Privacy policy

Your privacy is very important to me and I take precautions to keep your data safe and secure. Any data that I hold is used only for the purpose that it was given to me.

I follow the 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 outlines what I do with your personal information when you contact me, during our relationship and after our sessions together have ended.

I am the ‘Data Controller’ (I determine the purposes for which any personal data is processed and the way personal data is handled) of Laura Steele Therapy and I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office.

At any point, if you would like to talk through this privacy policy I would be happy to answer any questions you may have - you can contact me via email at laurasteeletherapy@gmail.com.

My lawful basis for holding and using your personal information

I process personal data to establish, develop and support our therapeutic relationship, to adhere to UK law, and to keep appropriate records and accounts.

I actively seek consent from you to hold your personal data as a part of our contracting in our initial session and via this privacy notice.

To meet my obligations under the GDPR: I ensure personal data is up to date; I store and destroy all personal data securely; I do not collect or retain excessive amounts of data; I protect personal data from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, and disclosure; and I ensure that appropriate technical measures are in place to protect personal data.

How I use your information

I make sure that all personal data that I hold about you is adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary. All information is kept securely and your information is used only for the purpose of our work together and for contacting you.

Initial contact

When you contact me about my counselling services I will collect information to help me to contact you about your enquiry. The data collected at the point when you make an enquiry includes your name and contact details. If you decide you do not wish to work together after making an enquiry your personal data will be deleted after one month. If you would prefer that your data be deleted sooner, you can contact me to do so.

While you are accessing therapy

When you book an initial session I will ask you to complete a client information form. This form asks you to provide your name, preferred pronouns, address, telephone number, email, emergency contact name and telephone number, GP (General Practitioner) name and contact number, any relevant medical conditions and any relevant prescribed medication.

You do not have to provide this information and if you have any questions about why I require this information I am happy to talk this through with you.

I secure all completed client information forms securely.

What we speak about in our sessions will remain strictly confidential and will not be passed on to anyone else without your consent. The rare exception to this is if you, or someone around you, is at risk of harm OR if you mention to me any criminal activity, including money laundering, child abuse and terrorism. If I have serious concerns about your safety such as suicide ideation, self-harm or fear or a breakdown, I may contact your GP or the emergency services, however, I would endeavour wherever possible to include you in this referral process.

I keep brief notes of our therapy sessions to assist our work together. These notes are stored securely and not shared with anyone. The notes taken are anonymised and do not include any personal details (such as first or late name) that could be used to identify you. Therapy notes are also stored separately from your personal details.

As a counsellor, I am required to have supervision. Supervision is a professional relationship that enables counsellors to discuss their counselling work. My supervisor is also a member of the BACP and whilst talking to them I will only use your first name, or a pseudonym if you would prefer.

After our work together has ended

I will securely store your records for seven years after our work together has ended. After this time, your records will be securely destroyed. If you would like me to delete your records sooner, please contact me to discuss this.

Your rights

I aim to be as open as possible when it comes to giving people access to their personal information.

You have the right to ask for a copy of any information that I hold about you, the right to ask me to delete your personal information, to limit how I use your personal information, or to stop the processing of your information. You also have the right to ask me to correct any mistakes that there may be in the information I hold about you.

To make a request for any information I hold about you, get in contact with me in writing via email at laura@laurasteeletherapy.com.

If you have any suggestions about how I could better handle your personal data, please get in contact with me. Or if you would like to make a formal complaint about how I handle your personal information you can visit ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/. The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) is an independent body set up to oversee data protection laws in this UK.

You can also read more about your rights at: ico.org.uk/your-data-matters.

Visiting my website

When visiting my website, the website platform (Squarespace) collects standard internet log information and details of visitor behaviours patterns. When using the enquiry form on my website, the data is temporarily stored on the website host platform (Squarespace) before being sent to me. I do not make or allow Squarespace to make any attempt to find out the identities of those visiting my website.

Third parties

As standard, I do not share any of your personal information with third parties. If an instance occurred where this became necessary, I would let you know and discuss with you if you would be happy to proceed with the sharing of personal information to third parties (with the exception of the times when confidentiality may need to be extended as listed above).