Privacy Policy

Your privacy is very important to me. I have therefore produced this Policy in order for you to understand how I use, disclose and make use of personal information:

1. The client will be treated with respect and care at all times.

2. Disclosure of all information during therapy and consultations remains confidential.  However, I have a professional obligation to report to relevant authorities any concerns if I believe the client may be intending to cause harm to themselves or others.

3. A query on suitability or conflict of therapy with other practitioners may have to be sought occasionally, with client permission.

4. If you have symptoms of illness/pain etc, it is highly recommended you seek medical advice from your GP.

5. A full copy of the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy’s (AfSFH) and/or the National Council of Hypnotherapy’s (NCH) Code of Practice is readily available.

6. This agreement complies with that of the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC), UK voluntary regulator for complementary therapists.

7. I have a policy of 24-hours’ notice of cancellation of appointment, otherwise half the fee will be charged.

I value your privacy as I do my own.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is concerned with the personal information about you that I collect, store and share. The following details my GDPR policy.

PERSONAL INFORMATION I WILL COLLECT.

  • Your Name and address
  • Date of Birth
  • Relationships and Occupation
  • Telephone numbers / Email address
  • Medical conditions relevant to the sessions
  • Prescribed medication
  • Details of your GP for me to contact in case of emergency or in the rare situation where I feel you may harm yourself or others
  • Any other information you feel you would like to share (but this is optional)
  • Session summary of what you want to achieve by coming to see me.

HOW I WILL STORE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.

STORAGE METHODS:

  • Paper: written notes (described below).
  • Smartphone: I will store your contact information in my phone which is password protected. I do not store your full name, I keep a record of your first name followed by the leading letter of your surname. This allows me to contact you in case of emergencies or to re-arrange appointments, if this is a suitable way for you to communicate with me.
  • Email: your email address and correspondence will be stored in my email account by nature of you contacting me. This will be deleted once we have finished the sessions and I have signed you off. Any relevant emails that I feel need to be kept will be printed off and added to your written notes.  This is a requirement of my insurance company.
  • Website: None of your personal information is stored on my website, other than to momentarily collect and send it to my email account for the purposes of our initial contact. Any further communications are deleted once the correspondence has been completed.

DOCUMENTS HELD.

PAPER:

  • Initial Consultation notes including contact details.
  • Client/therapist Agreement
  • Brief Session Notes
  • GDPR Agreement

ELECTRONIC:

  • Contact name and telephone numbers
  • Email/SMS

HOW I MAY PROCESS/SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.

PEER SUPERVISION

Even though I am a supervisor myself, I undertake peer supervision as a form of good practice. This process allows me to voice any concerns I may have in a safe environment which is strictly confidential. In order to protect my clients’ privacy, my co-supervisor will not know you personally or professionally. I will refer to you by a Pseudonym and I may refer to your information verbally when it’s helpful to the professional processes.

EMERGENCIES

If your health is in jeopardy or I feel you may harm yourself, I may share your contact information with an emergency healthcare service (e.g. GP or Mental Health Crisis Team).

If I become aware of your intent to cause harm to another person/organisation, the law may require that I inform an authority including sharing your contact details

ERASING YOUR INFORMATION

When we have finished working together, I will erase electronic copies of your information within one month of completion of the sessions.

However, I will store a paper copy of relevant information and communications in a secure place for up to seven years after the completion of our work together. This is so that I have a reference of our work in situations such as you returning to sessions in the future and it is also an obligation under my professional standards and insurance policy. After this time has passed, I shred the written information.

YOUR RIGHTS

You have the following rights:

  • To be informed of what information I hold (i.e. this document).
  • To see the information I hold about you (free of charge for the initial request).
  • To rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
  • To withdraw consent to me using your personal information.
  • To request your personal information be erased (though I can decline whilst the information is needed for me to practice lawfully & competently).

If you have any queries on the above, please do let me know.