Privacy Policy

Healing Horizons Privacy Policy

Your privacy is very important to me, and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose it was given to me. I adhere to current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) (the GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003.

This privacy notice explains what I will do with your personal information from the initial point of contact through to after your therapy has ended, including:

• Why I am able to process your information and the purpose I am processing it for.
• Whether you are required to provide it to me.
• How long I store it for.
• Whether there are other recipients of your personal information.
• Whether I intend to transfer it to another country.
• Whether I engage in automated decision-making or profiling.
• Your data protection rights.

I am happy to discuss any questions you may have about my data protection policy, and you can contact me via email.

The term “data controller” describes the person/organization that collects, stores, and is responsible for people’s personal data. In this case, the data controller is me. I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), registration number ZB741338.

My email address is: hello@healinghorizons.co.uk

My Lawful Basis for Holding and Using Your Personal Information

The GDPR requires that I have a lawful basis for processing your personal data. There are different lawful bases depending on the stage at which I am processing your data. I have explained these below:

• If you have had therapy with me and it has now ended, I will use legitimate interest as my lawful basis for holding and using your personal information.
• If you are currently having therapy or if you are in contact with me to consider therapy, I will process your personal data where it is necessary for the performance of our contract.

The GDPR ensures that I handle any sensitive personal information (known as “special category personal information”) appropriately. The lawful basis for processing any special categories of personal information is consent initially. I will then retain any counselling records to reference them in the future if necessary (the legal basis is to defend against potential legal claims).

How I Use Your Information

Initial Contact

When you contact me with an inquiry about my counselling services, I will collect information to help address your inquiry. This will include:

• Name, address, and contact details
• Gender
• Pronoun preferences
• Date of birth
• Emergency contact details
• Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements, and medical history)
• Information about care needs (including disabilities, home conditions, medication, and dietary requirements)
• Payment details (including card or bank information for transfers and direct debits)
• Records of meetings and decisions
• Call recordings
• Information about income and financial needs for funding or personal budget support

Additionally, I collect the following information to provide client care:

• Racial or ethnic origin
• Religious or philosophical beliefs
• Health information
• Sex life information
• Sexual orientation information

For safeguarding or public protection reasons, I may also collect:

• Name, address, and contact details
• Emergency contact details
• Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements, and medical history)
• Information about care needs (including disabilities, home conditions, dietary requirements)
• Records of meetings and decisions

While You Are Accessing Counselling

Rest assured that everything you discuss with me is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if I believe you are at risk to others or yourself. I will always try to speak to you about this first, unless safeguarding issues prevent this.

I will keep a record of your personal details to help run counselling services smoothly. These details are kept securely both online and offline and are not shared with any third party. I will keep written notes of each session, which are stored in a locked and secure filing cabinet.

For security reasons, I do not retain text messages for more than 12 months. If relevant information is contained in a text message, I will note it and keep it on file. Email correspondence is deleted after 12 months unless it is important. If necessary, I will store emails in a password-protected folder on my laptop.

I use email without an encryption program, which can be vulnerable to hacking or human error. If you prefer not to be contacted via email, please let me know. Email is best used for logistical purposes, such as changing session times or payment notifications, rather than personal or sensitive information. Email addresses are stored within my email account; please inform me if you have any concerns.

After Counselling Has Ended

Once counselling has ended, your records will be kept for three years from the end of our contact and then securely destroyed. If you want me to delete your information sooner, please tell me.

Third-Party Recipients of Personal Data

I sometimes share personal data with third parties, for example, where I have contracted with a supplier to carry out specific tasks. In such cases, I carefully select which partners I work with.

Your Rights

You have the right to ask me to delete your personal information, limit how I use it, or stop processing it. You also have the right to request a copy of the information I hold about you and to object to the use of your personal data in certain circumstances.

You can read more about your rights at ico.org.uk/your-data-matters.

If I hold information about you, I will:

• Provide a description of it and its source.
• Explain why I am holding it, how long I will store it, and how I made this decision.
• Disclose to whom it may be shared.
• Provide a copy of the information in an understandable form.

You can request corrections to any mistakes in the personal information I hold about you. To request your personal information, please email hello@healinghorizons.co.uk.

If you have any concerns or complaints about how I handle your personal data, please contact me. Alternatively, you can file a formal complaint with the ICO at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint.

Data Security

I take data security very seriously and make every effort to ensure your data is secure. Mobile devices are password-protected, and I use encrypted devices and locked filing cabinets.

Visitors to My Website

When someone visits my website, I use a third-party service, Healing Horizons Counselling, to collect standard internet log information and details of visitor behavior patterns. This information is processed in a way that does not identify anyone, and I do not attempt to find out the identities of those visiting my website.

I use legitimate interests as my lawful basis for holding and using your personal information when you visit my website. I use Google  Analytics  to continually improve my services.

You can learn Google Analytics in detail From here. I use wordpress as the content management system for my website.

You can find more information about its data protection here.

Like most websites we use cookies to help the site work more efficiently – find out about our use of cookies. [].

 No user-specific data is collected by me or any third party. If you fill in a form on my website, that data will be temporarily stored on the web host before being sent to me.