Policy Statements

TERMS & CONDITIONS

General

The terms and conditions set out here apply to all sections and pages under the well-life-counselling.co.uk web site. They also refer, where relevant, to other services provided by me. These terms and conditions govern my relationship with you in relation to this web site. In using any part of this web site you will be deemed to have accepted these terms and conditions in their entirety. I reserve the right to update and modify these terms and conditions from time to time and the most current terms and conditions can be viewed by you on this page. By using this web site you agree to the amended terms and conditions. The web site to which these terms and conditions apply and for which I am responsible is well-life-counselling.co.uk. You may not use this web site for any purpose that is unlawful or breaches the terms and conditions set out on this page.

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About Well-Life-Counselling

Well-life-counselling is a counselling and psychotherapy practice owned by me, Andrew Brown, trading as Well-Life-Counselling. Access to my services is via this web site and any other site where I have advertised my practice. I operate exclusively online and can be contacted via information on this web site.

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Copyright

Any and all of the information contained on this website is provided as a free resource unless otherwise stated and may not be used for any commercial purposes of any kind without first gaining written consent from me. Unless stated otherwise I own the copyright and all intellectual property rights in and for all materials on this web site including anything I publish outside of this web site. These materials include, but are not limited to, the look and feel, appearance, design, layout, graphics and photographs, documents, articles and all text. I do not grant consent to use the content in this web site and no materials, in part or in full, may be reproduced in any form without prior written consent from me. If materials are provided for download I reserve the right to provide consent for download for private use only. Written consent to use the information and materials on this web site can be obtained by email at Andrew@well-life-counselling.co.uk. I reserve the right to deny access to this web site without notice at any time. From time to time I may provide links to other web sites. This is for your convenience only and does not signify that I endorse the web sites or their content and I hold no responsibility for the content of the linked web sites.

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Copyright © 2017 Andrew Brown

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Use of this Web Site

The content of this web site is for information purposes only and is subject to change without notice. I do not provide any guarantee as to the accuracy, timeliness, performance, completeness or suitability of the information and materials on this web site. You acknowledge that the information and materials in this web site may contain errors or inaccuracies and I accept no liability for any such inaccuracies or errors. Your use of any materials or information on this web site is entirely at your own risk, for which I shall not be liable. It shall be your own responsibility to ensure that any information, materials, products or services available through this web site meet your specific requirements. You may not create a link to this web site from any other web site or document without my prior written consent.

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Confidentiality and Data Protection

Well Life counselling is committed to protecting your confidentiality and personal data. For information about how I intend to ensure confidentiality and use and protect your personal data see my Privacy Policy.

Complaints

If you think I’m doing something wrong I will take it seriously. For information on how to make a complaint please see my Complaints Policy.

PRIVACY POLICY

General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) 2018

The GDPR, in force 25 May 2018, governs the way organisations treat personal data they hold. The organisation that overseas the GDPR is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Organisations and individuals responsible for peoples’ personal data must register with the ICO and seek to comply with its regulations. Well Life Counselling takes data protection seriously and seeks to comply with the GDPR and I am registered with the ICO in order to achieve this. This Privacy Policy is written in the spirit of the GDPR and provides information on how Well Life Counselling aims to protect data it holds belonging to its clients.

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General

When you use this web site and/or receive counselling from me you can be assured that confidentiality is of the utmost importance to me. Your details and information will not be shared with third parties without your consent and I will only use the data you provide to me in strict accordance with the terms and conditions set out on this web site and in line with this privacy policy. As a counsellor I am bound by the code of ethics of a number of governing bodies and will abide by them in my dealings with clients and potential clients. You can gain access to these governing bodies by contacting the organisations directly. See the logos on the footer of this website.

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Confidentiality in the Consultation Room

When you receive counselling services from me I will explain how I will maintain your confidentiality when we meet for your initial consultation. You will be able to ask any questions you have at that time. You can be assured that I will maintain confidentiality in all my dealings with you in line with the policy we agree during your initial consultation meeting and we will only move forward when you are completely satisfied with our agreement. Only in exceptional circumstances, such as safeguarding or if the law requires it, will information be made known to a third party. This will, however, only occur following discussion with you and will always be in line with ethical standards and the agreement we make during the initial consultation.

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Personal Information/Data

Your privacy is important to me and any personal information/data provided to me will be dealt with in line with the GDPR. This will include information gained from face-to-face meetings, telephone calls, texts, emails and information you provide via this web site. I may, from time to time, send you information about services that may be of interest or be of potential benefit to you, such as group counselling or community wellbeing awareness events that I may organise periodically or newsletters. However, should you not wish to receive such information you can make this known during our consultation meetings at any time. You can also contact me by email or telephone to make your wishes known.

