Privacy Policies
CANCELLATION POLICY
I understand that unforeseen circumstances may arise, and I strive to be flexible and accommodating to your needs. If you need to cancel or reschedule your counselling appointment, please do your best to give me at least 24 hours' notice before your session. This allows me to offer the appointment slot to another person in need of support.
In the event of a late cancellation (less than 24 hours' notice), I reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee equivalent to the cost of the session.
However, I value your commitment to your well-being and understand that emergencies can occur. If you have extenuating circumstances, please contact me as soon as possible, and I will do my best to find a suitable solution. If we can reschedule our appointment to the following week there will be no financial penalty for cancelling due to an emergency.
Should a pattern of recurring ‘last-minute' cancellations emerge, we will review our work together and consider solutions that suit both parties.
Should you forget to attend a session or not inform me of an emergency this is classed as a No Show. I charge full payment of my hourly rate for appointments considered a no-show.
In my counselling service, I prioritize building a trusting and supportive relationship with my clients. I genuinely care about your progress and want to ensure that you receive the highest quality of care. I appreciate your understanding and cooperation with my cancellation policy.
CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY
In my counselling service, I prioritise your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information. I understand the importance of creating a safe and trusting environment for you, where open and honest communication can take place. I adhere to strict ethical and legal guidelines regarding confidentiality.
Everything discussed during your counselling sessions will be kept strictly confidential. I am committed to maintaining the privacy of your personal information, including the content of our conversations, your background, and any records or documentation related to your therapy.
There are, however, certain exceptions to confidentiality that I want to make you aware of:
Legal Requirements
There are three situations in which I need to break your confidence. If you tell me that you are money laundering, engaged in acts of terrorism or involved in drug trafficking, I will need to inform the appropriate authorities immediately.
Harm to self or others
If I believe that you are at risk of harming yourself or others, I may be obligated to break confidentiality. I will make every effort to discuss such circumstances with you beforehand, whenever possible.
Supervision
I attend regular supervision and may consult with other professionals to ensure the quality of our services. However, during these discussions, your identity will be kept anonymous to maintain your confidentiality.
I take great care to protect your personal information from unauthorised access, disclosure, or alteration. My electronic systems and physical records are securely maintained in compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Your contact details are stored securely, and I use these details to get in touch with you. These contact details will be destroyed after we finish working together.
Session Notes
I keep my session notes brief and concise. These are held securely within my GDPR compliant files on my office laptop. You have a right to see your notes at any time, and I will never disclose them to anyone.
Phones and Recording of Sessions
To protect both your confidentiality and mine, recording of our sessions is not permitted without my prior written consent. This includes audio and video recordings, whether made intentionally or automatically (such as through certain online platforms)
If you have any concerns or questions about my confidentiality policy, please do not hesitate to discuss them with me. I am here to provide support, address your concerns, and uphold your confidentiality to the best of my abilities.
I am a data controller with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO). If you think I have breached your confidentiality, I will ask that you discuss this with me in the first instance to give me a chance to rectify the situation. If you are unhappy with my response, you are within your rights to contact the ICO.
DATA PROTECTION
Below you will find a detailed description of my Data Protection Policy.
Your privacy is very important to me, and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose it was given to me. In my counselling practice, I only gather information to contact you.
I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) (the GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.
This privacy notice tells you what I will do with your personal information from the initial point of contact to after your therapy has ended.
- Why am I able to process your information, and what purpose am I processing it for?
- Whether you must provide it to me
- What do I store, and how long do I store it for
- Whether there are other recipients of your personal information ● Whether I do automated decision-making or profiling, ● Your data protection rights.
I am happy to chat through any questions you might have about my data protection policy, and you can contact me via email or telephone.
‘Data controller’ is the term used to describe the person who collects, stores and has responsibility for people’s data. In this instance, the data controller is me.
I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office ZA770459. My postal address is 29 Glenburnie Road, SW17 7NE.
My email address is: rasula78@gmail.com
Why am I able to process your information and what purpose am I processing it for.
If you are currently having therapy with me or are in contact with me to consider therapy, I will process the data I need to contact you. GDPR also makes sure that I look after any sensitive personal information that you may disclose to me appropriately.
Whether you have to provide it to me
You are not obliged to provide me with your personal information, but it will be difficult for me to contact you otherwise.
What do I store and how long do I store it for
I store your name, address and telephone number in a card index box that is securely locked away. I store your mobile number in my phone and your email address. After we finish working together, I will wait a month before I delete your mobile number from my phone and all traces of messages. If you get in touch at a later date for more counselling, I will need to gather your data again.
Whether there are other recipients of your personal information
There are no other recipients of your personal information. Very occasionally, I may pass your telephone number to another professional to whom I may refer you. You would be fully informed beforehand of this interaction.
Whether I do automated decision-making or profiling I do not use automated decision-making or profiling.
Your data protection rights.
You have a right to ask what information I hold about you. You have a right to ask to see the information I have on you. I will be open to sharing all that I have with you. You can correct any mistakes that may be in the personal data I have on you.
To request the information I have on you, please put this request in writing. I will aim to respond to your request as quickly as possible.
Website Data
When someone visits my website, I use a third-party service, IONOS UK, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviour patterns. I do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is only processed in a way that does not identify anyone. I do not make and do not allow IONOS UK to make any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting my website.
Like most websites, my website uses cookies to help the site work more efficiently. No user-specific data is collected by me or any third party. If you fill in a form on my website, that data will be temporarily stored on the web host before being sent to me.
If you have any concerns about how I have handled your data, feel free to contact me in the first instance. If you are not happy with my response, you can contact the ICO above, giving them my data controller number.