Privacy Policy

Your privacy is important to me. This Privacy Policy explains how I collect, use, store and protect personal information when you contact me or use my counselling services.

I aim to handle your information responsibly, confidentially and in accordance with UK data protection law.

Leon Day Counselling is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) in relation to the handling of personal information.

Who is responsible for your information?

Leon Day Counselling is responsible for the personal information collected in connection with my counselling practice.

If you have any questions about how your information is handled, you can contact me at:

Leon Day Counselling
76 Wollaston Road
Lowestoft
NR32 2PF

Email: leondaycounselling@protonmail.com
Telephone: 07759 209739

What information may I collect?

When you contact me or become a client, I may collect information necessary to provide and manage your counselling.

  • Your name and contact details.
  • Your date of birth where appropriate.
  • Emergency or next-of-kin contact details.
  • Appointment and payment information.
  • Information you choose to share that is relevant to our counselling work.
  • Brief counselling notes and records relating to our sessions.
  • Relevant correspondence between us.

I aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for providing and managing my counselling service.

Sensitive personal information

Counselling naturally involves information that may be personal or sensitive.

Information you share during counselling is treated confidentially and is only used for the purposes of providing and managing your counselling, unless there is a legal or safeguarding reason why information needs to be shared.

Please avoid including detailed or sensitive health or personal information in your initial email, text message or website enquiry.

How I use your information

I may use your personal information to:

  • Respond to enquiries.
  • Arrange and manage appointments.
  • Provide counselling services.
  • Maintain appropriate counselling records.
  • Process and record payments.
  • Communicate with you about appointments.
  • Meet my professional, legal and regulatory responsibilities.
  • Maintain the safety and integrity of my counselling practice.

I do not sell your personal information.

Konfidens and counselling records

I use Konfidens to help manage my counselling practice, including appointments, online booking, payments and counselling records.

I keep brief counselling notes that are appropriate to our work together rather than detailed transcripts of sessions. Client records and counselling notes are stored securely within Konfidens.

Leon Day Counselling remains responsible for the client information I enter into Konfidens, with Konfidens providing the platform used to process and securely store that information.

How long I keep information

Counselling records and relevant personal information are normally retained for three years after counselling has ended.

After the appropriate retention period, information is securely deleted or destroyed unless there is a legitimate legal or professional reason why it needs to be retained for longer.

Confidentiality and sharing information

I do not routinely share information about clients with other organisations or individuals.

There may, however, be circumstances where information needs to be shared. These may include situations where:

  • I am seriously concerned about your safety or the safety of another person.
  • There is a safeguarding concern.
  • I am legally required to disclose information.
  • Disclosure is otherwise necessary to comply with a legal obligation.

Where it is appropriate and safe to do so, I would aim to discuss this with you before sharing information.

I also undertake professional supervision as part of ethical counselling practice. Client work may be discussed within supervision, but identifying information is kept to the minimum necessary.

How your information is protected

I take reasonable steps to protect the personal information I hold.

Electronic information is protected using appropriate password and security measures, and access to client information is restricted.

I also take care when communicating personal information by email, telephone or other methods.

Online counselling

When counselling takes place online, information necessarily passes through the technology used to provide the session.

I take reasonable steps to use appropriate services and maintain privacy. I also ask clients to attend online sessions from a private location where they are unlikely to be overheard or interrupted.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, UK data protection law may give you rights relating to your personal information, including rights to:

  • Ask what personal information I hold about you.
  • Request a copy of your personal information.
  • Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected.
  • Request deletion of information in certain circumstances.
  • Ask for the use of your information to be restricted in certain circumstances.
  • Object to certain uses of your information.

Some rights are subject to legal and professional requirements, which may mean information cannot always be deleted immediately on request.

If you would like to exercise one of these rights, please contact me.

Website information and cookies

My website may use essential cookies and services required for the website to operate correctly.

It may also use analytics tools to help me understand how people find and use the website. Where applicable, information about cookies and consent should be provided through the website’s cookie controls.

I do not use website analytics as a way of identifying individual counselling clients.

Other websites and services

My website may contain links to external services or websites, including booking services.

Once you leave my website, the privacy practices of the external service will apply. I am not responsible for the privacy practices of other organisations.

Concerns or complaints

If you have a concern about how I have handled your personal information, please contact me first so I have an opportunity to address it.

You also have the right to raise concerns with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection regulator.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy if my services, systems or legal obligations change.

The current version will be published on this website.