Our website address is: https://cbtcounsellor.com.
When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.
If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.
If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you have an account and you log in to this site, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognise and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.
For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.
If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.
Confidentiality and Privacy Policy
The law protects the relationship between a client and a counsellor or psychotherapist, and information cannot be disclosed without written permission. There are exceptions, and these include suspected child abuse or dependent adult or elder abuse, threat of serious bodily harm to another person/s, serious intention to cause harm to oneself despite effort to help.
Data will be stored in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GPDR EU 2016/679).
Mostly, client information is recorded in paper form. This is not transferred to an electronic system and will not be shared with third parties unless it is with the written permission of the client. If a client is referred by a Consultant Psychiatrist or a Medical Professional, then a progress report may be provided. If a client is paying via their insurance policy, the Insurance Company may require a clinical assessment before approving sessions or may require a progress report. The Consultant Psychiatrist, Medical Professionals and Insurance Companies are also bound by GDPR law and confidentiality.
Data collected include: Name, Address, Date of Birth, Profession, Telephone Number, Medical and Psychiatric Information, Previous Therapies, Problem/s, Goals, Priority Problem, Emotional Assessment of Problem, Specific Trigger Events, Assessment of Beliefs, Financial Details e.g. Debit or Credit Card Number, Agreed Homework.
Clinical supervision is a requirement by the BABCP and other accrediting bodies. On occasions client work is discussed with a Professional Clinical Supervisor without revealing the name of the client. The Clinical Supervisor is also bound by law to maintain confidentiality.
Only relevant information is taken, and these notes are held securely.
Electronic systems holding client information such as an assessment or a progress report are password protected and secure. Encrypted emails are used.
Clients have the:
Client notes are kept for 5 years and then safely destroyed. Any financial details are destroyed when therapy ends.
Legal Limitations
It is important to note that a therapist will not automatically break confidentiality if a client reports thoughts about suicide. Typically, a client needs to state an intent to act on those thoughts.
