Secure Storage
Your details will be stored and kept securely and confidentially in a safe filing system (in locked filing cabinets, one for personal records, one for session notes as appropriate).
Anonymised session hours, dates and brief case notes are used for use as evidence of practice and for basing practice. These are held securely on a password protected USB flash-drive that provides data security with Federal Information Processing Standards' FIPS 197 certified AES 256-bit hardware encryption.
Some of this anonymised information may be used in future for completing my statements when applying for accreditations.
Information collection and processing
- Information provided by you
You may provide information about yourself by corresponding with me by phone or email, or other means. This includes information you provide when you subscribe to my blog, comment on a blog post or send a message through my contact form, and when you report a problem with my site. The information you provide may include your name, address, e-mail address and phone number and any other information you volunteer.
- Information I collect about you
I will use Google Analytics to capture the time of day users visit, where from in the world, the device they used to visit and the pages visited.
NOTE: My website is hosted by Future. They won’t collect any data from you.
- Uses made of the information
I use the held information you provide and information I collect about you for carrying out my professional and contractual obligations during our working relationship. This includes:
- Ensuring the terms found in the Treatment Agreement Contract are upheld by both parties.
- In Case of Emergency (ICE) contact numbers for where disclosure might be necessary – I will contact your GP or next of kin in these cases, with your knowledge and consent UNLESS it is a case of terrorism, human trafficking or money laundering, which by law I must report without the need for consent.
- Information I receive from other sources (Google Analytics, anonymised customer feedback submitted and any third party referrals), in which case data will be handled safely as noted in the points above.
Disclosure of your information
I will not share your personal information with anyone else, unless there is a duty to disclose in order to comply with any legal obligation (terrorism alerts, human trafficking, money laundering).
For counselling, the only other person involved in your case will be my Supervisor, who is held by the same privacy, data protection and confidentiality clauses as described here and in my contract. Counselling Supervision is a compulsory ethical requirement for ensuring sound practice. Only your first name, or an abbreviation of this, will be known to them, or if you choose to be anonymised further, initials or aliases can be used.
Where I store your personal data
The data collected will be kept in a password protected electronic system and discarded either when you withdraw your consent for use or once the retention period of 7 yearsfor closed client records, as stated by my insurer, has ended.
- Access to information
The current Act gives you the right to access information held about you. Your right of access can be exercised in accordance with the Act.
- Your rights
You have the right to opt-out of receiving marketing emails or surveys from me. I have added this clause in my contract. You can also let me know whether you want to change how I use your data.
- Your right to Access
You have the right to ask for a copy of your personal information, free of charge, in an electronic or paper format. You also have the right to ask me to amend or change any incorrect information about you.
- Your right to be forgotten
You have the right to ask me to delete any information that I hold about you, including personal information that is no longer relevant to original purposes – for example when our therapeutic relationship has ended or if you wish to withdraw consent. In all cases and when considering such requests, these rights are obligatory unless it’s information that I have a legal obligation to retain.
- Data Portability
You have the right to receive your personal information as previously provided, and to transfer this information to another party.
If you follow a link from my websites to any other websites, please see their own privacy policies for your information and security.
Cookies
I (Emma) built this page using a ColorLib template. I don’t hold any data in regards to cookies. I'm not currently doing anything fancy enough to require them, but if those change in the future I will update this page.
The following are cookies that might be held for the general use of the blog:
Strictly Necessary – These are the cookies that are essential for blogs to perform their basic functions.
Functionality – These cookies are used to store preferences set by users such as account name, language, and location. They are not used to track visitors on sites that are not hosted by Google.
Performance – Performance cookies collect information on how users interact with websites hosted by Google, including what pages are visited most, as well as other analytical data. These details are only used to improve how a website functions.
Controlling cookies - Visitors may wish to restrict the use of cookies, or completely prevent them from being set. Most browsers provide for ways to control cookie behaviour such as the length of time they are stored – either through built-in functionality or by utilizing third party plugins.
For more details on advertising cookies, and how to manage them, visit youronlinechoices.eu (EU based), or youradchoices.com (US based).
It’s important to note that restricting or disabling the use of cookies can limit the functionality of sites, or prevent them from working correctly at all.
- Web beacons and other tracking technologies
Both websites and HTML e-mails may also contain other tracking technologies such as ‘web beacons’. These are typically small transparent images that provide us with statistics, for similar purposes as cookies. They are often used in conjunction with cookies, though they are not stored on your computer in the same way. As a result, if you disable cookies, the web beacons may still load, but their functionality will be restricted.
Privacy Policy
I am Emma Ross.
I have built this site and operate under the title of Work Smart Live Happy.
I am committed to respecting and protecting your privacy.
The way this website operates is straightforward. It does not use cookies.
Data that you voluntarily submit via e-mail is directed to a secure e-mail service provided by Proton Mail.
The anonymous Customer Feedback form I use is hosted by Google Forms. Google collects your IP address for their purposes. Nobody gets to see any of your personal details such as e-mail address.
If you do decide to work with me I will hold your personal data in accordinace to GDPR. My insurer requests that I store personal records for 7 years. Personal records (Intake Assessment form and signed contract) containing personal details e.g. contact details are stored seperately from session case notes - I am obliged to store brief objective notes on sessions that take place, as evidence that something happened and as a mental prompt to look back on to see the main points previously covered. If you submit personal details as part of initial enquiries and then decide not to begin working with me then I destroy the personal details that you have submitted.
This policy sets out how I will process any personal data I collect from you, or that you provide to me. Please read the following carefully to understand how I will treat your personal data.
By visiting the domains linked to this site you are accepting and consenting to the practices described in this policy:
http://www.worksmartlivehappy.net
http://www.worksmartlivehappy.co.uk
http://www.emmaross.org
http://www.emmaross.net
http://www.emmaross.co.uk
I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).
For the purpose of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (Regulation (EU) 2016/679) superseding the Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA, the Act) I (Emma Ross) am named as the Data Controller (address available on request).