PETER HELLSTEN

DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY POLICY

 

Peter Hellsten (the ‘data controller’, referred to below as “I”, “me” or “my”) is committed to protecting your privacy. Please read the following in order to learn more about my privacy policy and my information collection and use practices. When you request counselling or psychotherapy with me, or otherwise provide your personal details to me, you will be asked to consent to my processing of your data under the terms of this policy.

Any personal data provided by you to me through any means (verbal, written, in electronic form, or by your use of my website) will be held and processed in accordance with the data protection principles set out in the Data Protection Act 1998 and the General Data Protection Regulation for the purposes for which you have given consent, to provide the services you have requested from me, and to meet the legitimate interests of my services.

This policy only applies to data collected by me or via my website. Any third parties and websites linked to mine, are not covered by this policy. If you have any queries about your personal information or any questions on my use of the information, please contact me using my contact form on this website or email me at connect@peterhellsten.co.uk

What information do I collect?

Counselling and Psychotherapy Requests – My request process involves providing me with your name and email address. I may also request information on your availability and other details which I deem relevant to processing your request, such as country of residence so that I can arrange a suitable time for an appointment.

Initial Assessment Appointments – At an initial appointment I ask about your personal, social, professional circumstances. In assessment appointments for psychotherapy, I ask about your medical circumstances, your background and family history, as well as the issues which are affecting you now. I require this information so that I can decide about my offer of counselling and psychotherapy to you and to manage the service I provide to you.

Contract – I may ask cleints to sign a contract agreeing to the terms and conditions in which we will work. In the contract, I ask for your personal details including name, email address, telephone number and any online contact details that I need to contact you. I require this information so that I can manage the service I provide to you and to contact you when I work with you.

Website – I use Google Analytics to collect anonymous data relating to user behaviour and ‘web traffic’ statistics. The collection and use of this data by Google Inc. is subject to their own Privacy Policies.

Other Forms – The information you give us on my forms (including all inquiry and application forms) may include your name, postal address, email address, phone number and other messages to us.

What do I use your information for?

I use information held about you in the following ways:

To provide clients with the professional counselling and psychotherapy  services requested from me.
To offer suitable counselling and psychotherapy appointments.

To notify you about changes to your appointments and other changes to my services.

To seek feedback from you on your experience of counselling and psychotherapy with me.

To improve my service to ensure that it is provided in the most effective manner for you and for me.

To administer my service, including the arrangement of appointments and for financial control, data analysis, research, statistical and survey purposes.

To keep in touch with those who consent to this, for the purposes of organisational, service and professional development.

What information do I share?

I will not share any information about you with other organisations or people, except in the following situations:

Consent – I may share your information with professional carers or others whom you have requested or agreed I should contact.

Serious Harm – I may share your information with the relevant authorities if I have reason to believe that this may prevent serious harm being caused to you or another person.

Compliance With The Law – I may share your information where I am required to by law or by the regulations and other rules to which I are subject.

As part of the backups of encrypted data processed and held by professional IT security companies.

How do we keep your information safe?

All information you provide to me is stored as securely as possible. All electronic records are stored on my own on-site computer server, all access to which requires password-protected authentication, or by reputable service providers using secure internet ‘cloud’ technology.

I will protect your information using industry-standard protocols and encryption. However, I cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to me via email, including forms completed on my website which are transmitted by email. Any transmission is at your own risk. Once I have received your information, I will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

Your identifiable personal information is kept separately from any session notes and other descriptive material. Client notes and other documentation are destroyed 7 years after the end of counselling or psychotherapy. Personal contact details are deleted after 10 years of no contact or updates.

Your rights

You have the right to ask me to provide a copy of the information held by me in my records. You also have the right to require me to correct any inaccuracies in your information. If you would like to do this, please contact me using the contact form on this website or email me at connect@peterhellsten.co.uk

You may withdraw your consent for me to hold and process your data at any time. However, if you do this while actively receiving counselling or psychotherapy, your counselling or psychotherapy would have to end. You can withdraw your consent by using the contact form on this website or email me at connect@peterhellsten.co.uk

Changes to this policy

I may edit this policy from time to time. If I make any substantial changes, I will notify you by posting a prominent announcement on this website.

Version 2 June 2022