Privacy Policy
The privacy policy statement below tells you what personal information we hold about you, what we do with it, and your rights.
Web cookies and data storage
Anchor Counselling is hosted via Webflow. As such, no additional cookies from Webflow are used.
What data/information does Anchor Counselling hold about you?
When you submit the 'Get in touch' form, you will usually provide us with your name, email, telephone and the details of your message. We will use this information to respond to your enquiry. These details will be shared with the founder. By using our service, you consent for your information to be processed in this way.
Anchor Counselling may also ask you for additional information during your initial consultation such as your contact details and relevant personal information.
When you book an initial consultation or ongoing sessions, Anchor Counselling may keep records related to the date and time of your appointment, as well as matters related to payment.
What does Anchor Counselling do with this information?
The records are kept in order to work professionally, fulfil the role of a counselling practitioners and to offer you the best therapy we can. Your information is only used for the purpose of informing therapy and any associated referrals.
Your information is treated with the utmost confidentiality and it will never be disclosed to any third party without explaining why this may be necessary and getting your consent, except where required to do so by law or where we feel you are at serious risk of harming yourself, harming others or at serious risk of harm from others. Your safety will be the prime objective in these cases.
How long does Anchor Counselling keep your information?
Anchor Counselling is stored securely for a period of 5 years following the last occasion on which therapy is undertaken. After the 7-year period, any electronic records about you will be deleted and any paper records will be destroyed in a confidential manner (shredding or burning).
How will your information be stored?
Your information is securely stored so that there can be no unauthorised access. Procedures are in place to safeguard the information collected.
Contact information
Anchor Counselling will contact you as appropriate, for example; with appointment reminders, with requested information, in response to your contact via the ‘Get in touch’ form on our website, social media, or other electronic or other means.
Anchor Counselling may contact you to ask how you are if you have not attended a session and have not made any contact to ensure you are safe and/or if you wish to continue therapy.
Your rights
Anchor Counselling may not be able to provide therapy if you do not agree to records and information being kept about you.
Under the GDPR you can ask for your records to be erased but Anchor Counselling may have to keep basic information to fulfil our professional requirements.
When it is necessary to move your records or contact information around (electronically, between computers and other devices, or physically by moving paper records) precautions are in place to protect your information from being seen by anyone without your permission.
The GDPR gives you the following rights:
- The right to be informed – this is how your information is stored and used (as set out here in this privacy policy).
- The right of access – you can see the records held about you.
- The right to rectification – you can tell us to make changes to your record if it is incorrect or incomplete.
- The right to erasure/the right to be forgotten – you can ask for your records to be erased but please be aware that we may have to maintain basic information to fulfil our professional and legal requirements.
- The right to restrict processing – you can request limits on how we use the information held about you.
- The right to data portability – under some circumstances you can request your data to be copied and used in another system, this only applies when processing is carried out by automated means.
- The right to object – you can request that some of your information is not used or that it’s used only for certain purposes.
- The right not to be subject to automated decision-making including profiling - this is not something that Anchor Counselling does.
Details of your rights can be found on the website
If you have any queries or concerns about how your information is held or used please contact Anchor Counselling detailing your concerns. If you are dissatisfied with the response you can contact the Information Commissioners Office or find more information on their website ico.org.uk.