Privacy Policy

I know that sharing personal information can feel vulnerable in the current climate, something I am conscious of when you are already taking the courageous and yet vulnerable decision to look into your counselling options. I want you to feel clear about what information is collected, why it is needed, how it is kept safe and what your rights are.

This Privacy Policy explains how All Voices Counselling (AVC) handles personal information when you contact me directly or when you work with me through the Omnia Therapy platform.

Who I am

All Voices Counselling is the private counselling practice of Mariama Mansfield-Njie, an MBACP registered Person-Centred counsellor.

I am responsible for the personal information you provide directly to me through All Voices Counselling, including information shared by email or during our counselling work.

Email: hello@allvoicescounselling.com

Current practice address: 41 Berkeley House, Charlotte Street, Bristol, BS15PY, United Kingdom

Counselling through Omnia Therapy

I currently provide my online counselling sessions entirely through Omnia Therapy, part of Omnia Health Group.

If you book a counselling session with me through Omnia Therapy, information relating to your booking, appointment and payment is collected and processed through Omnia Therapy’s secure platform.

This may include information such as your name, contact details and appointment information.

Omnia Therapy has its own privacy policy explaining how it collects, uses and stores personal information through its platform. I encourage you to read this before making a booking.

As a counsellor providing services through the Omnia Therapy platform, I may have access to information about you that is made available to me through the platform in connection with your counselling. I will handle any information I access in accordance with applicable data protection law, my professional responsibilities as an MBACP counsellor and the confidentiality obligations that apply to my work.

Where information is provided directly to All Voices Counselling, I am responsible for determining how and why that information is processed and act as the data controller for that information.

Information you provide directly to All Voices Counselling

If you contact me directly rather than through Omnia Therapy, I may collect:

• Your name and contact details, such as your email address and telephone number
• Information contained in your enquiry or other correspondence with me
• Information you choose to share about yourself when discussing counselling
• Information relating to arrangements for your counselling
• Relevant counselling or session notes where these are necessary for the safe and effective provision of counselling
• Information relating to safeguarding, where relevant

Some information shared during counselling may constitute special category personal data, including information relating to your physical or mental health.

I only collect and use information that is relevant and necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy.

How I use information I receive directly

Where I am the data controller, I may use your personal information to:

• Respond to enquiries and communicate with you
• Discuss whether counselling with me is appropriate for you
• Arrange and manage counselling sessions where this is done directly with me
• Provide and appropriately record counselling support
• Maintain appropriate professional records
• Meet my professional, legal, safeguarding and insurance responsibilities
• Respond to complaints or legal requests where I have a legal obligation to do so

I do not sell your personal information or use information shared with me in counselling for marketing purposes.

Lawful basis for processing

Data protection law requires me to have a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, I may rely on:

• Contract - where processing is necessary to provide a counselling service you have requested
• Legitimate interests - where processing is necessary for the safe and effective running of my practice and is not overridden by your rights
• Legal obligation - where I am required to process or retain information by law
• Vital interests - in limited circumstances where processing is necessary to protect someone’s life
• Consent - where consent is the appropriate lawful basis for a particular use of your information

Some of the information you may choose to share during counselling may be considered sensitive or “special category” personal data under UK data protection law, such as information relating to your physical or mental health. Where this applies, I will only process this information where I have an appropriate legal basis to do so and will take additional care to protect it in accordance with Article 9 of the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality is an important part of counselling and I will treat what you share with me with care and respect.

I will not ordinarily disclose information about you or our work together without your knowledge and consent.

There are, however, circumstances where the boundaries of our confidentiality may need to be extended. These may include:

• Where there is a serious and foreseeable risk of harm to you or someone else
• Where there are safeguarding concerns
• Where I am required or authorised to disclose information by law
• Where disclosure is necessary to comply with a legal or professional obligation
• Where information needs to be discussed appropriately within professional supervision

Where it is appropriate and safe to do so, I will aim to discuss any necessary disclosure with you beforehand.

As a counsellor, I also have a professional responsibility to use supervision. I take care to protect your identity and confidentiality when discussing my work in supervision.

Information held through Omnia Therapy

Where you book and receive counselling through Omnia Therapy, information relating to your booking, payment and use of the platform is processed through Omnia Therapy’s systems.

Omnia Therapy is responsible for the processing it carries out through its own platform and has its own privacy information explaining how it handles personal data.

You can find further information about Omnia Therapy and its privacy practices through its website.

Any information made available to me through the platform in connection with providing your counselling will be handled by me in accordance with applicable data protection law, professional standards and my confidentiality obligations.

Counselling records

I keep appropriate counselling records where these are necessary to support safe and effective practice and meet my professional responsibilities.

My records are:

• Relevant and limited to what is necessary
• Stored securely
• Kept separately where appropriate
• Accessed only where there is a legitimate professional reason to do so

I do not make detailed transcripts of counselling sessions. Any notes I make are intended to be brief, relevant and appropriate to the nature of the service I provide.

Data security

I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal information from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, alteration or disclosure.

Information processed through Omnia Therapy is subject to the security measures and data protection arrangements of that platform.

For information that I receive or store directly, I take appropriate steps to keep it secure and confidential.

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure, but I take reasonable steps to minimise the risks associated with electronic communication and digital storage.

Your rights

Depending on the circumstances, you may have rights under UK data protection law to:

• Ask what personal information I hold about you
• Request a copy of your personal information
• Ask me to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of your information where there is no longer a lawful reason for me to retain it
• Ask me to restrict how your information is processed in certain circumstances
• Object to certain types of processing
• Withdraw consent where I am relying on consent as the lawful basis for processing

Some of these rights are subject to legal or professional exceptions. For example, I may need to retain certain counselling records where I have a professional or legal obligation to do so.

Where your request relates to information processed directly by Omnia Therapy, you may also need to contact Omnia Therapy directly.

If you have any questions about information held or processed directly by All Voices Counselling, please contact hello@allvoicescounselling.com.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how I have handled your personal information, I would encourage you to contact me first so that I have the opportunity to understand and address your concerns.

Where your concern relates to information processed directly by Omnia Therapy, you may also contact Omnia Therapy through the details provided in its privacy policy.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent supervisory authority for data protection.

Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)

Changes to this Privacy Policy

I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to my practice, the services I use, or relevant legal and professional requirements.

The date at the top of this page shows when this Privacy Policy was last updated.