The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is concerned with the personal information about you that we at West London Psychotherapy and Counselling Services (WLPCS) collect, store, and share. This page details our GDPR policy (previously known as Privacy Policy). By contacting any of our therapists at WLPCS you are agreeing to the terms and conditions laid out in this GDPR policy and those in our Terms and Conditions page. The point of contact for any questions or concerns around our GDPR policy should be directed to Gareth Sammer at gareth@londontherapyserives.co.uk. Please note that WLPCS operates as a referral service where the lead therapist, Gareth Sammer works in close conjunction with a number of trusted, experienced counsellors, psychotherapists and therapists in the London area. He is responsible for managing and allocating all incoming website enquiries and receives payment from the therapists for the referrals they receive.
PERSONAL INFORMATION WE WILL COLLECT FROM WLPCS WEBSITE CONTACT FORMS
· Your name
· Your email address
· Your phone number
· The nature of your enquiry
· Your Postcode
· Your preferred treatment
· Your preferred therapist
· Your preferred availability for therapy sessions
· Any other information you choose to share
PERSONAL INFORMATION WE MAY COLLECT FROM TELEPHONE CONTACT AND / OR DURING THE COURSE OF YOUR THERAPEUTIC TREATMENT
· Your name
· Your email address
· Your phone number
· The nature of your enquiry
· Gender (or preferred identity).
· Religion / Ethnicity / Country of birth
· Sexuality
· Date of birth.
· Relationships and family (past and present).
· Occupation and education.
· Risk factors
· Home address
· Previous experience of mental health treatment / diagnosis.
· Doctors name and contact details
· Medical conditions.
· Prescribed medication.
· Difficulties.
· Session summaries.
HOW WE WILL STORE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
Paper: Written notes may either be securely filed in a locked filing cabinet (or equivalent) or will be completely destroyed in a confidential manner if and when notes are transferred to an electronic storage form.
Laptops / Personal Computers: Written notes may be kept on a secured personal laptop or personal computer. The device will require passwords to access both the therapist’s main account and to access your individual information. The electronic device will be checked regularly for viruses and the therapist will take every reasonable precaution to protect your personal information.
Mobile Phone: We may store your contact telephone number for the duration of your treatment along with any text messages or WhatsApp messages which we may exchange.
Email: Your email address and email correspondence will be stored securely in our email accounts (currently Zoho mail and Gmail).
Website: None of your personal information is stored on the WLPCS website, other than to momentarily collect & send it to our email accounts for the purposes of initial contact. Initial contact emails are stored on a Google Drive, accessible only by Gareth Sammer and on the therapists own email system.
HOW WE MAY PROCESS/SHARE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION.
Your contact details and personal information will never be shared with outside parties apart from the exemptions below.
Finding the best therapist in our team
If you contact us via our general contact form, the practice manager and lead therapist at WLPCS will direct your email to the most appropriate therapist within the WLPCS team based on your location, availability and needs.
If you contact one of our specific therapists, the email will be sent straight to your selected therapist. If that therapist is unavailable, the therapist will direct you back to the practice manager who will contact you to suggest another suitable member of the team and forward your details with your permission.
In the event that you make an enquiry and then do not respond to the therapist’s attempts to arrange an initial session or if you book an initial session and do not turn up, the practice manager and lead therapist at WLPCS may contact you to help with any difficulties you may be experiencing.
Supervision
In compliance with our accrediting organisations (UKCP, BACP and NCS), all the therapists at WLPCS are required to attend regular supervision sessions with a suitably qualified therapeutic supervisor. Although aspects of your case will be discussed, your full name and contact details will not be revealed. All our therapeutic supervisors are bound by similar confidentiality and GDPR policies.
Therapeutic Will
All the therapists at WLPCS are required to have a therapeutic will. In the event of your therapists death, hospitalisation or similar of a close relative of theirs or another emergency, your therapists Therapeutic Executor will make contact to inform you of the situation and advise you of your options.
Breaking Confidentiality
If we believe yours or another person (or group of people’s) safety is at significant risk, we may contact the suitable authority without your permission. This includes your doctor, the emergency services and the mental health crisis team.
We are also required by law to pass on information relating to acts of terrorism and ongoing abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult. We will at all times attempt to gain your permission before breaking confidentiality in these instances however we retain the right to do so without your consent.
ERASING YOUR INFORMATION.
All the information we hold about you (detailed under “Personal Information We May Collect From Telephone Contact And / Or During The Course Of Your Therapeutic Sessions”) Will be held for a maximum of 4 years after your final session at WLPCS (or from the last point of contact if you choose not to go ahead with treatment). Your telephone number will be erased from our mobile phones within four weeks of your final session. Please note you will also have to ask your therapist to erase your personal information too.
YOUR RIGHTS
You have the following rights...
· To be informed what information we hold (i.e. this document).
· To see the information we hold about you (free of charge for the initial request and then £5 for every additional request).
· To rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
· To withdraw consent to me using your personal information.
· To request that some or all of your personal information be erased (though we can decline whilst the information is needed for us to practice lawfully & competently).
Please note that you will also need to do this with your therapist as well as with us at WLCPS as we have no access to the individual therapists notes or emails.
If you’d like to book an appointment with any of our psychotherapists, please visit our “Find a Therapist” page. Alternatively for general enquiries, please contact our lead therapist and practice manager Gareth Sammer.
West London Counselling, Psychotherapy & Hypnotherapy Services are here to provide professional therapeutic support online via Zoom, over the phone or face to face at our any of our therapy practices in Acton, Chiswick (High Road), Chiswick (South), Clapham, Ealing Broadway, Ealing (North), South Ealing, Hammersmith, Hanwell, Kew, Putney & Fulham, Richmond upon Thames, Southfields and West Drayton
We have a catchment area of Acton, Barnes, Boston Manor, Brentford, Chelsea, Chiswick, Clapham, Dukes Meadow, Earls Court, Earlsfield, Fulham, Greenford, Grove Park, Gunnersbury, Hammersmith, Hanger Lane, Hanwell, Holland Park, Hounslow, Isleworth, Kew, Mortlake, Montpelier, Northfields, Notting Hill, Park Royal, Parsons Green, Perivale, Putney, Richmond, Shepherds Bush, Southall, South Ealing, South Kensington, Tooting, Turnham Green, Twickenham, Wandsworth, Wembley, West Brompton, West Ealing, West Kensington, White City, Wimbledon and many other areas in West London