Privacy Notice

To provide psychotherapy services, I need to collect and hold personal information about you. This privacy notice explains how your personal data is collected, used, stored and protected, from initial contact through to after therapy has ended.

I take your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information for the purposes it is provided for. I comply with current data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, and I work in line with professional guidance from the BABCP and EMDR UK.

The data controller is Alan Bee Psychotherapy.

I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
ICO registration number: ZC052307

• When you contact me or engage in therapy, your data is processed because it is necessary for the performance of a contract.
   
• Some information shared in therapy is classed as special category data. This is processed for the provision of health care.
   
• After therapy ends, some data is retained under legitimate interests to meet legal, professional and insurance requirements.
   

If you contact me, I will collect basic information such as your name and contact details in order to respond to your enquiry. If you decide not to proceed, this information will be deleted within one month.

If therapy proceeds, I will collect relevant personal information, including contact details and GP information. I keep brief therapy notes to support our work together. These notes do not include identifying details and are stored securely.

All information shared in therapy is treated as confidential. Confidentiality may only be broken where there is a legal or ethical obligation to do so, such as concerns about serious harm, safeguarding issues, or a court order. Wherever possible, this would be discussed with you.

I attend regular clinical supervision as part of ethical practice. Any discussion of your work in supervision is anonymised.

To meet legal and professional requirements:

• Therapy notes are retained securely for seven years and then destroyed.
   
• Limited identifying information (name, date of birth, reference number) is retained for seven years.
   

Personal data is only shared with third parties where necessary, for example with an accountant for invoicing purposes or with a reception service to manage appointments.

If therapy is funded by an insurer or third party, only attendance information is shared for billing purposes. Session content remains confidential unless you give written consent.

Electronic records are password-protected and stored securely. Emails are deleted when no longer required.

If you contact me via the website contact form, your message is sent securely to me by email and is not stored on the website.

The website uses cookies and Google Analytics to collect anonymous information about site usage. You can opt out of Google Analytics at:
https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

You have rights under data protection law, including the right to access, correct or request deletion of your data, and to restrict or object to processing in certain circumstances. More information is available at:
https://ico.org.uk/your-data-matters

Requests should be made in writing to:
alanbee321@gmail.com

If you have concerns about how your data is handled, please contact me in the first instance. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at:
https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

This privacy notice may be updated from time to time. Please check this page periodically for changes.