Privacy Policy

I understand that any information collected by Dr Helen Coote is confidential and that if she has safeguarding concerns regarding myself, my children or other people I am in contact with she may need to share this information with other agencies. Dr Coote will aim to discuss these concerns with me first where possible. I agree to sharing GP details, my DoB and address with her to this effect.

I understand that Dr Coote may make notes about our sessions in writing for both my session and her supervision purposes. Any information that is recorded/written will be kept in a lockable filing cabinet in her office. She is registered with the ICO for safe keeping of this information. She understands GDPR and ISO 27001 practices and abides by these for data stored on digital devices. Data collected about me will be kept for 7 years in line with her insurance company and governing body policies, other than in the event of her death. In the event of Dr Coote being incapacitated, my contact details will be passed on to Natalie Garnett, Counsellor and Psychotherapist; she will contact me and ensure my clinical notes are safely destroyed.

I understand that Dr Coote will not discuss or engage with me on social media or at any public engagements she is involved with as this is not part of our therapy agreement.

I am aware that text messages and emails are only to be a form of communication about appointment times/changes and Dr Coote will not discuss other content via email or text.

We agree that phones may be present in the therapy session only if they are turned to silent or off and unless it is an emergency neither of us will answer it. I agree that I am able to contract to discuss with Dr Coote text-based messages and emails on my phone if it is relevant to my therapy and that in so doing I am aware of the content on my phone and email being legal and within safeguarding remits.

Clients may not record the session. If Dr Coote would like to record a session for her continuing professional development, she will get my written permission to do this before recording and the data will be stored according to GDPR recommendations.