This Privacy Notice explains what personal information I collect, why I use it, how I protect it and the rights you have in relation to your information.

1. Who I am

I’m Verna Tiroke, a qualified counsellor and member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). I’m registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) and am responsible for the personal information I collect and hold as part of my counselling practice.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Notice or how I use your information, you can contact me at:

Email: verna@fieldstonecounselling.co.uk
Telephone: 07519 697473

2. What information I collect

When you enquire about counselling or become a client, I may collect information such as:

• your name, contact details and date of birth;

• your preferred name and pronouns, if you choose to provide them;

• emergency contact and GP details, where provided;

• anything you choose to tell me about accessibility or communication needs;

• information you share during counselling that is relevant to our work together;

• brief counselling and session notes;

• information about appointments, communications and payments; and

• how you heard about Fieldstone Counselling, if you choose to tell me.

Some of the information you share may be particularly sensitive under data protection law, known as special category data. This can include information about your physical or mental health, sexuality, racial or ethnic origin, or religious or philosophical beliefs.

I will only collect and keep information that is relevant to providing and managing your counselling.

CCTV at The Counselling Space

When you attend The Counselling Space, you may be captured by CCTV in the reception area. CCTV is not used in the counselling rooms or other private spaces.

The CCTV is operated and managed by The Counselling Space for the safety and security of people and the premises. Further information about how the CCTV footage is used, stored and your rights in relation to it can be found in https://thecounsellingspace.info/privacy.

 

3. Where your information comes from

Most of the information I hold will come directly from you. 

If you contact me through The Counselling Space, or someone refers you to me, I may receive some information from them. 

4. Why I use your information

I use your information to provide and manage your counselling safely and professionally. This includes: 

·       responding to enquiries and arranging counselling;

·       communicating with you about appointments and our work together;

·       providing counselling and keeping appropriate records;

·       taking account of any accessibility or communication needs you share with me;

·       managing payments and the administration of my practice;

·       responding appropriately to concerns about safety or safeguarding; and

·       meeting my professional, ethical, legal and insurance obligations.

 

If you choose to tell me how you heard about me, I may also use this information to understand how people find my counselling service.

5. My lawful basis for using your information

Data protection law requires me to have a lawful reason for collecting and using your personal information.

When you first contact me, I use your information to respond to your enquiry and take steps towards arranging counselling. Once we begin working together, I use information that is necessary to provide the counselling service we have agreed.

I also use your information where this is necessary to run and manage a safe, ethical and professional counselling practice, including keeping appropriate records, managing appointments and payments and meeting my professional responsibilities.

Your information will be kept secure and confidential. There may be circumstances where I need to share information, such as where there is a serious safeguarding concern or I am legally required to do so. Where possible, I will discuss this with you first.

6. Sensitive information

Counselling may involve you sharing information that is particularly sensitive, such as information about your physical or mental health, sexuality, racial or ethnic origin, or religious or philosophical beliefs. This is known as special category data under data protection law and receives additional protection.

I will only use information that is relevant to our counselling work and will take particular care to keep it secure.

7. How I store and protect your information

I take reasonable steps to keep your personal information private and secure.

Paper records are kept securely in locked storage. Electronic records are stored on password-protected and appropriately secured devices or systems. 

Identifying and contact information is kept separately from counselling notes.

I take appropriate steps to protect your information when using email, online counselling and other electronic systems or services used to support my practice, including Google Workspace and Google Meet.

8. Who I may share your information with

Your personal information will be treated confidentially and will not normally be shared with anyone outside our counselling relationship.

As part of my professional practice, I attend regular clinical supervision and may discuss aspects of our work with my supervisor. I will protect your identity and only share information relevant to the purpose of supervision.

Confidentiality is an important part of our counselling relationship. If I have concerns about your safety or the safety of someone else, my duty of care means that confidentiality may need to be limited.

If this happens, I would talk this through with you wherever possible. We might look together at whether some additional support would be helpful, such as speaking with your GP or another appropriate service. 

If I do need to speak to someone else because of concerns about safety, I will only share what is necessary. 

If something unexpected were to happen and I were no longer able to continue practising, I have a trusted colleague who would contact you. They would need to access the minimum information necessary to do this.

I also use trusted service providers to support the running of my practice. These include Google Workspace, which I use for email and online counselling through Google Meet, and Wix, which hosts my website. These providers may process personal information on my behalf as necessary to provide their service. I take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate data protection and security are in place.

9. How long I keep your information

Your counselling record, including relevant assessment information, counselling notes, counselling agreement and any relevant risk or safeguarding records, will be kept securely for five years after our counselling work ends, in line with the requirements of my professional indemnity insurer. After this period, the records will be securely deleted or destroyed.

Routine emails, messages and other administrative information that do not need to form part of your counselling record will be deleted when they are no longer required.

Financial and accounting records may need to be kept for a different period to meet HMRC requirements.

10. Your right to access your information and counselling records

You have the right to access the personal information I hold about you. This may include information contained within your counselling records and session notes.

You can make this request verbally or in writing. 

11. Your other data protection rights

Data protection law gives you several rights in relation to your personal information. Depending on the circumstances and the lawful basis on which your information is being used, these may include the right to:

·       ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected;

·       ask for personal information to be deleted in certain circumstances;

·       ask for the use of your information to be restricted in certain circumstances;

·       object to certain ways in which your information is being used; and

·       receive or transfer certain personal information where the right to data portability applies.

These rights do not apply in every circumstance, and there may be situations where I have a lawful reason to continue to hold or use particular information. If you make a request, I will respond in accordance with current data protection law and explain the outcome to you.

Right to object: Where I rely on legitimate interests to use your personal information, you have the right to object to that processing. If you object, I will consider your request and whether there are compelling legitimate grounds for the processing to continue.

Withdrawing consent: Where I rely on your consent, including explicit consent for special category information, you can withdraw that consent at any time by contacting me. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before consent was withdrawn. I will explain any effect that withdrawal may have on the counselling service or on information that I am required or otherwise lawfully permitted to retain.

I do not use automated decision-making or profiling in relation to counselling clients.

12. Concerns and complaints

If you have any questions or concerns about how I collect, use or protect your personal information, please contact me in the first instance if you feel able to do so. I will take your concerns seriously and will try to resolve them with you.

If you are unhappy with how I have handled your personal information or responded to a data protection request, you have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection regulator.

If your concern relates to my counselling practice or professional conduct, rather than how I have handled your personal information, I am a member of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP) and work within their Ethical Framework and Professional Conduct Procedure. You can contact BACP for guidance or information about making a complaint.

ICO: https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/
BACP: https://www.bacp.co.uk/about-us/protecting-the-public/professional-conduct/

13. Changes to this Privacy Notice

I may update this Privacy Notice from time to time to reflect changes in my practice, the services or systems I use, or changes to legal or professional requirements.

The most recent version will be made available to clients and will show the date it was last updated.

Last updated: 30 September 2026