Privacy and Data Protection Notice

 

About this notice

I am self-employed and committed to protect your personal information.

This notice explains how we collect, use, store and share personal information in connection with:

• • Counselling and Coaching

• • Clinical Supervision

• • Consultations, Workshops Training

• • Group works

• • Surveys, and professional resources

• • Enquiries and Correspondence

• • Website, Newsletters and Social-media accounts

• • Payments, Accounting and General Administration

It applies to personal information received or generated through any means, not only information submitted through website or email  

 

 

My service

Wajda Tabassum Counselling
Registered with the ICO

I am solely responsible for managing and collecting data. This means that I determine why and how that information is used.

 

My contact details are:

Wajda Tabassum Counselling   

• • Email:  wajdacounsellingandcoaching@gmail.com
    Website:  WAJDA TABASSUM COUNSELLING

• • Telephone: ++44 7506166 508

The person responsible for data protection is Wajda Tabassum. 

 

 

Who this notice applies to

This notice may apply to:

• • Current, previous and prospective counselling and coaching clients

• • Supervisees and prospective supervisees

• • Practitioners attending training, consultations

• • People completing surveys or requesting professional resources

• • Newsletter subscribers

• • People who contact or interact with us

• • Website visitors and social-media users

• 
  
  • Professional contacts, suppliers and service providers

 

 

Personal information we may collect

The information collected depends on the nature of your relationship with us.

1. 1. Identity and contact information

This may include: your name, date of birth, email address, telephone number, postal address, preferred method of contact

1. 1. Information relating to therapy

This may include: reasons for seeking therapy, relevant personal, family, relationship, employment, past information, physical and mental-health information; medication and treatment information, GP and other healthcare contact details; emergency-contact information; appointment and attendance information, brief case notes; risk, safeguarding information; correspondence relating to therapy; information required to provide safe and appropriate professional support, Therapy information may include special-category data, particularly information concerning health, sexuality, ethnicity, religious or philosophical beliefs and other sensitive aspects of a person’s life.

• • Supervision and mentoring information

This may include: professional qualifications and memberships, training and employment history practice details, professional-development goals, supervision or mentoring notes, attendance and appointment records, reflective material and action plans, concerns relating to professional practice, ethics or safeguarding

• • Financial and administrative information

This may include: invoices and payment records, transaction references, bank or payment information made available through payment providers, billing correspondence, accounting and taxation records, information relating to cancellations, refunds or outstanding payment.

 

Where personal information comes from

We obtain personal information: directly from you; through emails, telephone calls, text messages or online communications; during therapy, supervision, mentoring, training or consultations; through our website; through payment providers and banks; from a referrer or another professional, where appropriate; from an emergency contact, healthcare professional or public authority where necessary and lawful;

If information is obtained by another person, we will provide appropriate privacy information unless an exemption applies or doing so would be impossible or involve disproportionate effort. 

 

How and why we use personal information

We use personal information only where we have a lawful reason to do so.
 Enquiries and initial consultations

We use information to:

• • respond to enquiries; discuss whether our services may be suitable; arrange consultations; provide information about availability, fees and services. The lawful basis is normally taking steps at your request before entering into a contract and our legitimate interest in responding to enquiries and managing the practice. 

• • Therapy, supervision and mentoring

We use information to: provide the agreed professional service; arrange and manage appointments; maintain professional records; communicate about sessions; monitor safety, risk and professional standards, manage fees, cancellations and administration; respond to complaints or professional concerns. 

• • Health and other special-category information

Where we process health information or other special-category information in connection with therapy, we normally rely on the condition permitting processing for the provision of health or social care or treatment by a professional subject to confidentiality obligations.

• • Safeguarding, emergencies and legal obligations

We may use or disclose information where reasonably necessary to: protect someone from serious harm; respond to an emergency; address a safeguarding concern; prevent or detect serious crime; comply with a court order or legal requirement; respond to a regulator or professional body; establish, exercise or defend legal rights. 

• • Resources requests

Where you request resources, we use your contact details to: provide the requested material; receive and respond to feedback;

• • Newsletters

Where you have chosen to subscribe or have otherwise given valid permission, we may use your contact details to send: newsletters, resources , information about resources, details of relevant training, supervision or mentoring services, occasional updates on the services

The lawful basis is normally consent.

You can unsubscribe or withdraw consent at any time by using the unsubscribe facility or contacting us. Withdrawal does not affect processing that took place before consent was withdrawn. 

