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Empower Counselling and Psychotherapy Customer Privacy Notice

This privacy notice tells you what to expect with your personal information.

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What information i collect, use and why

I collect or use the following information to provide health care services:

  • Name, address and contact details

  • Gender

  • Pronoun preferences

  • Date of birth

  • Next of Kin details including any support networks

  • Emergency contact details

  • Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements and medical history)

  • Information about care needs (including disabilities, home conditions, medication and dietary requirements and general care provisions)

  • Payment details (including card or bank information for transfers and direct debits)

  • Records of meetings and decisions

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I also collect the following special category information to provide health care services. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:

  • Racial or ethnic origin

  • Religious or philosophical beliefs

  • Health information

  • Sex life information

  • Sexual orientation information​

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I collect or use the following information for safeguarding or public protection reasons:

  • Name, address and contact details

  • Emergency contact details

  • Health information (including medical conditions, allergies, medical requirements and medical history)

  • Information about care needs (including disabilities, home conditions, dietary requirements and general care provisions)

  • Relevant information from previous investigations

  • Records of meetings and decisions

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I also collect the following special category information for safeguarding or public protection reasons. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:

  • Racial or ethnic origin

  • Religious or philosophical beliefs

  • Health information

  • Sex life information

  • Sexual orientation information

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I collect or use the following personal information to comply with legal requirements:

  • Name

  • Contact information

  • Any other personal information required to comply with legal obligations

  • Safeguarding information

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I also collect the following special category information to comply with legal requirements. This information is subject to additional protection due to its sensitive nature:

  • Racial or ethnic origin

  • Religious or philosophical beliefs

  • Health information

  • Sex life information

  • Sexual orientation information

Lawful Bases and Data Protection Rights

Under UK data protection law, we must have a “lawful basis” for collecting and using your personal information. There is a list of possible lawful bases in the UK GDPR. You can find out more about lawful bases on the ICO’s website.

Which lawful basis we rely on may affect your data protection rights which are set out in brief below.

You can find out more about your data protection rights and the exemptions which may apply on the ICO’s website:

If you make a request, we must respond to you without undue delay and in any event within one month.

To make a data protection rights request, please contact us using the contact details at the top of this privacy notice.

Legal Bases for the collection and use of your Data

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. 

  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.

  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.

  • Public task – we have to collect or use your information to carry out a task laid down in law, which the law intends to be performed by an organisation such as ours. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure and the right to portability.

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Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information for safeguarding or public protection reasons are:

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.

  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.

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Our lawful bases for collecting or using personal information to comply with legal requirements are:

  • Consent - we have permission from you after we gave you all the relevant information. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object. To be clear, you do have the right to withdraw your consent at any time.

  • Contract – we have to collect or use the information so we can enter into or carry out a contract with you. All of your data protection rights may apply except the right to object.

  • Legal obligation – we have to collect or use your information so we can comply with the law. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to erasure, the right to object and the right to data portability.

  • Vital interests – collecting or using the information is needed when someone’s physical or mental health or wellbeing is at urgent or serious risk. This includes an urgent need for life sustaining food, water, clothing or shelter. All of your data protection rights may apply, except the right to object and the right to portability.

Where I may get personal information from

  • Directly from you

  • Family members or carers

  • Schools, colleges, universities or other education organisations

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Client records are retained for seven years after counselling ends, subject to review against applicable professional and insurance requirements.

Information about people who enquire but do not become clients is normally retained for up to 12 months after the last contact.

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I may have to share your information with

  • Other health providers (eg GPs and consultants)

  • Care providers

  • Emergency services​

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I am subject to a duty of confidentiality. However, there are circumstances where we will share relevant health and care information. These are where:

  • you’ve provided us with your consent (we have taken it as implied to provide you with care, or you have given it explicitly for other uses);

  • I have a legal requirement (including court orders) to collect, share or use the data;

  • on a case-by-case basis, the public interest to collect, share and use the data overrides the public interest served by protecting the duty of confidentiality (for example sharing information with the police to support the detection or prevention of serious crime);

  • If in England or Wales – the requirements of The Health Service (Control of Patient Information) Regulations 2002 are satisfied; or

  • If in Scotland – we have the authority to share provided by the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland, the Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, the Public Benefit and Privacy Panel for Health and Social Care or other similar governance and scrutiny process.

Making a complaint​

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If you have any concerns about the use of your personal information, you can make a data protection complaint.

This can be done via email at Empower.Psychotherapy@outlook.com

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If you remain unhappy with how your data has been used after raising a complaint, you can also complain to the ICO. 

ICO Head Office
4th Floor, No.3 Circle Square
5 Hawkshaw Street
Manchester
M1 7BL

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Helpline number: 0303 123 1113 
Website: https://www.ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint

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