This policy explains how Trusted Space Therapy collects, uses, stores and protects your personal information as part of the counselling service. It also explains your rights and the limited circumstances in which information may need to be shared.
This Privacy Policy explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal information in my work as a counsellor. It also explains your rights and the limited circumstances in which information may need to be shared.
1. Introduction
In my counselling work, I act as the Data Controller. This means I am responsible for deciding how your personal information is collected, used, stored and, when it is no longer required, securely destroyed.
Processing includes collecting, organising, retrieving, consulting, using, storing, disclosing and securely destroying information.
I am committed to protecting your privacy and handling your information with care, respect and confidentiality. Your personal information is only used where there is a clear and lawful reason to do so.
2. What personal information I may collect
The information I collect will depend on the nature of your enquiry, assessment or counselling work. Information is usually collected directly from you when you contact me, complete a form, arrange an appointment or take part in counselling. In limited circumstances, information may be received from another professional or person, normally with your knowledge or where there is a lawful reason connected with safety or safeguarding.
| Type of information | Examples |
|---|---|
| Contact details | Name, email address, telephone number, address and emergency contact details. |
| Personal details | Date of birth, family information, relationship status or relevant background information. |
| Counselling information | Assessment information, session notes, presenting issues, goals, risks, progress and therapeutic themes. |
| Health and wellbeing information | Information about mental or physical health, medication, GP details or other professionals involved in your care. |
| Administrative information | Appointment records, attendance, payments, signed agreements, correspondence and consent records. |
| Safeguarding or risk-related information | Information relating to risk of harm to you, a child, a vulnerable adult or another person. |
| Website and enquiry information | Information submitted through the contact form, together with limited technical information such as an IP address, browser or device information, cookies and analytics data where these are enabled. |
Some information shared in counselling may be classed as special category data, particularly where it relates to physical or mental health. This information is given additional protection under data protection law.
3. Why I use your personal information
The main reason I use your personal information is to provide a safe, ethical and professional counselling service.
| Purpose | Why this is needed |
|---|---|
| Respond to enquiries | To reply to your initial contact and provide relevant information about counselling. |
| Assess your needs | To understand whether counselling with me is appropriate and safe. |
| Provide counselling | To support the therapeutic work we agree to undertake together. |
| Maintain records | To keep accurate, professional and ethical records of the service provided. |
| Manage appointments, payments and communication | To arrange sessions, administer payments, respond to messages and provide service-related information. |
| Support professional supervision | To reflect on my work and maintain ethical and professional standards. |
| Respond to complaints or concerns | To investigate and respond appropriately if a concern is raised. |
| Meet legal, professional or insurance obligations | To comply with statutory duties, professional responsibilities, insurance requirements and risk management. |
| Operate and protect the website | To maintain website security and functionality and, where you have consented, understand how the website is used. |
I do not use counselling information for marketing and I do not use automated decision-making or profiling to make decisions about you.
4. Lawful basis for processing your information
Data protection law requires me to have a lawful basis for using your personal information. The main lawful basis I rely on is that processing is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a counselling contract and to perform the counselling contract between us.
Where information relates to your physical or mental health, it may be classed as special category data. This information is processed only where there is both an appropriate lawful basis and a relevant special category condition under UK data protection law.
| Type of processing | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Responding to enquiries and providing counselling | Taking steps at your request before entering into a contract and performance of a contract. |
| Maintaining professional and administrative records | Contractual necessity, legitimate interests, legal obligations and professional obligations, as applicable. |
| Processing health or wellbeing information | Provision of counselling or care by a professional subject to confidentiality, where applicable, and/or explicit consent. |
| Safeguarding or serious risk concerns | Vital interests, legal obligations and/or substantial public interest, where relevant. |
| Essential website operation and security | Legitimate interests in maintaining a safe and functioning website. |
| Non-essential cookies or website analytics | Your consent, where these tools are used. |
| Responding to a court order or other legal request | Legal obligation. |
5. Confidentiality
I keep information about you strictly confidential. This means I store it securely and control who has access to it.
Confidentiality is an important part of counselling. However, it is not absolute. There may be rare circumstances where I need to share information without your consent, particularly where there is a serious concern about safety, a legal duty or significant risk.
6. Professional supervision
As part of ethical counselling practice, I may discuss aspects of my work with a professional supervisor. This helps me reflect on my practice and ensure I am working safely and ethically.
When I discuss client work in supervision, I protect your identity. Information is shared anonymously wherever possible, and you will not usually be identifiable from this process.
