GDPR, 2018) and the ethical guidelines of the British Association for Counselling Professionals (BACP). These guidelines have been set up to protect your confidential material and ensure that therapists always conduct themselves with professionalism and integrity.

In order to provide you with the best service possible, I will hold your personal contact details and records of your therapy sessions. Please find below important information about how this information will be held and used.

Your Personal Information

I use the secure encrypted and password protected practice management platform Kiku to collect and store your personal data. At the point of booking your initial consultation with ne, you will be asked for your personal contact information, for example your name, address, email address and telephone number and you may also choose to share details of the issues you are looking for help with.

Your contact information is secured securely in Kiku and can only be accessed by me Simone Heinsen your therapist.

In order to be able to fulfil my duty of care to you, in your initial consultation or your first session, I will ask you for contact information for your GP and elected emergency contact person. These details will be held securely in Kiki and will only be accessible to me as your therapist. 

The personal information will be held for the duration of your therapy after which it will be deleted from my Kiku client database. Please note that I will need to keep a record of your name for seven years after the end of your therapy, so that we can respond effectively to any potential requests regarding your clinical notes and treatment. i will never pass on your contact details to any third party organisations for the purposes of sales, marketing or research and will never use your personal data for any purposes other than the administration of the counselling service I am providing you i.e. to arrange, cancel and rearrange appointments and collect payment for sessions.

Confidentiality

During remote working I will ensure that I am conducting online sessions in a quiet, private and confidential setting. I have selected video calling platforms that offer end to end encryption to ensure maximum privacy. Please note however that I cannot be held responsible for any breaches that occur due to failure in technology.

I keep notes of each session. These are anonymised and are stored within a password protected file within the secure Kiku system. These notes are for my use only and help to keep a track of everything that is being discussed in line with industry guidelines, these notes will be kept securely for up to seven years after your therapy comes to an end. After that time, they will be confidentially destroyed.

If your sessions are paid for or arranged via a third party, (e.g. your employer, a friend or a family member) other tan payment requests or invoices your counselling information will not be shared. Details about what is discussed in your sessions will remain confidential between yourself and me as your therapist. Any other information can only be shared if your provide written consent.

Your communications with me

If you send an email to me as your therapist, only myself will have access to it. All phones and laptops used to respond to your emails and text messages are encrypted, fully protected with anti-virus software and password protected.

Data Usage

I will only use your email address and telephone number to contact you about your appointments. I may also contact you directly via email in order to share information with you that is pertinent to your therapeutic process. Your phone number may also be used to issue appointment reminders via text message

Your rights

Any personal data retained by myself Simone Heinsen is kept in accordance with the GDPR, 2018. Under these guidelines you have the following rights

1. The right to request access to your data

You can request to view the information that I hold about you (contact details, appointment logs, etc.) at any time. If during therapy you would like to see your session notes, please let me know. Should you require a copy of your notes after your therapy has come to an end you can make this request by contacting me via phone or email.

2. The right of rectification

At any point during your time using my services or during the seven years then after, while we retain your records, you have the right to request amendments to your contact details or session notes. This right can be exercised either by speaking directly to me or by contacting me in writing or via email.

3. The right to be forgotten

You can request that I delete and confidentially destroy the information that I hold about you, and your sessions at the time. This request can be made by contacting me at simoneheinsen@outlook.com. Instances where I would not be able to comply with your request afre as follows:

A) If is necessary for me to retain these records in order to continue providing an affective service.

B) I am compelled to retain these records by a Court of Law

C) I require these records in order to establish, exercise or defend legal claims