Data Protection and Privacy Policy

Who I am and what I do

I, Elisabeth (Lis) Hughes, specialise in delivering counselling therapy to clients, either though self referral or via organisations, and clinical supervision for other counselling professionals. Although I do need to collect and hold certain personal data in order to deliver my services, I am committed to protecting and respecting client privacy. This policy provides an overview of how I comply with data protection legislation and the basis on which any personal data I collect from you, or you provide to me, will be processed. I am registered with the ICO as a Data Controller.

How I obtain personal information

If you contact me, whether by telephone, email, website, or other means, I will keep a record of that correspondence. I may ask you to complete various questionnaires (if you come via an EAP) and other forms that I use to assess your needs when we first meet and which will inform how I tailor my services. I may keep records of any meetings and sessions in the form of written notes, and occasionally with permission, audio recordings.  I may receive correspondence from you or other healthcare professionals relating to our work. I may make note of information about you during sessions or use creative/artistic methods during the course of therapy. I may also produce notes, assessments, letters or reports outside of sessions.

What personal information I collect and how I use it

The information I hold on you falls into two categories, Personal Data and Special Category Data. Although I need to hold both categories of information in order to deliver my services to you, I will ask for your explicit written consent to my holding Special Category data when we contract at the start of therapy work.

Contact Information

I hold contact information that you have provided to me which is used to contact you about the delivery of services. This information includes:

· First name and Surname

· Date of birth

· Postal address

· Email address

If you are a supervision client, and you have agreed that I may do so, I may use this information to send you details of services that may be of use to you. If you are a personal therapy client, then I will not send you any correspondence that does not directly relate to your case unless you have specially requested that I do so. Wherever possible I will always respect your preferred method of communication if you have stated one. This contact information is held separately to any other data to maintain your privacy.

General Information, Familial relationships and Special Category Data

The following data is held separately to your Contact Information and is anonymised as much as possible.

I hold general information that you have provided to me and which I use to manage the delivery of my services. Some of this information also enables me to comply with my legal or regulatory obligations. This information may include:

· The individual or organisation that referred you to me 

· A record of appointment dates and attendance

· General and admin correspondence, and

· Information on the type and location of sessions.

During your assessment session I will ask about your family and network of support and may make a note of this in my assessment record. If I require consent from a parent or guardian to deliver services to you, then I will need to hold contact and general information about those individuals, as well as ask them to sign consent for services when we contract at assessment stage.

Due to the nature of my services I may need to process data relating to your physical and mental health. The GDPR deem data concerning health as a Special Category of data which means that I must have specific reasons for processing this data. The reasons relate to the type of service that I deliver to you and I will obtain your informed consent to hold such data when we contract that the beginning of our work. This information may include:

· Your reason for referral/self-referral

· The name and contact details of your GP

· The name and contact details of other healthcare professionals who may be involved in your case

· Significant mental and physical health details, including medication

· Completed questionnaires (EAP clients)

· Correspondence from or to you about your case

· Correspondence from or to other healthcare professionals about your case

· Correspondence from third parties about possible referrals

· Mobile communications (including emails, texts) from you or about your case

· Voicemail messages from you or others about your case

· Writing, drawing, diagrams or other items or objects that have produced as part of the therapeutic work

· Completed consent/contract form

· Session notes

· Audio recordings of sessions.