Privacy & confidentiality

Who is responsible for your information

Neil Atkinson, trading as Neil Atkinson Counselling, is the data controller. You can contact me at neil@neilatkinsoncounselling.co.uk or on 07719 382796. My full postal correspondence address is provided in the counselling agreement before any paid counselling begins, and is available on request.

I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office under reference ZC110402.

Confidentiality in counselling

What you tell me will normally remain private. I do not normally contact family members, employers, a GP or another service without your clear permission.

Confidentiality is not absolute. I may need to share relevant information where:

• there is a serious and immediate risk of harm to you or another person
• there is a safeguarding concern involving a child or an adult who may be at risk
• a valid legal requirement applies, such as a court order
• you ask me to communicate with another person or service and give clear permission

Where it is safe and possible, I will discuss this with you first. I will disclose only what is relevant to the purpose.

I receive regular clinical supervision. I may discuss aspects of our work to support safe and ethical practice. I avoid identifying you wherever possible, and my supervisor is also bound by confidentiality.

Information I may collect

• your name, contact details, preferred name and appointment information
• information you provide in an enquiry or during counselling, including information about health, relationships and personal circumstances
• brief counselling, risk, safeguarding and clinical decision records
• an emergency contact where you choose to provide one
• fees, invoices and payment records
• correspondence, complaints, incidents and information needed to establish or respond to a legal or insurance matter
• limited technical information created by website hosting and security systems

Please avoid putting detailed clinical information into the website contact form, email, text message or voicemail unless it is necessary.

Why I use it and my lawful bases

• Steps before a contract and contract — responding to your request for counselling, arranging appointments and providing the service we agree
• Legitimate interests — running a safe and accountable practice, maintaining proportionate records, responding to enquiries, protecting the practice and establishing or defending legal rights
• Legal obligation — complying with tax, court, regulatory or other legal duties where they apply
• Vital interests — acting where this is necessary to protect someone’s life and they cannot give consent

Counselling information may include special category data, particularly health information. For the core counselling service I ask for explicit consent to process the information that is objectively necessary to provide that service. You can withdraw consent for future consent-based processing, but this may mean I cannot continue counselling. Where information must be retained or used for legal claims, safeguarding or vital interests, a different lawful condition may apply.

Where information is stored and who may process it

I use proportionate security measures including password protection, encryption, access controls, locked storage and secure disposal. Clinical records are kept separately from information used for routine contact wherever practicable.

Service providers may process limited information on my behalf. These currently include Netlify for website hosting and form delivery, and Microsoft 365 for email, calendar, document storage and, where agreed, online meetings. A payment provider or professional adviser may process information where relevant. I remain responsible for choosing suitable providers and limiting the information shared.

Some providers may process information outside the UK. Where this occurs, I rely on the provider’s recognised transfer safeguards and contractual protections. I do not sell personal information or use it for targeted advertising.

How long information is kept

• Enquiries that do not become counselling — normally deleted within six months of the last contact
• Client and counselling records — normally kept for seven years after counselling ends
• Financial records — normally kept for seven years after the relevant financial year
• Complaints, safeguarding matters, incidents and insurance or legal matters — normally seven years after closure, or longer while a claim, legal requirement or professional process remains active

These are practice retention periods rather than a statement that every record must legally be kept for exactly this long. Records may be kept for a shorter or longer period where there is a documented reason. They are securely deleted or destroyed when no longer required.

Your data protection rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may ask to access your information, correct it, restrict its use, object to some processing, receive certain information in a portable format or have information erased. Some rights are limited where information must be retained for legal, safeguarding, third-party confidentiality or professional reasons.

I do not use your counselling information to make solely automated decisions about you and I do not profile you for advertising.

Send a request to neil@neilatkinsoncounselling.co.uk. I may need enough information to confirm identity and understand the request. I will normally respond within one month.

Complaints about personal information

You can raise a data protection complaint by email, telephone or in writing. I will acknowledge it within 30 days, investigate it appropriately, keep you informed and explain the outcome without undue delay. Full details are on my Complaints and Concerns page.

You may also complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. You do not have to wait for my process to finish, although the ICO will usually expect you to have raised the matter with me first.

Website, forms and cookies

This website is not intended to use advertising or behavioural tracking cookies. Essential technical storage, security logs or hosting records may still be created by the website host or by your browser. The contact form is processed through Netlify and delivered to my Microsoft email account.

I review the site when services change. If non-essential analytics, embedded services or marketing technology are introduced, I will update this notice and provide an appropriate consent choice before they are used.

Professional registration and insurance

I am an Accredited Registrant of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society, membership number NCS23-04535. I hold appropriate professional indemnity and public liability insurance for my counselling practice. Evidence of current cover is available on request.