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When using the contact page of this web site you will be asked to provide certain information. The information you provide will be kept confidential in line with my terms and conditions but will be used to enable me to respond to your request for information and/or counselling.

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Aggregated, non-personal data related to visits to the web site may be collected, such as the pages visited, searches made or time spent on the web site, for example. This information will only be used to improve the content of the web site and to understand the type of online traffic occurring on the site so that I can improve the services I provide.

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While I will strive to protect your personal information once I receive it, you acknowledge that the security of data transmitted over the internet cannot be guaranteed 100%.

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Your personal data will be used by Well Life Counselling alone and will not be shared with any third party unless I receive explicit consent from you.

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Data Controller

I, Andrew Brown, am the Data Controller for Well Life Counselling in that I determine the purpose and means of processing personal data.

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Legal Basis

The legal basis upon which I will process client personal information/data is ‘Consent‘. This means that I will seek explicit consent from my clients before I can hold and process any of their personal data. Consent can be withdrawn at any time by emailing me your desire for withdrawal.

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Individual rights

Under the GDPR my clients have the following individual rights in relation to how I process their personal data:

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1. The right to be informed

2. The right of access

3. The right to rectification

4. The right to erasure

5. The right to restrict processing

6. The right to data portability

7. The right to object

8. Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling

For detailed information on what these entail please visit the ico.org.uk website.

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In exercising these rights, for example, requesting access to information about personal data held, there will usually be no charge for complying with your request as long as I deem the request reasonable and it is not a repeat request. If the request is considered unreasonable, I reserve the right to make a charge for my time in complying with the request. I also reserve the right to refuse any request I deem unreasonable. Requests for information or in relation to the above individual rights, will normally be responded to as soon as possible and no longer than one calendar month.

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Data Retention

The personal data I hold from my work with clients will be held for 7 years following the end of the therapeutic relationship. This is for two main reasons:

1. In case a client returns for further therapy within this period

2. In case of the legal requirement to make information available during this period

Personal data held will be securely destroyed (paper copy) or deleted (electronic copy) once this period of 7 years ends.

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Cookies

Many web sites will use cookies, which are small data packets stored in your web browser. Cookies help me to identify information about how many people access this web site and the types of devices being used to connect, for example. This allows me to tailor this web site to improve its efficiency and content. You can manage how your device handles cookies or refuse them if you wish by changing your device settings.

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Links to other Web sites

I may provide links to other web sites. You should be aware that once you have left well-life-counselling.co.uk to visit another site I have no control over that web site and can accept no responsibility for its content or functionality. I cannot be responsible for the protection and privacy of any information you provide while visiting such sites. Sites outside of well-life-counselling.co.uk are not governed by my privacy policy.

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And finally

Please be assured that your wellbeing is at the heart of what I do both inside and outside of the consultation room. You will always be treated with respect and valued as an individual and this will be the case with regard to your privacy and the confidentiality of our relationship. If you have any questions or concerns about such things please feel free to contact me to discuss. If you wish to complain about anything related to data privacy, please speak to me in confidence. Complaints can also be taken to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) at its web site ico.org.uk.

COMPLAINTS POLICY

​I will strive at all times, in all my dealings with my clients, to operate in line with the ethical standards of my governing bodies. I will treat you with respect and value you as a human being and have your wellbeing at the heart of what I do. If, however, you feel I am doing something wrong then please tell me about it in the consultation room, where your views will be treated with the utmost respect and confidence. I will strive to understand and put right whatever it is that concerns you. Our dialogue will always be open and honest.

CANCELLATION POLICY

During the initial consultation we will discuss how we will work together.

Although there will be times when appointments will need to be cancelled or rearranged it is important that, where possible, sessions are conducted on a consistent and regular basis. Otherwise, this can be unhelpful or harmful to the client and be of detriment to the therapeutic process. Well Life Counselling takes your well-being seriously and it is of the utmost importance that you can commit to the required sessions in an uninterrupted manner. Therefore, unless otherwise agreed with your counsellor, the following will apply:

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1. If you miss or cancel an appointment with less than 48 hours’ notice, then the full cost of the missed session will be payable at your next session.

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2. If you cancel your next appointment with greater than 48 hours’ notice and the vacant slot cannot be filled, then a £10 cancellation charge will be payable at my discretion.

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3. If two consecutive sessions are missed or cancelled without sufficient justification, then your file will be closed, and you will be invited to re-join the waiting list.

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4. If attendance is erratic with appointments regularly missed or cancelled (two or more in a month or 4-week period) on more than one occasion, then your file will be closed, and you will be asked to consider coming back for therapy at such a time as you can regularly attend.

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5. If no contact or instruction is received from you within 2 weeks of your last scheduled, missed or cancelled session, then your file will be closed.