Legal Stuff

PRIVACY and THERAPEUTIC DATA PROCESSING POLICY

I will not share the information I collect from you with third parties unless there is an immediate risk that you will take your own life or endanger others. I will make my best endeavour to discuss this with you first.

Information discussed in the therapy setting is considered and held sacred and will not be shared without your written consent except under the following conditions:

You are a risk to yourself or to others, as outlined in the BACP Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy and the NCPS Code of Ethics.
There is evidence of child abuse.
Any criminal involvement (including acts of terrorism and proceeds of drug /firearms and people trafficking).
A court has made a legal order (subpoena).
A signed release form by the client to obtain any data about themselves held by The Restorying Space.

Any personal information collected via the website, please see Data collection and Website use policy.

Under the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) you have the rights in relation to being able to assess the information I hold about you. For more information on your rights under GDPR legislation please go to the Information Commissioner’s Office: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/guide-to-the-general-data-protection-regulation-gdpr/individual-rights/

What personal data is collected during the therapeutic process

The Information I Collect
To provide therapy services, I collect and process the following types of personal data:

Name, address, contact details
Date of birth
Emergency contact details
Medical history (if relevant)
Session notes and therapy progress

Why I Collect Your Data

Your personal data is collected and processed for the following purposes:

To provide professional therapy services
To maintain accurate client records in line with professional guidelines
To comply with legal, regulatory, and ethical obligations
For administrative and invoicing purposes

Legal Basis for Processing
Under UK GDPR, I process your data based on the following lawful bases:

Contract: Processing is necessary to deliver therapy services.
Legitimate Interest: For record-keeping and service improvement.
Legal Obligation: Compliance with professional regulatory bodies I belong to.
Consent: Where required, I will ask for your explicit consent (e.g., sharing data with third parties such as GPs).

How Your Data Is Stored
Your records are stored securely:

Paper records: Kept in a locked, secure filing cabinet.
Digital records: Encrypted and stored on a secure system.
Email communication: Securely stored and deleted when no longer needed.

How Long I Keep Your Data
I retain client records for:

Adults: 7 years after the last session.
Children: Until they reach 25 years old (or 26 if therapy ended at age 17).
If legal claims arise, records may be kept longer where required.
After this period, records are securely deleted or destroyed.

Who I Share Your Data With
I do not share your personal data unless:

You give explicit consent.
There is a legal or professional duty (e.g., safeguarding concerns, court orders, or risk of harm).
Required by my professional indemnity insurer in case of a claim.

Your Rights Under UK GDPR
You have the following rights regarding your data (also see our Privacy Policy on https://www.therestoryingspace.co.uk/copy-of-legal-stuff-2):

Access: You can request a copy of your personal data. To do this please email me. Please ensure you use the same name and email address that you have used in the past so that I may find your records.
Correction: You can ask to correct inaccurate data.
Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): You can request deletion, except where retention is legally required. To do this email me. Please ensure you use the same name and email address that you have used in the past so that I may find your records. You need to be aware that once data is removed as per email request received, it will not be possible to retrieve it again.
Objection: You can object to how I process your data in certain circumstances.
Data Portability: You can request your data be transferred in a machine-readable format to another organisation, or to you, in certain circumstances in certain circumstances.
Restrict Processing: You can ask me to limit the processing of your data.

How to Contact Me
If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact me on the following email.

As I am the data controller, only I have access to the data. If we have corresponded by email there will be a copy of this held on my email server and laptop. My laptop is only accessed by myself and is password protected.

If you make contact via my website, it has a valid SSL certificate. This means that when you enter your contact details on the site, there is a secure connection between your computer and the website. The padlock in the corner of the web address bar indicates the website is served over SSL. Please read the Data collection and Website usage conditions for using this website.

The information contained on my website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by The ReStorying Space and while I endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, I make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in no event I shall be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in any way connected with your use of my website, including but not limited to any errors or omissions in the content, loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any content posted or shared via the website.

If and when I may link in useful website addresses to my page, all possible precautions to use safe sites and material will be taken, but, these other websites are not under the control of The ReStorying Space. I have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.

Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, The ReStorying Space takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.

Complaints

If you have any complaints about my work please let me know and we can hopefully work through and resolve these together.

Accessibility Statement

The ReStorying Space is committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

We aim to adhere as closely as possible to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0, Level AA), published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).

These guidelines explain how to make Web content more accessible for people with disabilities. Conformance with these guidelines will help make the web more user friendly to everyone. Whilst The ReStorying Space strive to adhere to the guidelines and standards for accessibility, it is not always possible to do so in all areas of the website and we are currently working to achieve this.

Be aware that due to the dynamic nature of the website, minor issues may occasionally occur as it is updated regularly. We are continually seeking out solutions that will bring all areas of the site up to the same level of overall web accessibility.

Suggestions for Improvement

If you have any comments and or suggestions relating to improving the accessibility of our site, please don't hesitate to contact me on info@therestoringspace.co.uk.

Your feedback will help us make improvements.