Who I am

I am Kirstine Hunter, a counsellor in private practice. I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) under registration number ZB286384.

For the purposes of UK data protection law, I am the Data Controller responsible for the personal information you provide to me.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact me at:

Email: kirstinehuntercounselling@outlook.com

Telephone: 07565703938

What Information I Collect

In order to provide counselling services safely and effectively, I may collect and hold the following information:

• Your name and age
• Your address, email address and telephone number
• Emergency contact (next of kin) details
• GP details
• Information about any relevant medication
• Brief session notes relating to our work together

Why I Collect This Information

I collect and process your personal information in order to:

• Provide counselling services
• Arrange and manage appointments
• Communicate with you regarding our sessions
• Support your safety and wellbeing where necessary
• Meet my professional and legal obligations
• Maintain appropriate clinical records

Legal Basis for Processing Your Information

The legal bases I rely upon for processing your information are:

• Performance of a contract, so that I can provide counselling services to you
• Legitimate interests in running a safe and effective counselling practice
• Provision of health-related services, where special category personal data is involved

Who Information May Be Shared With

Your personal information will be treated as confidential.

However, there are circumstances where information may need to be shared:

• If required by a court of law
• If there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or another person
• If safeguarding concerns arise
• If disclosure is required by law

Where possible, I will discuss this with you before any disclosure is made.

As part of my professional practice, I attend regular clinical supervision in accordance with professional requirements. Client work may be discussed during supervision, but identifying details are removed wherever possible.

Electronic Communication

While email and text messaging can be useful for arranging appointments, they are not completely secure methods of communication. Please avoid sending sensitive personal information by email or text message whenever possible.

How Long Information Is Kept

Session notes are retained only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which they were collected and in accordance with professional, legal and insurance requirements.

When information is no longer required, it will be securely destroyed or deleted.

If you would like more information about my retention practices, please ask.

Your Rights

Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information I hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Request restriction of processing in certain circumstances
• Request erasure of information where appropriate
• Object to certain types of processing
• Make a complaint regarding how your information is handled

Requests will be considered in accordance with UK data protection legislation.

Data Protection Complaints

If you have concerns about how I use or manage your personal information, please contact me in the first instance so that I can investigate the matter and respond appropriately.

I will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days and aim to resolve it as promptly as possible.

If you remain dissatisfied with my response, you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

Further information can be found at www.ico.org.uk.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in legal, professional or operational requirements.

The most recent version will always be available on request and on my website.