The Human Lens Counselling

This privacy notice explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal information in connection with counselling provided by The Human Lens Counselling.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR INFORMATION?

Samantha Ramos, trading as The Human Lens Counselling, is the data controller for personal information collected in connection with private-practice counselling.

Email: info@thehumanlens.uk
Website: thehumanlens.uk

WHAT INFORMATION I MAY COLLECT

Depending on the nature of our work, I may collect and hold information including:

• your name and contact details
• date of birth and address
• appointment and payment information
• information you choose to share during assessment or counselling
• brief and appropriate counselling notes
• risk or safeguarding information where relevant
• GP, healthcare or emergency-contact details where provided
• communications relating to appointments or counselling
• for young people, relevant parent or guardian details, consent information and information relating to parental responsibility where required

WHY I USE YOUR INFORMATION

I use personal information in order to:

• provide and manage counselling
• communicate with you about appointments
• keep appropriate professional records
• manage risk and safeguarding where necessary
• meet legal and professional responsibilities
• respond to complaints, legal matters or insurance issues where necessary

LAWFUL BASIS FOR USING YOUR INFORMATION

Under UK data-protection law, I need a lawful basis for processing personal information.

For ordinary personal information, the main lawful basis I rely on is that processing is necessary for the counselling contract, or to take steps at your request before counselling begins.

In some circumstances, I may also process information where this is necessary to meet a legal obligation or for legitimate professional interests, such as maintaining safe and accountable records, protecting legal rights, or managing complaints and claims.

Counselling may involve health information and other information classed as special-category data. This information is only processed where an additional lawful condition under UK GDPR applies, including where appropriate for health or treatment purposes and where necessary in connection with legal claims.

CONFIDENTIALITY, SUPERVISION AND SHARING INFORMATION

What you tell me in counselling is treated as confidential.

As part of safe and ethical practice, I discuss my counselling work in professional supervision. I minimise identifying information wherever possible, and supervision is also confidential.

Your information is not routinely shared with other people.

There are, however, some circumstances where I may need to share relevant information. These can include:

• where you have asked me to share information or have given your consent
• where there is a serious concern about your safety or someone else’s safety
• where there is a safeguarding concern involving a child or an adult at risk
• where disclosure is required or authorised by law
• where information is necessary in connection with a formal complaint, legal claim, professional process or insurance matter

Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, I will aim to discuss this with you before sharing information and will only share what is relevant and necessary.

HOW YOUR INFORMATION IS STORED AND PROTECTED

I take reasonable technical and organisational steps to keep counselling records confidential and secure and to limit access to personal information.

Clinical information is not used for marketing without separate permission.

HOW LONG YOUR RECORDS ARE KEPT

For adult private-practice clients, my normal retention period is seven years after counselling ends.

Records may need to be kept for longer where there is an ongoing safeguarding matter, complaint, legal claim, insurance requirement or another lawful reason.

At the end of the applicable retention period, records are securely deleted or destroyed.

For clients under 18, records are normally retained until the young person’s 25th birthday.

Records for young people may also need to be kept longer where there is an ongoing safeguarding matter, complaint, legal claim, insurance issue or another lawful reason.

YOUR DATA-PROTECTION RIGHTS

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights in relation to the personal information I hold about you.

These can include the right to:

• ask for access to your personal information
• ask for inaccurate information to be corrected
• request erasure of your information in some circumstances
• request restriction of processing in some circumstances
• object to certain uses of your information
• receive certain information in a portable format where this applies

These rights are not absolute. In some situations, information may need to be retained for safeguarding, legal, professional or insurance reasons.

If you have a concern about how your information is being handled, please contact me first:

Samantha Ramos
The Human Lens Counselling
Email: info@thehumanlens.uk

You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

EMAIL, ONLINE COMMUNICATION AND WEBSITE ENQUIRIES

Email and other electronic communication cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Please avoid sending highly sensitive clinical information by ordinary email unless it is necessary.

If you contact The Human Lens Counselling through the website, by email, telephone, text message or another agreed method, I may use the information you provide in order to:

• respond to your enquiry
• arrange an introductory call or counselling appointment
• communicate with you about appointments
• provide information you have requested
• keep an appropriate record of our communication where necessary

Information provided through an initial enquiry does not automatically create a counselling relationship.

If you decide not to proceed with counselling, enquiry information will not be kept longer than is reasonably necessary for administrative, legal or professional purposes.

ONLINE COUNSELLING

Online counselling should take place from a reasonably private space.

Online sessions must not be recorded unless we have explicitly agreed this beforehand.

If technology fails during a session, we will use the agreed contact method to decide whether to reconnect, continue by telephone or rearrange the appointment.

Online counselling is normally offered while the client is physically located in the United Kingdom. Please let me know in advance if you expect to be outside the UK, as insurance and professional arrangements may differ.

YOUNG PEOPLE, PARENTS AND GUARDIANS

Where counselling is provided to a young person under 18, information relating to the young person is treated as confidential and handled in accordance with their age, understanding, safeguarding needs and applicable law.

Parents and guardians do not automatically receive a detailed account of what the young person discusses in counselling, and they do not automatically receive the young person’s counselling notes.

Information may be shared with a parent, guardian or another appropriate professional where:

• the young person has agreed
• there is a serious concern about the young person’s safety
• there is a safeguarding concern
• disclosure is required or authorised by law
• another lawful professional reason applies

Where it is safe and appropriate, I will aim to involve the young person in decisions about sharing information.

For private-practice clients under 18, prior written and signed consent from a person with parental responsibility is required before counselling begins.

The young person’s own agreement to take part in counselling is also required.

Where relevant, I may need information about parental responsibility, court orders, care arrangements or contact restrictions where these could affect consent, information-sharing, attendance or collection arrangements.