Privacy Notice

Emma MacKintosh Counselling & Psychotherapy

Contact Details:

Telephone: 07301 268314

To provide you with the best possible service, I need to hold your personal contact details and records of your therapy sessions. This privacy notice tells you what I will do with your personal information from initial point of contact through to after therapy has ended. Your privacy is very important to me, and you can be confident that your personal information will be kept safe and secure and will only be used for the purpose it was given to me. I adhere to the current data protection legislation, including the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). I also adhere to the ethical guidelines regarding the protection of client privacy and confidentiality set out by Counselling and Psychotherapy in Scotland (COSCA) and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP).

What Information I collect, use and why -

I collect or use the following information to provide client care

· Name, and contact details

· Emergency contact details

· Financial transaction information

Lawful bases and data protection rights.

Under UK data protection law, we 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 ICO’s website.

The lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights, which are set out briefly below. You can find out more about your data protection rights and exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website.

Your rights of Access - You have the right to ask me for copies for access to your personal information.

Your right to rectification – You have the right to ask me to correct or delete personal information you think is inaccurate or incomplete.

Your right to erasure - You have the right to ask me to delete your personal information.

You have the right to restriction of processing – You have the right to ask me to limit how I use your personal information.

You have the right to data portability- You have the right to ask me to transfer the personal information you gave me to another organisation or to you.

Your right to withdraw consent - When we use consent as our lawful basis, you have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

If you make a request, I must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month. To make a data protection request, please contact me using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

My lawful basis for collecting and use of your data.

My lawful basis for collecting or using personal information is required when working together. This is only done with your consent. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

Where I get personal information from:

· Directly from you.

· Healthcare Providers

How long do I keep information?

Client records will generally be maintained for the purpose of providing the counsellor's services to the client, maintaining records, and managing the client relationship. These are the primary reasons for holding these records; therefore, if I, as a counsellor, cease trading and providing these services, there will be no need to retain them.

Emma MacKintosh Counselling and Psychotherapy Service will retain records for 7 years after the last client contact, whilst ensuring secure storage and compliance with UK data protection legislation.

For more information on how long I store your personal information or the criteria we use to determine this, please contact us using the details provided above.

Who I share information with

Others we share personal information with

· Healthcare providers

· Organisations we need to share information with for safeguarding reasons

· Organisations I am legally obliged to share personal information with

· Emergency services (where necessary)

How I use your information

I will never use your personal data for any purposes other than the administration of the therapy service that I am providing for you. i.e. to arrange, cancel or rearrange appointments. I will only retain your personal information for as long as necessary. This is in line with guidance from the Information Commissioner's Office.

How to complain

If you have any concerns about the use of your personal rights, you can make a complaint to us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice. If you remain unhappy with how I have used your data after raising the complaint, you can also complain to the ICO. The ICO’s address:

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

Helpline number: 0303 123 113

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

Last Updated 01/12/2025

Changes to Privacy Notice

This privacy notice may be updated from time to time. Please check occasionally for any updates.