I(Szilvia Kovacs, psychologist) understand how important your privacy is. I take care to maintain your confidentiality in accordance with current data protection laws (GDPR, 2018) and the ethical guidelines of ICA, EB-ACA, and EUROPSY. These guidelines have been set up to protect your confidential material and ensure that your therapist always conducts themselves with professionalism and integrity.

To provide you with the best possible service, I will retain your contact details and records of your therapy sessions. Please find below important information on how this information will be stored and used.

YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION

I use the secure, encrypted, password-protected practice management platform (Jotform) to collect and store your data. When you book your initial consultation with me, you will be asked to provide your personal contact information, including your name, address, email address, and telephone number. You may also choose to share details of the issues for which you are seeking assistance.

Your contact information is stored securely in Jotform and can only be accessed by me, your therapist.

In your initial consultation or first treatment session, I will ask you for contact information for your GP and the person you have designated as your elected Emergency Contact to fulfil my duty of care to you. These details will be stored securely in Jotform and used only for the intended purpose.

This personal information will be kept for the duration of your therapy and then deleted from my Jotform database.

Please note that I will need to retain a record of your name and client reference number for five years after the end of your therapy, so that we can respond effectively to any future requests regarding your clinical notes and treatment.

| will never pass on your contact details to any third-party organisations for sales, marketing or research and will never use your data for any purposes other than the administration of the counselling service I am providing, i.e. to arrange, cancel and rearrange appointments and collect payment for sessions.

ONLINE BOOKINGS

When you make an online booking or payment, Jotform will email me a booking notification and send it through the Jotform messaging system.

Anonymised payment details are recorded in our financial income reports. These reports will only hold your first name, last name initial and unique client reference number. The HMRC requires that we retain this information for five years after the end of the financial year

SECURE PAYMENTS

All payments made through my websites (www.pszichobutik, www.inspiripsy) or my app "DOCUHUB" are processed via the secure Stripe Connect platform. Neither my websites nor my app stores your payment information. If you have paid for your session by bank transfer or via Wise/Revolut, I will never store your card details. Your information is input directly into the card payment portal and is not written.

YOUR THERAPY SESSIONS

During remote work, I will conduct online and telephone sessions in a quiet, private, and confidential setting. I have selected Zoom, a video calling platform that offers end-to-end encryption to ensure maximum privacy.

Please note, however, that we cannot be held responsible for any breaches due to failures in this technology.

Occasionally, I discuss my clinical work with a supervisor to ensure I provide you with the best possible service. These conversations are confidential, and you will only be referred to by your first name.

I keep notes of each session. These are anonymised and stored in a locked filing cabinet or a password-protected file within the secure system. These notes are for my use only and help me keep track of everything discussed. In line with industry guidelines, these notes will be kept securely for up to seven years after your therapy ends. After this period, they will be destroyed confidentially.

If your sessions are paid for or arranged via a third party (e.g. your employer, a friend, or a family member), other than payment requests, invoices or receipts, your counselling information will not be shared. Details about what is discussed in your sessions will remain confidential between us. Any other information can only be shared if you provide your written consent.

YOUR COMMUNICATION WITH US

All of our email accounts use a secure server and are double password-protected. If you send an email to my address, only I can access it.

All phones, tablets, and laptops used to respond to your emails are encrypted, protected by antivirus software, and password-protected.

DATA USAGE

I will use only your email address and telephone number to contact you regarding your appointments. | I may also contact you directly via email to share information pertinent to your therapeutic process.

Your phone number may also be used to issue appointment reminders via text message.

YOUR RIGHTS

Any personal data I retain is processed in accordance with the GDPR (2018).

Under these guidelines, you have the following rights

1. The right to request access to your data

You may request access to the information we hold about you (e.g., contact details, appointment logs) at any time. If you would like to see your session notes during therapy, please let me know. If you require a copy of your notes after your therapy has ended, please email me to request it.

2. The right of rectification

At any time during your use of my service or for seven years thereafter, while we retain your records, you have the right to request amendments to your contact details or session notes. You can exercise this right either by speaking directly to me or by contacting me in writing.

3. The right to be forgotten

You can request that | delete and confidentially destroy the information that | hold about you and your sessions at any time. This request can be made by contacting me.

Instances where I would not be able to comply with your request are as follows:

a) It is necessary for me to retain these records to continue providing an

b) | am compelled to retain these records by a Court of Law

c) | require these records to establish, exercise or defend legal claims

CONSENT

When you book your first session with me via my app, DOCUHUB, you will be asked to provide a digital signature and to tick a checkbox confirming your consent to the storage and processing of your personal data for the provision of therapeutic services.

You can withdraw this consent at any time and can do SO by emailing me.

BREACHES OF DATA PROTECTION

In the event of any breach of my data protection policies, I will notify you and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO registration number ZB788040) within 72 hours and will seek to rectify this immediately.

RAISING CONCERNS

Our Privacy Policy complies with both the ICO and the EDBP.

Should you have any concerns about our data protection practices, please contact me directly.

Email: info@pszichobutik.online

You can also notify the Information Commissioner's Office.

https://ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint/

https://www.edpb.europa.eu/notify-data-breachen

I hereby declare that I have read and understood all of the above.