The Experience Therapy

https://theexperiencetherapy.com/

Privacy Notice and Data Retention Policy

Welcome to The Experience Therapy website. By using it, you are agreeing to the following terms of use, which should be read together with the following guidance.The content of the pages of this website is for your general information and use only. It is subject to change without notice.Any personal data provided by you to the The Experience Therapy through any means (verbal, written, in electronic form) 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 and to provide the services you have requested.I am committed to maintaining the privacy of everyone who comes into contact with The Experience Therapy. However, I need to retain considerable documentation to run efficiently, while also ensuring the private personal data I hold is kept safely and confidentially for an appropriate period of time before it is destroyed.What information is collected:• Counselling Requests – Registering with The Experience Therapy to request access to counselling and psychotherapy services can be done online, on paper or in person. The request process involves providing your name, address, telephone numbers and email address. Information on your availability, therapeutic issues, and other details, which I consider relevant to processing your request.
• Initial Assessment Appointments – At an initial appointment you will be asked about your current personal, social, medical, financial circumstances as well a your background and family history. This information is required to determine if The Experience Therapy will be best suited to you and what the focus of the work will be.
• Other Forms – The information you provide (including all enquiry and application forms) may include your name, postal address, email address, phone number and other messages.
Information is used for:• To provide clients with the professional counselling and psychotherapy service requested.
• To offer suitable counselling and psychotherapy appointments.
• To notify you about changes to your appointments and other changes to the service.
• To seek feedback from you on your experience of counselling and psychotherapy with The Experience Therapy.
• To improve the service to ensure that it is provided in the most effective manner.
• To administer the service, including the arrangement of appointments, for financial control and data analysis.
• To keep in touch with those who consent to this, for the purposes of service.
• To fulfil administrative, legal and contractual obligations.
What information is shared:The Information shared in therapy is strictly confidential.The Experience Therapy will not share any information about you with other organisations or people, except in the following situations:• Consent – The Experience Therapy may share your information with professional carers or others whom you have requested or agreed we should contact.
• Serious harm – The Experience Therapy may share your information with the relevant authorities if there is reason to believe that this may prevent serious harm being caused to you or another person.
• Compliance with law – The Experience Therapy may share your information where required to by law.
How your information is kept safe:All information you provide is stored as securely as possible. All paper forms and correspondence are kept in locked filing cabinet. All electronic records are stored on a password-protected computer in platforms that require password-protected authentication. Once your information has been received, The Experience Therapy will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.I use codes (and not your full name). Your identifiable personal information is kept separately from any session notes and other descriptive material. Client contact records are destroyed 3 years after the end of counselling.Your rights:You have the right to ask The Experience Therapy to provide a copy of the information held by in the records. You also have the right to request to correct any inaccuracies in your information.You may withdraw your consent for The Experience Therapy to hold and process your data at any time. However, if you do this while actively receiving counselling at The Experience Therapy, your counselling would have to end.If you have any complaint about how I handle your personal data, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me by emailing to the contact details given below. I would welcome any suggestions for improving my data protection procedures. If you want to make a formal complaint about the way I have processed your personal information you can contact the ICO which is the statutory body that oversees data protection law in the UK. For more information go to ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.Changes to this policy:The policy may be edited from time to time. If any substantial changes are made, The Experience Therapy will notify you by posting a prominent announcement on our website.If you have any questions please contact The Experience Therapy[email protected].Last updated: July 2022