Privacy Notice
Edwina Hawkridge Counselling will collect personal information (which may include sensitive personal data) the data I collect may include but is not limited to your name, email address, telephone number and nature of your concern. I collect this data for the use within my counselling business, mainly to contact you and to get to know you to see if I can help. This data is solely used by me and is not sold on to other 3rd parties.
Reasons & purposes for processing information.
All data obtained from the website is stored securely and electronically and is protected by a minimum of a password. Stored information will be deleted 1 month from the last contact or 7 years after the date that counselling ends. I will dispose of your data as confidential waste once the time period is reached.
Any requests for details of data collection and storage should be sent to info@edwinahawkridgecounselling.com I keep my Privacy Notice under regular review; the last being March 2024.
If I need to keep more information, than stated, it would only be with your express consent in which case the legal basis of holding this information is consent.
By continuing to enter your details you are giving your consent for me to use your data in this way. If you have any concerns about the way that I use or process your data The Information Commissioners Office (ICO) can be contacted on 03031231113.
Counselling Services
I process personal information to enable me to provide mental health counselling, to advertise my services, to maintain my accounts and records.
Type/classes of information processed
I process information relevant to the above reasons/purposes with respect to clients, enquirers, suppliers, business contacts & professional organisations in the case of complaint. This information may include: personal contact details and information about family, lifestyle and social circumstances. I also process sensitive classes of information that may include physical or mental health details. I process financial details for business reporting.
Who your information may be shared with
I may need to share the personal information I process with the individual themselves. I follow the common law duty of confidence for Mental Health practitioners which means that your identifiable information is treated as confidential and retained to provide you with direct care which you have requested, or other services. In this case the legal basis for holding your data is for Legitimate Interest.
I am committed to securing your information. It is not disclosed to third parties in accordance with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation. Nor is it transferred outside of the European Economic Area.
I share your data only with your consent, such as writing a confidential report to your GP. The circumstances where I may need to share some personal information I process may include: service providers, for example if there is a problem with the website booking process. Retaining your data allows me to process any complaint you may make, in which case I may share your data with my Registrant Body, The British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). In this case the legal basis of me holding your personal data is for contract administration.
All mental health providers may use information where there are safeguarding issues. If I think your life is in danger I may contact an appropriate authority such as social services in the case of a child or vulnerable adult, or a GP. I may use your data if there is a legal requirement such as a formal court order. In this event I am using the legal basis of vital interests.
All business contractors such as accountants work under terms of strict confidentiality.
Who the information may be shared with
I may need to share the personal information I process with the individual themselves but not otherwise without your consent. I comply with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation. I may need to share some of the personal information we process with the following types of organisation as explained below.
Only where necessary, your data could be shared with debt collection agencies, or service providers such as our accountants. Retaining your data allows me to process any complaint you may make, in which case I may share your data with our Registrant Body, the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy. In this case the legal basis of our holding your personal data is for contract administration. No information is transferred outside the European Economic Area.
How We Collect and Store Your Personal Data
I may collect and process your information as follows:
1. Via forms on our website when you book counselling services.
2. Contact details you provide on the phone, or by email when making enquiries.
3. Data you provide to purchase our services for counselling, training, or consultancy
4. Data you provide via a confidential questionnaire which you complete when requesting an assessment with me.
5. Email or other Communications regarding your ongoing care, including reports which have been prepared at your request.
6. Contact details that are publically available for the purpose of advertising.
Security
The information I hold is kept in secure locations with restricted access to authorised personnel only. I have suitable physical, electronic, managerial and reasonable security procedures to safeguard the information I store. I ensure that our external data processors are legally and contractually bound to ensure that security arrangements are in place where data that could identify a person is processed. Personal data held on equipment such as laptops or handheld devices is encrypted.
Security of my website and computer systems is important. My website uses software to provide high level encryption technology. Although I use advanced security measures to protect your information against loss, misuse and alteration, as is the case with all computer networks linked to the internet including for cloud data storage we cannot make absolute guarantees over the security of these Processors and as such we cannot be held responsible for it.
Your Rights
Every individual has the right to see, and have a copy of, personal data that can identify you.
You can make a subject access request in writing to info@edwinahawkridgecounselling. I shall respond within 20 working days. My response will include the details of the personal data I hold on you such as how we acquired the information, why I keep it and those with whom I have shared it, if this was subject to your consent.
You have the right to ask to have your information corrected or updated where it is no longer accurate. The right to ask us to stop keeping your information provided that we aren’t required to do so by law or in accordance with Professional Regulatory Guidelines.
If you would like to invoke any of the above rights, write to the Data Controller at Edwina Hawkridge Counselling at info@edwinahawkridgecounselling.com.
How long do you hold confidential information for?
All records held by Edwina Hawkridge Counselling will be kept for the duration specified by guidance from my professional association (The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). In the case of counselling clients this is 7 years.
Data Role
I act as a data controller for use of your personal data to provide the service you have requested. I also act as a controller and processor for processing your data to other healthcare providers such as a GP only where this is necessary for your care and with your consent. I act as a data controller and processor for processing online payments.
I will only keep personal data if there is a legitimate basis for doing so and any processing I do is fair and lawful. If I use your data for marketing purposes such as newsletters, this only if you give us your express consent.
Edwina Hawkridge Counselling is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) as a data controller to collect data for the purposes already described. A copy of the registration is available through the ICO website (search by business name).
Website
The technical platform of our website uses cookies to aid the functioning of the website and to analyse data about webpage traffic. This helps us to meet your personal needs. A cookie is a small file which asks permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. We do not make use of cookies to collect any private or personally identifiable information at all. We only use this information for statistical analysis purposes and then the data is removed from the system. To find out more about cookies, including how to see what cookies have been set and how to manage and delete them, visit www.allaboutcookies.org
Analytics
Like most websites, I make use of analytics software to help us understand the trends in popularity of my website and of different sections. I make no use of personally identifiable information in any of the reports I use from this package.
Complaints
If there is any complaint about your data use, contact me by writing to the Data Controller at info@edwinahawkridgecounselling.com and I will do my best to help you. If your complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction you can approach the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), on 01625 545745 or 0303 1231113.
