Security

I am committed to ensuring that your information is secure. In order to prevent unauthorised access or disclosure, I have put in place suitable physical, electronic and managerial procedures to safeguard and secure the information we collect online.

Confidentiality

I work within the UKCP guidelines which means that everything we discuss is confidential. However, if I am concerned about your safety, or the safety of others, then I may be obliged to share this with the relevant authorities. If this were to become an issue, I hope this could be in a collaboration with you.

I am in regular supervision with a qualified person-centred supervisor. It is good practice to discuss clinical work. However, all my clinical work remains anonymous to protect client confidentiality. 

Data collected

If we decide to work together, I will need to take down some personal details such as your full name, date of birth, your mobile phone number, home address, and an emergency contact. I will ask if you are on any prescribed medication and if you consent to me contacting your GP. If I am gravely concerned about your mental health and wellbeing I might need to get in touch with your doctor, but I would always seek your permission, aiming to work with you collaboratively. It would help me to know if you have had any previous experience of counselling, and what your expectations are for our sessions. 

I subscribe to both the UKCP and BACP code of ethics, which means I will provide you with a safe space, where you will be treated with the utmost respect and care. Within the ethical framework, it is considered good practice to keep brief notes on our sessions. These notes will be anonymised and kept securely for 7 years, as required by my insurers, after which they will be securely destroyed.

For security reasons, I will not keep your text messages for longer than a week. Any important information will be logged in my written notes. 

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