• • Social media

We use social-media information to manage risk or to safeguard inappropriate comments or misuse

• • Clinical confidentiality and supervision

Information shared during therapy is treated as confidential, subject to limited exceptions including : serious and immediate risk of harm, safeguarding concerns disclosures agreed with the client, Clinical work may be discussed with a qualified clinical supervisor to support safe and ethical practice.

Information discussed in supervision is minimised and anonymised wherever reasonably possible. Supervisors are subject to professional and contractual duties of confidentiality.

Information that has been anonymised remains protected personal information where re-identification may still be possible.

 

Who we may share information with 

• • Email and cloud-storage providers such as Google, Microsoft Words and Google Drive, Zoom

• • Banking and payment providers: Depending on the method used – usually it is a bank transfer. These providers may process financial and transaction information under their own legal and regulatory responsibilities. Accountant: Receives my bank statements

• • Social-media providers :These may include: platforms through which you choose to engage with us – such as: Facebook and Instagram, What’s App, linked in, other. These providers process information under their own privacy notices.

• • Professional and legal recipients. Where necessary, information may also be shared with: GP Services , Emergency services, Clinical supervisors, Insurers, Solicitors, Safeguarding Services , Public authorities, Courts and tribunals, Police or other law-enforcement bodies, Regulators and professional bodies, Tax authorities

We share only information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

 

 

Service providers and data-processing arrangements

Where an organisation processes personal information on our behalf, we take proportionate steps to ensure that suitable contractual and security arrangements are in place.

Some providers may also act as independent data controllers for particular activities, especially where they have their own legal, financial or regulatory obligations.

Their handling of personal information may also be governed by their own privacy notices and terms. 

 

 

How long we retain personal information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it was obtained, including: Providing professional services, maintaining clinical and business records, responding to correspondence, meeting legal, tax, insurance and professional requirements, resolving complaints or disputes, Protecting legitimate legal and professional interests

Our normal approach is as follows. 

• • Therapy records

therapy records are normally retained for seven years after the therapeutic relationship ends.

• • Supervision records

Supervision records are normally retained for seven years after the professional relationship ends, subject to any longer legal, insurance or professional requirement.

• • Financial and taxation records

Financial, accounting and taxation records are normally retained for at least six years after the end of the relevant accounting period, or longer where legally required. 

• • Newsletter information

Newsletter subscription information is retained until you unsubscribe, withdraw consent or the relevant publication is discontinued, subject to any short administrative or suppression period. 

• • Complaints and rights requests

Records relating to complaints, data-protection requests and associated correspondence may normally be retained for up to six years after the matter is closed, where necessary to demonstrate how the matter was handled and to establish or defend legal rights. 

• • Technical and cookie information

• • Cookie and analytics information is retained according to the periods described in the website’s cookie settings, cookie notice or the relevant provider’s settings

• • Security

We use proportionate technical and organisational measures designed to protect personal information from: loss; misuse; unauthorised access; alteration; inappropriate disclosure; accidental destruction.

Measures may include: password-protected systems; access controls; device security;

encrypted communication or storage where appropriate; locked storage for any paper records; backups and recovery arrangements; confidentiality obligations; data minimisation; pseudonymisation where appropriate; regular review of records and service providers.

No method of electronic storage or communication is completely secure. However, we  take reasonable and proportionate steps to protect the information for which we are responsible. 

Cookies and similar technologies are small files or identifiers stored on or accessed from a device when a website is used.

Our website may use:

• • Strictly necessary cookies

These are required for functions such as: website security, network management, remembering privacy choices; enabling requested website functions. 

1. 1. Analytics and performance cookies

These may help us understand: how many people visit the website; which pages are viewed; how visitors navigate the website; whether technical or usability improvements are needed. 

• • Functional or other optional cookies

These may support additional website features or third-party content.

Where consent is required, optional cookies are not intended to be activated unless you have made an active choice to permit them.

Current ICO guidance requires organisations to explain cookies and generally obtain actively given consent unless an exemption applies, including for technologies that are essential to provide a requested service. ICO

The particular cookies currently used should be displayed through the website’s cookie banner or cookie settings. 

• • Links to external websites

Our website, newsletter, resources or social-media content may contain links to external websites. However, once you have used these links to leave our site, you should note that we do not have any control over that other website. Therefore, we cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information which you provide while visiting such sites, and such sites are not governed by this privacy statement. You should exercise caution and look at the privacy statement applicable to the website in question.

 

 

Contact

Questions about this notice or the managing of personal information should be sent to:

mailto:wajdacounsellingandcoaching@gmail.com

Policy is subject to review and change according to the changes in UK law