Data Protection - GPDR

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CODES OF PRACTICE, CONFIDENTIALITY AND DATA PROTECTION GUIDELINES

 

Information for Clients:

 

These are our guidelines on confidentiality, record keeping and our professional codes of practice.  Please read them carefully and if you have any questions or concerns about them, discuss these with Coral Warner or my governing Body the BACP.

 

Confidentiality:

 

The protection of your confidentiality is crucial to CW Counselling. Information, including sensitive personal information, about our clients is kept confidential which includes external supervisors.   It is also normal practice for counsellors to hold your GP’s details. We normally do not disclose verbal or written information about you to others unless we have your express written permission to do so.

 

Any decision to break confidentiality will usually be discussed with you first.  In rare cases, disclosure may occur without your consent if there is good reason to believe that you or others are at risk. 

 

Exceptions to the rule of confidentiality occur when:

 

1). The counsellor has the client’s consent to disclose personal information 2). The counsellor believes that the client or a third party is in danger of serious harm 3). Where the Law requires disclosure.

 

Record Keeping:

 

The CW counselling complies with the Data Protection Guidelines GPDR) The Guidelines require us to obtain a client’s consent for records to be kept, and where necessary shared, so we ask you to sign a consent form - you may withdraw your data at any time. However removing your GP's name and Practice address would result in us being unable to provide therapy for you the client.

 

Counsellors may keep case notes of meetings as part of professional practice. (You should be aware that email is not a secure medium and as such confidentiality of emails cannot be guaranteed). 

 

Code of Practice:

 

The CW Counselling subscribes to the Ethical Framework for Good Practice in Counselling and Psychotherapy published by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). All counsellors discuss aspects of their work with a supervisor on a regular basis to ensure the best practice to all those clients who use the service. If you wish to lodge a formal complaint please contact the BACP directly to do so, they are the governing body and will be able to process any complaints lodged or advise you.