7. When information may be shared
I will only share information where there is a clear and necessary reason to do so. I will share only the minimum information needed and only with people or organisations who are entitled to receive it.
| Situation | Possible reason for sharing |
|---|---|
| Risk of serious harm | To protect you, a child, a vulnerable adult or another person. |
| Safeguarding concerns | To meet safeguarding duties and protect those at risk. |
| Prevention or detection of crime | Where disclosure is necessary for the prevention or detection of a serious crime. |
| Court order or legal requirement | Where I am legally required to provide information. |
| Medical or professional concerns | In exceptional circumstances, where contact with a GP or another professional is relevant to safety or care. |
| Complaint, legal claim or insurance matter | To respond appropriately to complaints, claims, audits or professional obligations. |
Where possible and appropriate, I will discuss this with you before sharing information. There may be situations where this is not possible, for example where doing so could increase risk or where I am legally required to act.
8. Contact with your GP or other professionals
In exceptional circumstances, I may need to request information from, or share relevant information with, your GP or another professional. This would usually only happen where it is relevant to your safety, wellbeing or the suitability of counselling.
Where appropriate, I will seek your consent before contacting another professional. If there is a serious and immediate risk, I may need to act without your consent to protect you or another person.
9. How your information is stored and who processes it
Your information is stored securely and handled with care. Counselling records and related information may be stored in a locked filing cabinet and/or within password-protected digital systems, as relevant. Access is restricted and information is not shared unless there is a clear and lawful reason to do so.
I may use trusted service providers to help deliver and administer the service, such as website hosting, secure email, online video or telephone services, payment processing and secure digital storage. These providers may process limited personal information on my behalf and are only given the information needed for their role.
Where a provider processes information outside the UK, I will take reasonable steps to ensure that an appropriate safeguard recognised under UK data protection law is in place.
I take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect your information from unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.
10. How long your information is kept
Counselling records are normally kept for no less than seven years after the counselling work ends.
In some circumstances, records may be kept for longer. This may depend on legal requirements, insurance obligations, professional guidance, safeguarding considerations, complaints, audits, risk management or whether you return to counselling at a later date.
| Type of record | Typical retention period |
|---|---|
| Counselling notes and client records | No less than seven years after counselling ends. |
| Signed counselling agreement and consent records | No less than seven years after counselling ends. |
| Administrative correspondence and unsuccessful enquiries | Kept only for as long as reasonably necessary. |
| Financial records | Kept for the period required by tax and accounting law. |
| Safeguarding, complaint or legal records | May be kept for longer where required. |
When records are no longer required, they will be securely destroyed or deleted.
11. Accuracy of information
I aim to keep the information I hold about you accurate and up to date. If you believe any information I hold is incorrect, incomplete or out of date, please contact me so it can be reviewed and, where appropriate, corrected.
12. Your data protection rights
Under data protection law, you have rights in relation to your personal information. These may include:
| Your right | What this means |
|---|---|
| Right to be informed | You have the right to know how your information is collected and used. |
| Right of access | You can ask for a copy of the personal information held about you. |
| Right to rectification | You can ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected. |
| Right to erasure | You can ask for your personal information to be deleted in certain circumstances. |
| Right to restriction | You can ask for the use of your information to be restricted in certain circumstances. |
| Right to object | You can object to certain types of processing. |
| Right to data portability | You may have the right to receive certain information in a reusable format. |
| Right to withdraw consent | Where processing relies on consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time. This does not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn. |
These rights are not absolute. Whether a right applies may depend on the lawful basis for processing and on professional, legal, insurance, safeguarding or other valid reasons for retaining information.
13. Requests to delete information
If you would like your personal information to be deleted, please contact me. I will take reasonable steps to remove your information where I am able to do so.
It may not always be possible to delete all information, particularly where I need to keep it for legal, insurance, safeguarding, auditing, risk management, professional or financial record-keeping purposes.
14. Concerns or complaints
If you have any concerns about how your personal information is being handled, please contact me in the first instance:
Mark Bishop
Trusted Space Therapy
Email:
mark@trustedspacetherapy.co.uk
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office, the UK’s independent authority for data protection matters: ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/.
15. Acknowledgement and client declaration
By entering into counselling with me, you acknowledge that you have been given the opportunity to read and understand this Privacy Policy and that your personal information will be used as described.
Where processing relies on your consent, you may withdraw that consent. You may also ask for information to be corrected or deleted, although it may not always be possible to delete all information where there is a valid reason for it to be retained.
Client declaration
I confirm that I have been given the opportunity to read and understand this Privacy Policy. I understand how Trusted Space Therapy will use my personal information and the limits of confidentiality described above.
Therapist: Mark Bishop
Client full name:
Client signature:
Date:
Need a printable copy?
Download a PDF copy of this Privacy Policy to keep for your records or to sign the client declaration.
Download the Privacy Policy (PDF)