Who we are
Joanna Summers is a person-centred counsellor, psychotherapist and MBACP-registered practitioner offering online counselling and psychotherapy to adults across the UK.
Joanna Summers is the data controller for all personal data collected through this website and through the counselling and psychotherapy practice.
What information is collected
When you use the contact form on this website, the following information may be collected:
- Your name
- Your email address
- Any information you choose to include in your message
No sensitive personal data is required to make an enquiry through this website. If you choose to share information about your health or personal circumstances in a message, that information will be treated with the same confidentiality as clinical correspondence.
How your information is used
Information submitted through the contact form is used solely to respond to your enquiry. It is not used for marketing purposes, shared with third parties or added to any mailing list without your explicit consent.
If a therapeutic or ceremonial working relationship begins, a separate client agreement will set out how your personal data is held and managed in that context, in line with BACP ethical requirements and UK GDPR.
The legal basis for processing your data
The legal basis for processing enquiry data is legitimate interest — specifically, the legitimate interest of responding to a communication you have chosen to initiate.
Where a therapeutic relationship begins, the legal basis for processing clinical notes and related data is the performance of a contract and, where relevant, compliance with legal obligations.
How your information is stored
Enquiries sent through the contact form are stored securely in this website's private admin area — a database accessible only to Joanna Summers — so that each message can be read and responded to. A copy may also be sent by email to the practice. Enquiry records are not shared with any third party and are automatically deleted after six months.
Clinical notes and client records are held securely and are accessible only to Joanna Summers. They are not shared with any third party except in the limited circumstances described below.
All data is held in line with the UK General Data Protection Regulation.
How long your information is kept
Enquiry correspondence that does not lead to a working relationship is deleted after six months.
Client records are retained for seven years following the end of a therapeutic relationship, in line with professional guidance. After that period they are securely destroyed.
Sharing your information
Your personal information is not sold, rented or shared with third parties for commercial purposes.
There are limited circumstances in which information may be shared without your consent:
- Where there is a serious and immediate risk of harm to you or to another person
- Where disclosure is required by law or court order
- In clinical supervision, where identifying details are not shared and all supervision is confidential
Where it is safe and appropriate to do so, any decision to share information will be discussed with you first.
Cookies and website analytics
This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymised data about how visitors use the site. This includes information such as pages visited, time spent on the site and the general location of visitors. No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics.
Cookies may be used to support this functionality. You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings at any time.
Your rights
Under UK GDPR you have the following rights in relation to your personal data:
- The right to access the personal data held about you
- The right to request correction of inaccurate data
- The right to request deletion of your data, where there is no legal obligation to retain it
- The right to object to processing
- The right to data portability
- The right to withdraw consent at any time, where consent is the basis for processing
To exercise any of these rights, please get in touch directly.
Complaints
If you have concerns about how your personal data has been handled, please contact Joanna Summers in the first instance. If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office.
Changes to this policy
This privacy policy may be updated from time to time. The date at the top of this page reflects when it was last revised. Continued use of this website following any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
Contact
Any questions about this policy or about how your data is held can be directed to:
Joanna Summers