Privacy Notice

I am Mo Kurimbokus, a counsellor working in private practice.  Your privacy is a top priority. I am committed to always being a good custodian of your personal information, handling it in a responsible manner, and securing it with administrative, technical and physical safeguards.

I follow two guiding principles when it comes to your privacy:

  • transparency – I work hard to be transparent about what personal information I collect and process
  • simplicity – I try to use easy-to-understand language to describe my privacy practices to help you make informed choices

 

I am registered as a data controller with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

(ICO registered number Z2730834).

 

ADDRESSING YOU IN COMMUNICATIONS: In messages to you, whether by text or e-mail, I might not address you by name. I do this not to be rude but in order not to compromise your privacy in the unlikely event that the message falls into the wrong hands.

WHAT DATA I WILL USE AND WHY:

As part of our work together I am required to collect, retain and use certain information relating to you (“data”). I will be using this data for the following purposes:

  • Your full name – for the purpose of identifying you. Please note that, as far as possible, I use an anonymous client code in the notes and records that I keep on you.
  • Your VSee/Skype name, if applicable – so that I can contact you on VSee/Skype in order to provide video counselling
  • Your age – this gives me an idea of what life stage you are at, and helps to inform the counselling work
  • Your telephone numbers, both mobile and landline – should I need to contact you. Reasons that I may need to contact you include organising a change in the appointment time or counselling arrangements, and notifying you of information relevant to the work that may be of use to you.
  • Your address – should I need to contact you, especially if I cannot do so by text or telephone. Reasons that I may need to contact you include organising a change in the appointment time or counselling arrangements, providing you with information relevant to the work that may be of use to you, and sending you documents or contracts to sign.
  • Your e-mail address – should I need to contact you, especially if I cannot do so by text or telephone. Reasons that I may need to contact you include organising a change in the appointment time or counselling arrangements, providing you with information relevant to the work that may be of use to you, and sending you documents or contracts to sign.
  • Your occupation – again, this helps to give me an idea about you, your life and the difficulties that you may be facing – so that I can prepare for the counselling work. For example, knowing your occupation will inform me about the type of work you do, the level of responsibility and your lifestyle.
  • Your general practitioner’s name and contact details – this allows me to reach your general practitioner in case of emergency, where you are at risk of harm.
  • The problem with which you would like my help – as well as giving me an understanding of the problem you are facing, this helps me to establish whether the issues are within my expertise or whether to refer you to another professional or organisation.
  • The content of your sessions. As a responsible practitioner I discuss this with a supervisor. The focus of these discussions is on the counselling work, helping me to ensure that my work is safe, ethical and of a good standard. In addition to talking to a supervisor, I take notes on the content of our work together during your sessions with me. These notes cover the themes of the issues that we discuss, significant questions I have asked and actions I have taken in response to an issue you have raised.

 

THEIR RIGHTS/PRIVACY STATEMENT/THIRD PARTIES:

As a responsible counsellor I abide by data protection law and take your privacy seriously. There are certain scenarios in which I need to pass on certain items of your data to third parties., and for the purposes outlined therein. For clarity, these parties and purposes include:

  • My Supervisor – who ensures that my work is safe, ethical and of a good standard
  • Your general practitioner – in case of emergency, where you are at risk of harm.
  • The police or relevant public authority – should you reveal to me an intention to self-harm or harm others, or disclose that you have committed a criminal offence or intend to do so, I will contact the relevant public authority to inform them of this.
  • An agency referred to by certain legislation – there are instances when the law requires me to divulge information. This is the case with the following Acts of Parliament: the Drug Trafficking Act 1986, the Road Traffic Act 1988, the Children’s Act 1989, the Terrorism Act 2000 and the Money Laundering Act 2007.
  • you have consented to my doing so
  • exceptions to confidentiality are the same as required legally and ethically by most qualified, accredited therapists, and are also explained in my client agreement, given prior to therapy commencing.

What the information is used for

I use email, post telephone or text to communicate with clients and potential clients. Reasons that I may need to contact you include organising a change in the appointment time or counselling arrangements, providing you with information relevant to the work that may be of use to you, and sending you documents or contracts to sign.

If I have to send you any information relating to your sensitive personal data, I will send it by email in the form of a password-protected attachment, and will send the password to the attachment separately.  If you are concerned about the security of emails, then please do not mail sensitive information, or choose an alternative means of communication. Call me or WhatsApp on 07903 935447 if you prefer.

I will never pass on your information to a third party to use in their own direct marketing without your consent

Members of the public who make enquiries

I do not usually record or process any data from members of the public who ring with general enquiries.

Access to your personal information and Data security

I recognise that the information you provide may be sensitive and I will respect your privacy and keep information about you confidential. This means I store it securely and control who has access to it.

Client contact details are kept on my personal computer and devices which are encrypted and password-protected. Your contact details are only seen by me and my P.A. My client notes and any sensitive data are kept, on paper, in a secure, locked fire-proof cabinet. I will keep these notes for 7 years from the time you stop counselling.  Your personal details (name, address etc) are kept separate from these notes for confidentiality reasons.

If a copy of the notes is required, this request has to be made in writing.  If there is a large quantity of notes, I may provide you with a summary of the notes instead.  In the case of couple sessions, written consent from both parties to have a copy of the notes in their entirety will be required.

I follow the ethical codes of COSRT and BACP.