Privacy Policy

1.      Kathryn Smith-Verrall is the data controller for Shoreline Therapy and I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ZA759456).   

2.      You may contact the practice by phone, text, email, or via the website and will be asked for name and contact details which will be used only for replying to your request for information from me about counselling. I may also receive your details if you have asked a trusted individual to make contact on your behalf. I will delete this information within 7 days of contact in either case if you decide not to proceed with counselling. 

3.      My website is maintained by a third party service who provides standard internet log information and details or visitor information patterns. I do this to find out things such as the number of visitors to the various parts of the site. This information is used in a way that does not identify anyone.

4.      I collect certain data from you which will be held securely and confidentially in order to facilitate therapy, and to meet mandatory insurance requirements regarding therapeutic notes. These are not shared with any third party. I will keep your notes for five years after which they will be shredded. The notes are used as a reminder of topics discussed in sessions and your contact details may be used in order to inform you about appointments or to pass on information or resources that have been discussed in sessions. If you decide to engage in counselling you will be asked to consent to the following items of data being held about you as a condition of engaging in therapy: 

• Name 
• Address 
• Date of Birth 
• Mobile phone number 
• Email address 
• Doctor’s surgery 
• Next of kin and contact number 
• Medication currently taken 
• Previous experience of counselling 
• Use of alcohol, drugs, self-harm or experience of suicidal ideation 
• Brief notes on the content of therapeutic sessions 

5.      Text correspondence will be deleted after 7 days and emails relating to your work with me will be deleted once counselling has ended. If the contents are important to our work, hard copies will be retained in the client notes file.

6.      Clients will be asked to sign a consent sheet which will explain that the information will be kept confidential, only Kathryn Smith-Verrall will have access to it, and it will be used solely for clinical purposes and will only be shared with a third party at either 

• the explicit request of the client concerned, or 
• in the case of a safeguarding matter arising. 

7.      It will be kept for a period of five years from the date of collection as required by my insurer and then securely destroyed. 

You have the right to ask me to delete your personal information, to limit how I use your information or to stop processing your personal information. You may also have a copy of any information I hold about you.  If you wish to see your information, please contact me in writing via the Contact page.