Privacy Policy

Your privacy and confidentiality are very important to me. The following information explains, in simple language, how I handle your personal information when you contact me or attend counselling.

I am a counsellor and psychotherapist, member of the BACP and the NCPS. I work in line with the BACP Ethical Framework, the UK General Data Protection Regulation (EU/2016/679) (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, and my professional insurance requirements (Balens Ltd).

• My contact details
• What information I collect, use, and why
• Lawful bases and data protection rights
• Confidentiality
• How and how long your information is stored
• Who I share information with
• How to complain
• Online counselling
• Consent

My contact details

📞Telephone: 073 560 815 73

 📧Email: vanessa@the-inner-compass.uk

My Information Commissioner’s Office registration number: ZC093785

What information I collect, use, and why

I may collect or use the following information to provide counselling services tailored to your needs, contact you about appointments and to meet legal, ethical, and professional obligations.

• Your name and contact details (phone, email, address)
• Gender and pronoun preferences
• Date of birth
• Next of Kin / Emergency contact details / any support networks (especially for online work)
• Health information (for example, medication; medical history) and GP details: your health, wellbeing, and personal history
• Information about income and finances for consideration of counselling fee reduction
• Brief notes about our sessions to support our work.

I may also collect the following special category information. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitivity:

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

Some of this information is considered sensitive health data, which is given extra legal protection. All information, whether written, verbal, electronic, or observed, even if anonymised or indirect, is considered private and confidential.

Why I collect this information

I collect and use your information to:

• Arrange and provide counselling sessions
• Keep you safe, including responding to risk or safeguarding concerns
• Maintain accurate professional records
• Meet legal, ethical, and insurance requirements.

Your information may also be used, in anonymised form, for supervision, service improvement, or audit purposes, which support safe and effective practice. These secondary uses do not require separate consent.

Lawful bases and data protection rights

Under data protection law, I must have a lawful basis for collecting and using your personal information.  There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR.  You can find out more about lawful bases on the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) website. These are:

• Contract: when you are receiving therapy or making enquiries about it
• Legitimate interest: for retaining records after therapy ends
• Provision of health care: for processing special category data necessary for counselling

Confidentiality

What you share in counselling is confidential. There are rare situations where I may need to share information without your consent, for example:

• If I believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm
• If there is a safeguarding concern involving a child or vulnerable adult
• If disclosure is required by law or court
• Wherever possible, I will aim to discuss any need for disclosure with you first.

How your information is stored

• Paper records are kept in a locked cabinet
• Electronic records are stored on password-protected devices
• Only I have access to your records
• I take reasonable steps to protect your information from loss, misuse, or unauthorised access.

How long I keep records

I retain counselling records for a minimum of 7 years after therapy ends (or 7 years after 18th birthday for young people), in line with professional guidance, legal requirements, and Balens insurance policy. After this period, records are securely destroyed.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information I hold about you
• Request rectification of inaccurate information
• Request erasure of your data (in certain circumstances)
• Restrict or object to how your information is processed
• Data portability
• Withdraw consent

Who I share information with

I may need to share personal information with

• Other organisations, if I believe you, or someone else, are at risk (safeguarding)
• Emergency services to keep you safe.

I will always try to talk to you first if possible.

How to complain

You can also contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) if you are unhappy with how your data is handled. The ICO’s address:

Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF

📞 Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 

🌐 Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

Online counselling

If we work online, I use Zoom, a secure video platform with encryption. While no online system is completely risk-free, I take steps to protect our sessions.
I do not record sessions, and clients may not record sessions without agreement.
Email and text are used for practical arrangements only (e.g., appointments) and are not fully secure. Sensitive information should be shared in sessions.

Consent

You will be provided with this privacy policy before starting counselling. You can request the full privacy policy at any time, before or during therapy. Your agreement to counselling is taken as consent to the use of your data as described here.

If you have any questions about your privacy, you can contact me:

Vanessa Loubier 

📞 +44 73 560 815 73
📧 vanessa@the-inner-compass.uk