Introduction
Your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information are top priorities at Nurturing Minds Counselling (NMC). This Privacy Notice details how data is collected, used, stored, and safeguarded during your engagement with the counselling services.
From a moral standpoint, I follow laws including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003, and the BACP’s ethical guidelines.
NMC offers private therapeutic counselling services. Dedicated to upholding the highest ethical and professional standards in handling your personal information.
What Information is Collected
Under the term GDPR, the following types of personal information are legitimately collected:
- Information about you as an individual, such as your name, address, date of birth, and contact details.
- Details about your health and wellbeing, including any relevant medical history, mental health information, and anything you discuss during our sessions.
- Records of administrative tasks, including appointment bookings, payment details, and emails.
- If you use our website, NMC may collect data like your IP address, cookies, or information from online enquiry forms.
- Records of any cancellations or changes to appointment requests are also kept.
How Your Information is Used.
Your personal information is used to: - Provide therapeutic counselling services.
- Maintain accurate clinical records in accordance with professional guidelines.
- Communicate with you regarding appointments, rescheduling, and services.
- Process payments and manage accounts.
- Record and manage cancellations or rescheduling requests.
- Comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
Cancellations and Rescheduling.
If you cancel or reschedule an appointment, NMC will record this information for administrative and financial purposes. These records are kept confidential and are only used to: - Manage availability and service provision.
- Ensure accurate billing and compliance with cancellation policies.
- Support continuity of care and communication. This information is securely stored with your appointment records and kept in accordance with the data retention policy.
Confidentiality and Sharing of Information
In accordance with guidance from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), information is kept confidential. It will only be shared in the following circumstances:
- With your explicit consent.
- Where there is a legal obligation (e.g., safeguarding concerns, risk of harm to self or others, court order).
- With professional supervisors (anonymised where possible) to ensure quality of care.
- With trusted third-party service providers for administrative purposes (e.g., secure payment processors), bound by confidentiality agreements.
Legal Basis for Processing (UK GDPR)
Under the UK GDPR, NMT rely on the following lawful bases:
- Contract – to provide you with counselling services.
- Legal obligation – to meet regulatory or safeguarding duties.
- Consent – where you agree to specific uses of your data.
- Legitimate interests – to manage and improve our services.
- Special category data (health information) – processed under Article 9(2)(h) for the provision of health care.
Data Storage and Retention
Records are stored securely in [electronic/paper] format.
Your Personal details form is confidentially destroyed upon the completion of your therapy sessions. However, please note that I will need to keep a record of your name, date of birth (DOB), and your unique client reference number.
Personal data, including scheduling information, is retained for a period of 7 years, in accordance with professional and legal requirements, such as taxation.
After this period, data will be securely destroyed.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Access the personal data that NMC holds about you.
- Request corrections to any inaccurate information.
- Ask for your data to be deleted, subject to legal requirements.
- Restrict or oppose specific types of processing.
- Withdraw your consent if processing is based on consent.
- File a legitimate complaint with the relevant data protection authority (such as the ICO in the UK).
Security
NMC employs appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal data from loss, misuse, or unauthorised access.
My email account, mobile phone (iPhone), and MacBook, which I use for communication, are all secured with passwords.
The communication items mentioned above are automatically updated through XProtect antivirus and the iOS ecosystem.
Emails that aren’t necessary to keep, such as those notifying me of your holiday dates, will be deleted within a month.
Contact
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how your data is handled, please contact:
Nurturing Minds Counselling
- Email: robert@nurturingmindscounselling.co.uk
- Phone: 07927 346793