Privacy Policy

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Privacy Statement

Protecting your privacy is an important part of the therapeutic relationship. This Privacy Policy explains how I collect, use and store your personal information, and the steps I take to keep it safe.

When you work with me

To provide counselling services, I may collect and keep the following information:

• Your name and contact details.
• Your counselling assessment form and any other forms you complete as part of your therapy.
• Relevant medical or health information that you choose to share with me.
• Appointment, payment and invoicing information.

I only collect information that is necessary to provide therapy safely and professionally.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is a fundamental part of counselling. As required by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS), I attend regular clinical supervision to support my professional practice. Your identity is protected at all times, and any information discussed is anonymised wherever possible.

Who may have access to your information

In the course of providing my services, the following people or organisations may have limited access to certain information:

• My Clinical Supervisor
• External IT support
• External Bookkeeper
• Zoom
• WhatsApp
• Gmail
• Google Analytics (for anonymous website usage information)

These providers only process the information needed to deliver their services and are expected to keep your information secure.

How long I keep your information

I keep your therapy records for seven years after our final session. This is in line with the Limitation Act 1980 and standard professional indemnity insurance requirements.

Your rights

You have the right to:

• Request a copy of the personal information I hold about you.
• Ask me to correct any inaccurate information.
• Request that your information is deleted where appropriate, although I may need to retain certain records to meet legal or professional obligations.

Making a complaint

If you have any concerns about how I handle your personal information, please contact me in the first instance so that I can try to resolve the issue.

Email: lucy@lucyhowardonline.co.uk

If you are not satisfied with my response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Website: https://ico.org.uk

Telephone: 0303 123 1113

Cookies and Website Analytics

This website uses cookies to help it function effectively and to understand how visitors use the site. I use Google Analytics to collect anonymous information about website usage, such as the number of visitors, the pages viewed and how people navigate the site. This information does not identify you personally and helps me improve the website and the information it provides.

You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time.

For more information about the cookies used on this website, please see my Cookie Policy.