My counselling privacy policy

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This Privacy Policy was last updated in March 2026.

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1. Introduction

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This privacy notice tells you what I will do with your personal information from the initial point of contact through to after your therapy has ended.

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Confidentiality and your privacy are very important to me. I work in accordance with the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling & Psychotherapy. This includes my adhering to current UK data protection legislation to keep your data safe.

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2. Data controller

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The term “data controller” is used to describe the person/organisation that collects and stores and has responsibility for people’s personal data. In this instance, the data controller is me. My email address is jfkleeman@gmail.com.

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3. My lawful basis for holding and using your personal information

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The GDPR states that I must 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 counselling 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 counselling 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 also makes sure that I look after any sensitive personal information that you may disclose to me appropriately. This type of information is called “special category personal information”.

• The lawful basis for me processing any special categories of personal information is that it is for the provision of health treatment (in this case counselling) and necessary for a contract with a health professional (in this case, a contract between me and you).

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4. How I use your information

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Initial contact

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

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• Your name

• Your email address

• Your telephone number

• Your date of birth

• Your GP name and surgery​

 

If you decide not to proceed I will ensure all your personal data is securely deleted within 3 months. If you would like me to delete this information sooner, just let me know.

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While you are accessing counselling.

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Rest assured that everything you discuss with me is confidential. That confidentiality will only be broken if in my opinion:

• you or others are/seem to be in danger or at serious risk of being harmed

• you infer involvement in or knowledge of acts of terrorism; money laundering; drug trafficking or harm/neglect to children and/or vulnerable adults

• I am required to do so by appropriate legal authorities

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I will always try to speak to you about this first unless there are legal or safeguarding issues that prevent this. However, I retain the right to break confidentiality without prior consultation with you should I consider that the urgency of the situation requires me to act immediately to safeguard the physical safety of yourself or others.

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I will keep a record of your personal details to help the counselling services run smoothly. These details are kept securely on paper and are not used by any third party.

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I may take some handwritten notes during or after sessions, these are personal notes for my use only to help me process the counselling session and to help me help you. These are process notes and are not shared with you. They do not have your name on or names of people you mention and they are not identifiable. I keep these for a short period and then securely destroy them.  They are not stored on a computer.

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Some aspects of our sessions will be taken anonymously to a third-party supervisor used to monitor my practice. My supervisor is contracted by me but will not receive any personally identifiable information. My supervisor will also follow UK professional guidelines and will abide by the same standards for confidentiality and data protection.

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After counselling has ended.

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Once counselling has ended your records will be kept for 5 years from the end of our contact with each other and are then securely destroyed. If you want me to delete your information sooner than this, please tell me.

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5. Third party recipients of personal data

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I do not typically share personal data with third parties, however I do use Gmail for receiving and sending emails, and these are covered by Google contractual provisions.  Most sessions are in person, but occasionally I conduct sessions over WhatsApp. I protect my devices and email account with standard security measures.

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There may be rare cases where I need to share information with your GP, other emergency services or legal authorities, but this is very rare. I would endeavour to do this with your consent, but if I have serious concerns I may do so as described above.  I may also be in contact with or share your data with other health professionals with your permission.

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6. Your rights

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I try to be as open as I can be in terms of giving people access to their personal information. You have a right to ask me to delete your personal information, to limit how I use your personal information, or to stop processing your personal information. You also have a right to ask for a copy of any information that I hold about you and to object to the use of your personal data in some circumstances. You can read more about your rights ico.org.uk/your-data-matters.
You can also ask me at any time to correct any mistakes there may be in the personal information I hold about you.

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7. Data security

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I take the security of the data I hold about you very seriously and as such, I make every effort to make sure it is kept secure.  I use two-factor authentication, password protect devices and use a locked cabinet for paper records.

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8. International Data Transfers

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There are none.