The General Data Protection Regulation also known as GDPR requires organisations and private practitioners to outline how they will collect, store and share your data. This GDPR Statement explains how Mothership Counselling Services/Keeley Craw will handle any data you share.

Your GDPR Rights

• To know what information is collected and how it will be stored;
• To see the information held about you
• To change any incorrect or incomplete personal information
• To withdraw your consent for me to use your personal information
• To request that your personal information is deleted, unless the information is needed for me to practice legally or ethically and then I retain the right to decline this request.

I will protect your rights and data in the following ways:

Collection

Information will be collected about you if you make an initial enquiry by phone or contact form. Further information about you will be collected during our 15 minute free consultation. Kinds of information taken at this stage are name, address, age, reason for accessing counselling, child’s age and gender, contact details for another family member, health visitor, GP.

I will make notes at the end of each session. These will be anonymised and will take a snapshot of what was discussed in the session and reminders for future sessions.

Information collected will be on a paper or electronic format. I will aim to minimise the amount of information I collect and anonymise where possible.

Storage

All the information I collect will be held electronically in an encrypted format, or on paper and stored in a locked cupboard to which only I will have access to. I may store your email address and phone number. I will only use these forms of communication to pass on documents with your consent, and to inform you of session times or if I need to rearrange or cancel a session. In an emergency, where I am unable to do so myself, I might require a trusted person to contact you to let you know if I can not attend a session. Once we have stopped working together I will delete this information from my email account and phone. My phone is only used for the purposes of Mothership Counselling Services and can not be accessed by anyone else.

When we are able to start face to face sessions if you produce any artwork or sand tray work (photo can be taken of trays produced) then I will store your artwork or photos securely. In our final session you can then take some or all of your artwork or photos with you. Any artwork or photos not taken will be destroyed.

All other information described above (personal details, clinical notes etc) will be stored securely for seven years.

Sharing

I may be required to share some of your information for signposting (referring to another organisation who may offer you support) or safeguarding purposes (where you or another are deemed at potential or real risk) where I may need to contact another family member, your health visitor, GP or another organisation. Where possible I will do this with your consent.

All counsellors are obliged to have clinical supervision as part of their ethical practice. Clinical supervision is a meeting between two counsellors were a counsellor brings his or her work with clients to the other counsellor/clinical supervisor for discussion. This ensures that we work ethically and to the highest standards. During sessions with my clinical supervisor I will not share any information about you that would make you identifiable. Equally my clinical supervisor will treat the session with confidentiality and will not share any of your information.

Occasionally I may need to audio record the session for supervision purposes. If I do this I will gain your consent prior to the session and check with you again before the session starts. The recording will be permanently deleted once it has been shared in the supervision session.

When we are able to start face to face sessions if you produce any artwork or sand tray work (photo can be taken of trays produced) then I will store your artwork or photos securely. In our final session you can then take some or all of your artwork or photos with you. Any artwork or photos not taken will be destroyed permanently.

I will not share your information with any third party for marketing purposes.

You will be provided with a copy of this statement either electronically or in paper format. A signed copy will be kept on Mothership Counselling Services records to show that we both agree to this policy.