Privacy Policy – Caring Connections Therapy

1. Introduction

Caring Connections Therapy respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal data in compliance with data protection laws, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

This privacy policy explains what personal and sensitive health data we collect, why we collect it, how we use and store it, and your rights regarding your information.

2. Information We Collect

To provide safe, ethical, and effective therapy services, we may collect and hold the following types of information:

• Personal Identification Details: Name, address, date of birth, phone number, and email address.
• Clinical & Special Category Data: Notes from therapy sessions, key themes discussed, mental or physical health details, and history relevant to your care.
• Emergency & Medical Contacts: Your General Practitioner (GP) details and emergency contact person.
• Administrative & Payment Data: Client reference numbers, appointment history, and billing/payment records (note: payment card details are handled via secure third-party processors like Stripe and are not stored by us).

3. Lawful Basis for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we process your personal and health data under the following legal bases:

• Contractual Necessity: To provide you with scheduled therapy sessions and fulfill our service agreement.
• Provision of Health or Social Care: Special category health data is processed for the provision of medical, psychological, or therapeutic treatment.
• Legal Obligation & Vital Interests: To comply with statutory requirements or in rare emergency situations where sharing is necessary to protect your safety or the safety of others.

4. How We Use Your Information

Your information is used strictly for:

• Delivering tailored counselling and therapy services.
• Managing appointments, scheduling, and administrative communications.
• Coordinating care with your GP (only when necessary and usually discussed and agreed with you beforehand).
• Meeting professional accreditation or clinical supervision requirements (where client identities are kept strictly anonymized).
• Complying with legal or regulatory obligations.

We will never sell, lease, or pass on your contact details or personal data to third parties for marketing, sales, or commercial research.

5. Confidentiality & Limits of Confidentiality

Everything you discuss in therapy is confidential. Confidentiality may only be broken in exceptional circumstances, such as:

• If there is a serious, immediate risk of harm to yourself or others.
• If we are legally obligated or instructed to do so by a Court of Law.
• Where possible, we will always endeavor to discuss this with you beforehand.

6. Data Storage and Retention

• Active Therapy: Your records are stored securely (digitally with encryption or in locked physical storage) for the duration of your therapy.
• Post-Therapy Retention: Basic records (such as your name, client reference number, and clinical summary notes) are retained for a standard period (typically 3 to 7 years, or longer for specific specialized health/safeguarding cases) to comply with professional insurance and legal obligations, after which they are securely deleted or destroyed.

7. Your Data Protection Rights

Under data protection law, you have the right to:

• Access a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Rectify inaccurate or incomplete data.
• Request erasure of your data, subject to legal and clinical retention requirements.
• Restrict or object to certain types of data processing.

To exercise these rights, please contact us directly. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the UK regulator, the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), at www.ico.org.uk.