Privacy Policy and Data Retention Statement for Help Counselling.


It is the aim of Help Counselling to be fully compliant with current GDPR
Legislation. GDPR replaces the previous Data Protection Act and we intend in
this policy to be transparent, with regard to the processes we have
in place. Identifiable information, if shared, will only be used in accordance
with this privacy statement. We follow guidance from the British Association
for Counselling and Psychotherapy and our insurers, Howden.

Help Counselling is the data controller and as such, is responsible for your
personal data. We are registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office
(ICO) and have appointed a Data Protection Officer (DPO). If you have
any questions about this privacy policy, including any requests to exercise
your legal rights, please contact the DPO, via the email address below:-
[email protected] If we cannot resolve any matters of
interest or concern, then you can also contact the ICO directly.

As the data controller, Help Counselling will collect and process some of your
personal data, including any data you may provide through our website when
making a self referral and when you book and attend an assessment. As part
of their work, Help counsellors keep brief, factual content notes of
each session, which are anonymised and held securely for seven years. After
this period these notes will be disposed of securely.

Data processing means obtaining, recording or holding information.
Help Counselling undertakes to hold all sensitive data safely and securely.
This involves anonymising information and using passwords, codes and
encrypted documents. You have a right to see the information that Help
Counselling holds about you, you can also withdraw consent at anytime or
ask Help Counselling to delete any of the data that we hold, however there
are some details that we need to keep due to legal and professional
obligations.

It is important that you read this privacy policy carefully, together with any
other privacy, confidentiality or fair processing policy, we may provide when
we are collecting or processing personal data about you. Doing so will ensure
that you are kept informed of how and why we are using your data. This
privacy policy and data retention statement, supplements all other notices and
privacy policies and is not intended to replace or override them.