Privacy Statement
The following information outlines how any information collected by James L Smith Psychotherapy during your assessment and therapy sessions will be used.
I am the Data Controller for my Private Practice, James L Smith Psychotherapy, and I abide by the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (2018). I will protect and respect your privacy and ensure your data is used securely. For more information on the Information Commissioner and the GDPR, please visit ico.org.uk.
Consultations are confidential and session notes are stored with the intention of benefitting your therapy. It is understood by both parties, the therapist and the client/s, that this data may contain personal or sensitive information.
The information that is stored about you can be discussed during our consultation if you have any concerns. The personal information I hold about you (name, address, email address, telephone number, medical history etc.) is stored in a locked filing cabinet, which can only be accessed by myself. You have the right to request your personal information.
I write brief notes about what we discuss during our sessions. However, I do not write your name on my notes to maintain confidentiality. I keep all the information I hold about you, including notes, for seven years after the end of therapy, after which time I destroy all the data I have about you.
Please be aware that if you pay for my service via online bank transfer, my name may appear on your bank statement and your name on mine. In the event that I am suddenly incapacited and unable to work or make contact with you in person, a professional executor will take responsibility for notifying my clients of this, in which case your identity would be disclosed to enable the executor to do this. Executors are bound by the same professional and ethical guidelines of confidentiality.
Professional and ethical guidelines require that I attend regular clinical supervision to discuss my work. Consultations with my clinical supervisor are also confidential and I do not provide any unnecessary information or use full names.
For the purpose of training and writing for the contribution to the field of psychotherapy, I may use some of our material for case studies. When doing so, all identifying information is disguised to ensure confidentiality.
I will use your preferred methods of contact: email, texts or phone calls. Please note that these methods are not secure, therefore I cannot guarantee complete confidentiality; I would therefore advise you not to discuss or write personal or sensitive information via texts or e-mail.
Remote Therapy - Telephone
In situations where we speak on the telephone, including for a therapy appointment, we both agree to take all reasonable measures to ensure that our conversation cannot be heard by any third parties at either end of the phone line.
Remote Therapy - Online
In situations where we speak online vai video call, including for a therapy appointment, I will only suggest software that provides end-to-end encryption. I will provide details of suitable software prior to our appointment.
email Enquiries
When you make an enquiry via email you consent to your data being held with the purpose of arranging therapy.
Visitors to the Website
This website uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors engage with it. It collects information anonymously and reports website trends without identifying individual visitors. For more information visit Google Analytics privacy and security information.
Cookies
This website uses cookies. For more information about cookies, how they may affect you and how to manage them please visit at www.aboutcookies.org.
To find out more, please don't hesitate to
contact me.
