The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is concerned with the personal information about you and how it is collected, stored, and shared. This is the GDPR statement of Mrs Gemma Cormican, Integrative TA Psychotherapist, offering psychological therapy.  Here you find information on how I collect, store, and share  information collected. 

​

Web access and collection of information online:

 

When you contact me to request any services, I collect information about you. I also collect information about you when you voluntarily book for a free 30min consultation, and complete contact forms. Information is also collected about you when you visit my website www.gemmacormicanpsychotherapy.com by using Google Analytics and cookies. 

​

Health record collection and confidentiality (for the use of therapeutic work only):

 

Your health record is kept confidential within the service and all information is stored securely. I follow the ethical guidelines of the United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) and ICO to ensure that your information about you is collected and stored securely.

​

When you contact me to access psychological therapy with me, I collect your personal information including: your name, date of birth, address, phone number, email address, family relationships, occupation, previous psychological therapy, medical history, and medication. I keep records of your appointments, brief notes on the topics covered during the sessions and your concerns, and any letters and/or psychometric testing concerning you.

​

Session related information attendance and topics covered in the sessions will be initially stored electronically.  Your personal details and any information collected during the initial intake meeting (including possible referral letters, questionnaires) are stored in paper format in a locked cabinet. Once you have finished working with me, I store hard copies of the sessions notes in your file that is in a locked cabinet. The information is kept up to 7 years after you have completed working with me for legal reasons.

​

Storage Methods for clinical services:

​

• Paper written notes as described above.

• Electronic storage: unidentifiable, brief session notes covering the topics covered are held stored electronically and protected with a password until we stop working together. Then the notes are printed out and placed in your hard copy file which is stored in a locked cabinet.

• Email: I used GMAIL based email. Your email address and our correspondence will be stored in my email account.

​

Sharing information:

​

Supervision:

As part of ethical practice, I am required to seek regular consultation with another psychotherapist who is qualified in this process. This is to ensure that I can work to my best ability and offer an ethical service that is helpful to you.  The consultation process is also protected by confidentiality and my consultant will not know you personally nor professionally. It takes place verbally and I refer to you by your first name. This process is to ensure my professional development.

​

You are asked to sign a consent form if your information is necessary to share with a third party. I ask you about sharing information with your GP during the first session. As discussed above the exceptions to sharing information about you may take place if there was a danger to yourself or others.

​

Under instructions from a court order:

There are also circumstances which may arise, where information is requested by statutory organisations.  This information will be shared pursuant with a court order/directive.  In the event of this happening, I would aim to discuss the release of any information with you in advance of doing so.  However, it is not always possible/appropriate to do so.  As such, by signing this policy document, you are consenting to me releasing information, to the appropriate statutory organisation, requested under a court order.

 

In case of emergency:

​

If I have a reason to believe that you are at risk to you self, to someone else or there are child protection issues I am required to act upon these concerns. In that case I am obliged to breach confidentiality by speaking to e.g. a crisis team (harm to self) or the police (harm to others / an organisation e.g. in case of terrorism) or child protection services. If I must breach confidentiality, wherever possible I aim to discuss this with you first.

​

If I was to encounter an emergency myself and was unable to contact you myself, your name and contact details might be shared with a trusted person to inform you about the changes in our meetings. No other personal information would be shared.

 

How to Complain:

​

In the first instances, complaints should be addressed to gemmacormicanpsychotherapy@gmail.com and will be responded to within 30 days.  Complaints relating to data protection can be made to The Information Commissions Office following this.  Additionally, complaints relating to clinical practice, which cannot be addressed with me directly,  should be addressed to the UKCP. However, to prevent matters from escalating, I hope we can establish a therapeutic relationship, which includes open communication, and you are able to raise any concerns in the session. I also hold a Professional Indemnity Insurance.

​

Your rights:

​

You have the following rights…

• To be informed what information is collected and how it is stored

• To see the information that I hold about you

• To rectify any inaccurate or incomplete personal information

• To withdraw consent to me using your personal information

• To request your personal information be erased (although if the information is needed for me to practice lawfully and ethically, I can decline)