Lisa Gardner Psychotherapy and Counselling is committed to complying with the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation made on 27 April 2016, and to the responsible and secure use of your personal data. Lisa Gardner has a legitimate interest in processing personal data in order to provide psychotherapy and counselling services. The purpose of this privacy notice is to let you know what personal information Lisa Gardner Psychotherapy and Counselling collects and holds, why we collect this data, how long it is kept and your rights over your personal data. This privacy notice may be modified at any time to reflect changes in our practice, legal requirements, professional guidance or the systems we use, so please review it regularly. Any changes or clarifications will be posted on this website and effective immediately. Should any material changes be made to this policy, we will inform you here that it has been updated, so that you are aware of what information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances, if any, we use and/or disclose it. Lisa Gardner is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), reference ZB060397.
Information about you
Personal information from you is collected when you enquire about our services in order to set up an initial appointment. This information includes contact details, your availability and other relevant personal information including client GP details.
Once a client finishes therapy, all data regarding their therapy will be stored securely for 7 years and then destroyed in a secure manner.
How your information is used
Your personal information will only be used to provide you with our services and to give you information relating to our services. We will not disclose information to a third party without your prior knowledge and permission unless there is a legal requirement, if there is a child or adult safeguarding issue, or a perceived risk of harm.
A breach of confidentiality is when a person shares information with another in circumstances where it is reasonable to expect that the information will be kept confidential.
Security
This website is hosted on the Wix.com platform. Wix.com provides us with the online platform that allows us to market our products and services to you. Your data may be stored through their data storage, databases and the general Wix.com applications. They store your data on secure servers behind a firewall.
All reasonable precautions are taken to prevent the loss, misuse, or alteration of information you provide. The hardware that is used, laptop and mobile phone, are encrypted devices. Electronic files stored, that contain personal data, are additionally password protected. Contact details are kept separate from anonymised notes.
Whilst it is understood that any form of remote contact is not 100% secure, reasonable steps are taken to minimise any risk; Zoom software is accessed on a private laptop and is regularly updated. Whilst Zoom has the facility to record meetings, neither will activate this function. The waiting room function is activated so that only authorised participants are granted access, and the participant list is monitored throughout the session, ensuring that any unauthorised access would be promptly picked up and managed. Each week a unique 'meeting' link with embedded password is sent by email. A dedicated practice phone has contacts listed only by first name and has screen lock function.
Communications in connection with this service may be sent by e-mail or text. For ease of use and compatibility, email communications will not be sent in an encrypted form. Unless encrypted, e-mail is never a fully secure means of communication.
Whilst we endeavour to keep our systems and communications protected against viruses and other harmful effects, we cannot bear responsibility for all communications being virus-free.
We do not record, transcribe or use AI tools to process therapy sessions.
We may use digital tools for general practice administration, writing, planning or education. Where this is the case, identifiable client material is not put into tools that are not appropriate for confidential clinical information. Data protection and confidentiality is taken into account when choosing how to use those tools.
Your rights over your personal data
Under UK data protection law, you have rights over your personal information.
If you have any concerns regarding the use of your data, would like to see the information held about you, or would like to correct, update, or delete any records, please email lisasgardner15@gmail.com.
Please include:
• your name
• what your concern is about
• what you would like us to look into
• how you would prefer us to respond
Any requests or complaints received will be acknowledged within 30 days of receipt.
We will do our utmost to resolve any concerns you have, but if these are not resolved to your satisfaction, you may choose to contact the ICO.
Information Commissioner’s Office
Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113