Therapy usually involves talking about some very private aspects of your life. I hope to create a space where you feel able to talk openly about your thoughts and feelings. All sessions will be conducted in the strictest confidence and this confidence will be applied to all records, in accordance with the Information Commissioner’s Office.
Confidentiality would only be broken in the following instances:
- Where you give consent for the confidence to be broken.
- Where I am compelled by a court of law.
- Where the information you give me is of such gravity that confidentiality cannot be maintained. This usually means a situation where I consider you could be an imminent danger to yourself or others. I would always attempt to speak to you first before breaking confidentiality, unless this would increase the risk of harm to someone.
I take part in regular clinical supervision, which means I meet with another clinical psychologist to talk through my work. My supervisors are also bound by a code of confidentiality and I do not use identifying information in my discussion.
Information I need
I will ask for your name, date of birth, email address and contact telephone number. Because I am not a medical practitioner it is necessary that I have your General Practitioner’s contact details. I will not share information with your GP or any other agency except for in the instances listed above. I recommend to my clients that they give me the contact number for a next of kin to contact in case of emergency, but this is not essential.
How I store your data
I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (www.ico.org.uk) for the purposes of handling and managing personal and sensitive information and I adhere to their guidelines at all times. I will keep a record of your contact information, GP details, next of kin and a written summary of each session electronically. This will be stored in the cloud using Google Workspace. I will also keep written process notes, which won’t have your name on, in a locked filing cabinet. My insurers and professional body require me to keep my clinical records for 7 years after the completion of our work. Under General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) the lawful basis under which I gather this information is for legitimate interests for the purpose of providing therapeutic services.