There’s a law called the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The law has been made to keep your information safe – things like your address, your date of birth and other things I find out about you. The law says I have to tell you exactly what information I keep about you and what I do with it. That’s why I have written this ‘privacy policy’. For information about what I do with your child’s information, please see my privacy notice for under-18s.
Who looks after your information?
I look after all the information I have about you myself. In the words of the law, this means I am the ‘data controller’ and the ‘data processor’. My name is Julia Dethelma Lay (sometimes I am just called Julia Lay). You can contact me at juliatherapy@tutanota.com or on 07752804576. I may hire someone to do certain tasks that require access to your information. Any such person will sign a strict confidentiality agreement and I will remain responsible for ensuring your information is safe. If I become incapacitated, another therapist may access your information in order to inform you, consider what you and your family might need, and look after or destroy your information if necessary.
What information do I keep about you?
● Personal data: your name, address, email address and phone number.
● Sensitive personal data: emails to and from you, text messages to and from you, records of money that you pay, any questionnaires you fill in, notes that I make about our conversations, any letters I write about or to you, and information about you from others (for example, your children, or other professionals).
If your child’s sessions are paid for by health insurance, I might also have information from them about your health insurance policy.
Where do I get the information from?
From you, from your health insurance company if you have one, from anyone who contacts me on your behalf, from your child, from professionals whom you agree for me to contact, from any documents you or others give me.
Why do I collect and use information about you?
I need the information in order to provide good quality psychological therapy to your child, and to make sure I get paid for my work. In the law, this is called a ‘legitimate interest’.
What do I do with the information?
I use the contact information to contact you about appointments or payment. I use the sensitive information to provide you and your child with therapy or recommendations tailored to you. I may also send you questionnaires after the end of therapy, to help me monitor the effectiveness of my work.
How do I look after your information?
If the information is on paper, I keep it in a locked case. If the information is on my computer, including emails, I protect it with a password. The only information on my phone is text messages. I keep them to a minimum, with minimum information in them, and delete them within a few days. If there is information in a text message that I need to keep for longer, I make a note and put it in the locked case or a password protected document.
I will keep your personal and sensitive information for up to 7 years after your last appointment. This is the recommendation of the British Psychological Society. If you contact me but do not go on to have an appointment, I will keep any information I have for up to 1 year from the last contact.
Do I ever share the information with anyone else?
I only share your information in these situations:
- to talk about my work with my supervisor or therapist. I do this to make sure I am doing my job well. I don’t tell them your name or contact information. My supervisor and therapist don’t share what I say about you with anyone.
- if I think someone is going to be badly hurt, I might tell someone to try to stop it happening. I will do my best to talk to you about this first if I am going to share your information for this reason.
- if someone else is paying for sessions, I will need to tell them when we have had appointments and some information about our sessions, which I will agree with you.
- if you give informed consent for me to share your information for any reason.
Your rights
● You have a right to access the information I hold about you.
● I will usually share this with you within one month of receiving a request (you can make the request in person, in writing, or by phone or email). If the request is complex or if you make multiple requests, I can take a maximum of 3 months to respond.
● I can only charge a fee to cover administrative costs if these are significant.
● I may request further evidence from you to check your identity.
● You have a right to get your personal information corrected if it is inaccurate.
● If I do not give you the information, I have to tell you why, and you have the right to complain, and the right to seek justice through the courts.
● If you think that I have not complied with data protection laws, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Image: Concept of data Privacy And Policy Illustration by Delesign Graphics
Who looks after your information?
I look after all the information I have about you myself. In the words of the law, this means I am the ‘data controller’ and the ‘data processor’. My name is Julia Dethelma Lay (sometimes I am just called Julia Lay). You can contact me at juliatherapy@tutanota.com or on 07752804576. I may hire someone to do certain tasks that require access to your information. Any such person will sign a strict confidentiality agreement and I will remain responsible for ensuring your information is safe. If I become incapacitated, another therapist may access your information in order to inform you, consider what you and your family might need, and look after or destroy your information if necessary.
What information do I keep about you?
● Personal data: your name, address, email address and phone number.
● Sensitive personal data: emails to and from you, text messages to and from you, records of money that you pay, any questionnaires you fill in, notes that I make about our conversations, any letters I write about or to you, and information about you from others (for example, your children, or other professionals).
If your child’s sessions are paid for by health insurance, I might also have information from them about your health insurance policy.
Where do I get the information from?
From you, from your health insurance company if you have one, from anyone who contacts me on your behalf, from your child, from professionals whom you agree for me to contact, from any documents you or others give me.
Why do I collect and use information about you?
I need the information in order to provide good quality psychological therapy to your child, and to make sure I get paid for my work. In the law, this is called a ‘legitimate interest’.
What do I do with the information?
I use the contact information to contact you about appointments or payment. I use the sensitive information to provide you and your child with therapy or recommendations tailored to you. I may also send you questionnaires after the end of therapy, to help me monitor the effectiveness of my work.
How do I look after your information?
If the information is on paper, I keep it in a locked case. If the information is on my computer, including emails, I protect it with a password. The only information on my phone is text messages. I keep them to a minimum, with minimum information in them, and delete them within a few days. If there is information in a text message that I need to keep for longer, I make a note and put it in the locked case or a password protected document.
I will keep your personal and sensitive information for up to 7 years after your last appointment. This is the recommendation of the British Psychological Society. If you contact me but do not go on to have an appointment, I will keep any information I have for up to 1 year from the last contact.
Do I ever share the information with anyone else?
I only share your information in these situations:
- to talk about my work with my supervisor or therapist. I do this to make sure I am doing my job well. I don’t tell them your name or contact information. My supervisor and therapist don’t share what I say about you with anyone.
- if I think someone is going to be badly hurt, I might tell someone to try to stop it happening. I will do my best to talk to you about this first if I am going to share your information for this reason.
- if someone else is paying for sessions, I will need to tell them when we have had appointments and some information about our sessions, which I will agree with you.
- if you give informed consent for me to share your information for any reason.
Your rights
● You have a right to access the information I hold about you.
● I will usually share this with you within one month of receiving a request (you can make the request in person, in writing, or by phone or email). If the request is complex or if you make multiple requests, I can take a maximum of 3 months to respond.
● I can only charge a fee to cover administrative costs if these are significant.
● I may request further evidence from you to check your identity.
● You have a right to get your personal information corrected if it is inaccurate.
● If I do not give you the information, I have to tell you why, and you have the right to complain, and the right to seek justice through the courts.
● If you think that I have not complied with data protection laws, you have a right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office at https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/ or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Image: Concept of data Privacy And Policy Illustration by Delesign Graphics
