Privacy Statement

I am registered with the Information Commissioners Office (ICO). This independent authority is set up to uphold information rights in the public interest, promoting openness by public bodies and data privacy for individuals. You can find more information at https://ico.org.uk/for-the-public/    

If you think your data rights have been breached, you can raise a complaint with the Information Commissioner (ICO). You can contact the ICO at Information Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire SK9 5AF or by telephone on 0303 123 1113 (local rate) or 01625 545 745.

By law and together with my own personal regard for you and your privacy, I am required to be transparent about the nature of the data I collect from you and how this is stored, used, and eventually destroyed.

Your Records. This is a summary of the details I will keep.

Contact details. (Name, address, DOB, GP and next of kin)

Assessment. This outlines your presenting problem and past and present health issues. The assessment gives me an overall understanding of you and your history, and how your care will be planned.

Session Notes. These are a brief outline of what we have discussed in your session and will help me to keep track of your progress. After your session, they will be transferred to an encrypted computer program, and any paper notes will be shredded.

Text & Email Communication. This will be limited to discussions around session dates, times, and cancellations and, unless otherwise agreed, will not include discussion around personal information.

Please note that my emails are sent via Gmail and are not encrypted.

Online Therapy. For online consultations, I use the Bilateral Base Platform. This a highly specialised platform designed for online work and specifically for online EMDR. The platform uses end-to-end 256-bit encryption between the two participants’ computers so no one can break into or watch a session. I do not record these sessions.

Invoice Details. (If required) I will not include any personal information other than your session dates, your initials and my payment details and address. What you would like to be included or excluded on an invoice can be agreed upon during the contractual stage.

Please note that when paying by bank transfer, the payee reference will be your name, which will appear on my accounts.

Contract. I will send you a letter via email before starting therapy. It will include your name and outline your session’s date and time. There will be some information about my practice, i.e., address and entry details. There will also be details on how to pay and my cancellation policy.

Confidentiality and Sharing of Information. I will not share any of your information without your prior knowledge unless you have given explicit consent for information to be disclosed to a specific person or organisation. Other exceptions where I may need to share your information is where there is a severe risk of harm to yourself or others. In these instances, I am required by law to release any information as outlined in this privacy statement.

For more detailed information on all the above, please refer to my GDPR.