FAQ

• Feeling low or lack of motivation
• Lonely or isolated
• Anxieties
• Work related stress
• Bereavement
• Relationship issues
• Low self-esteem
• Addictions
• Living with Brian Injury 
• Trauma 

 I understand how important your privacy is, I take care to maintain your confidentiality in accordance with current data protection laws (GDPR, 2018) and the ethical guidelines of BACP. These guidelines have been set up to protect your confidential material and ensure that your therapist always conducts themselves with professionalism and integrity.

To provide you with the best service possible, I will hold your personal contact details and records of your therapy sessions. Please find below important information about how this information will be held and used.

Your personal information

I use the secure, encrypted and password protected practice management platform, Qunote to collect and store your personal data. At the point of booking your initial consultation with me you will be asked for your personal contact information, for example your name, address, email address and telephone number and you may also choose to share details of the issues you are looking for help with.

Your contact information is stored securely in Qunote and my phone and can only be accessed by me.

To be able to fulfil my duty of care to you, in your initial consultation or first treatment session, I will ask you for contact information for your GP and elected Emergency Contact person. These details will be stored securely in Qunote and will only be accessible to me.

Please note that I will need to keep a record for seven years after the end of your therapy, so that we can respond effectively to any potential requests regarding your clinical notes and treatment.

I will never pass on your contact details to any third-party organisations for the purposes of sales, marketing or research and will never use your personal data for any purposes other than the administration of the counselling service I am providing to you i.e. to arrange, cancel and rearrange appointments and collect payment for sessions.

Your therapy sessions

 Everything that you discuss with me is confidential. Confidentiality will only be broken if there is concern about your safety or the safety of someone else or I am instructed to do so by a Court of Law. I will always endeavour to speak to you about this first.

During remote working I will ensure that I am conducting online and telephone sessions in a quiet, private and confidential setting. I have selected video calling platforms that offer end to end encryption to ensure maximum privacy. Please note however that I cannot be held responsible for any breaches that occur due to failures in this technology.

I discuss my clinical work with a supervisor. This is to ensure that I am offering you the best service possible. These conversations are bound by confidentiality, and you will only be referred to by initials.

I will also keep notes of each session. These are anonymised and are stored in a locked filing cabinet or within a password protected file within the secure Qunote system.

These notes are for my use only and help to keep a track of everything that is being discussed. In line with industry guidelines, these notes will be kept securely for up to seven years after your therapy comes to an end. After this time, they will be confidentially destroyed.

If your sessions are paid for or arranged via a third party, (e.g. your employer, a friend, or a family member), other than payment requests, invoices or receipts your counselling information will not be shared. Details about what is discussed in your sessions will remain confidential between us. Any other information can only be shared if you provide your written consent.

Your communications with us

My email account is only accessed by me.

All phones, tablets and laptops used to respond to your emails are encrypted, fully protected with anti-virus software and password protected.

Data Usage

I will only use your email address and telephone number to contact you about your appointments. I may also contact you directly via email to share information with you that is pertinent to your therapeutic process.

Your phone number may also be used to issue appointment reminders via text message/WhatsApp’s.

Your rights

Any personal data retained by me is kept in accordance with the GDPR, 2018.

Under these guidelines you have the following rights

1. The right to request access to your data

You can request to view the information that I hold about you (contact details, appointment logs etc.) at any time. If during therapy you would like to see your session notes, please let me know. Should you require a copy of your notes after your therapy has come to an end you can make this request by emailing  pauline@solocounselling.com

The right of rectification

At any point during your time using my service or during the seven years thereafter, while we retain your records, you have the right to request amendments to your contact details or session notes. This right can be exercised either by speaking directly to me or by contacting me in writing.

1. The right to be forgotten

You can request that I delete and confidentially destroy the information that I hold about you and your sessions at any time. This request can be made by contacting me pauline@solocounselling.com

Instances where I would not be able to comply with your request are as follows:

1. a) It is necessary for me to retain these records to continue providing an effective service
2. b) I am compelled to retain these records by a Court of Law
3. c) I am requiring these records to establish, exercise or defend legal claims

Consent

When you book your first session with me, you will be asked to complete a client detail form and sign a counselling agreement and to confirm that you consent to the storage and processing of your personal data for the purposes of providing therapeutic services.

You are entitled to withdraw this consent at any time and can do so by emailing pauline@solocounselling.com.

Breaches of data protection

In the event of any breach of my data protection policies, I will notify you and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours and will seek to rectify this immediately.

Raising concerns

Should you have any concerns about my data protection practices, you can raise these directly with me pauline@solocounselling.com.

 You can also notify the Information Commissioner’s Office. I am registered with ICO under the reference number: ICO:00016257342

My role as a counsellor is to work with you, to listen, reflect, help bring clarity and perspective and to be alongside you on your journey. By exploring your issues through the counselling process, will enable you to reach your own solution. we can work together implement coping strategies. 

As an individual you will respond to counselling in your own way. You may see benefits after a few sessions or you may need longer

Please call me or email me to explore whether counselling is the right intervention for you, we will consider what you hope to gain from the counselling process, also we can look at the nature of the issues that has led you to seek counselling. If you are happy with my counselling approach, we would arrange an appropriate date and time.

The counselling session lasts one hour and the number of sessions will be up to you, as people respond to counselling differently. We can agree a set number of sessions from the outset or leave it open-ended.

Online Therapy (Video)

Microsoft Teams

In Person 

I have a peaceful therapy room opposite a beautiful tree lined park in Southport.

Before you’re first counselling session, I will ask you to sign a counselling agreement and complete a client details sheet, which I can email you prior to your initial assessment.

Individual counselling £50 – £75 per session.

A deposit is required to secure a counselling session.

Special rates for trainee counsellors & senior citizens

(Credit & Debit Cards Accepted)

Cancellation with less than 48 hours notice will result in being charged.

You can contact me if you require any further information about my service.

Email me on pauline@solocounselling.com

Mobile telephone: 07515004497  (You can leave a message on this number).

*Please be assured that any contact you make via phone or email is completely confidential.