GDPR Statement

I am committed to your privacy and to the security of your data, as well as its appropriate, transparent and predictable use.

This GDPR notice addresses how I collect and use your information in the course of ethically and professionally running my coaching practice.

This notice applies to

  • All clients and potential clients from the point of data first being provided to me
  • Any 3rd parties who I am required to shared data with in line with the ethical and professional standards I am bound by

My data protection principles

I aim to comply with data protection laws and laws on GDPR. This requires that any personal information I hold about you must be:

  • Used lawfully, fairly and transparently
  • Collected for valid reasons and used in a way that has been explained to you, either here or in other settings
  • Relevant to the purposes it was collected for and which you were told about
  • Accurate and up-to-date
  • Kept only when necessary
  • Kept securely

What information do I gather/hold about clients?

  • Name and contact details for the purposes of running and administering a programme of coaching
  • In the case of clients working with me through Access to Work, I collect your name, address, phone number, job-related information, and national insurance number. I require this information in order to claim payment and follow-up on invoices raised with the Department for Work and Pensions
  • Information about your neurotype (self- or formally diagnosed) and information about your neurodivergent profile
  • Currently active and formerly active mental health conditions or physical health conditions in order to check my suitability for coaching you, that coaching is suitable, and bearing these conditions in mind when seeking to support you
  • Information about our coaching sessions, including any AI generated call summaries or WhatsApp voice notes, along with any emails relating to our coaching work which help me to understand you, your needs, and the progress we are making in sessions

Why do I gather this information?

I gather this information for legitimate business/accounting needs, to run your coaching professionally, efficiently and effectively, and to get to know you as a person and make sure I can support you in a way that feels appropriate and acceptable for you.

How do I gather this information?

  • By email
  • By WhatsApp
  • Through the contact form on my website
  • Through verbal or written communication before, during or after coaching conversations

How I will use this information

  • Building up a rich, working profile and picture of who you are, what you need, how I might deliver that for you, and checking that we have achieved this together by the end of coaching
  • When it is needed by law
  • When it is required to fulfil my contractual obligations to you
  • Where I need to protect your interests (though this is likely to be rare)
  • Where it is in the public interest to do so (also rare)
  • In coaching supervision (I am required, like therapists, to engage in supervision with a trained coach to examine the appropriacy and efficacy of my coaching, and I may discuss – in a confidential and anonymised setting – aspects of particular cases/contexts from time to time to assist in this.)
  • Dealing in any relevant legal disputes
  • To prevent fraud
  • To update you about my services, either with a legitimate link to potential or current coaching engagements, or in connection with a newsletter or similar that you have opted into, and are free to opt-out of at any time
  • To administer my business

Why might I share information with other third parties?

This can sometimes be required by law and by professional codes of ethics and conduct in coaching.

Data security

Appropriate measures have been taken to store any data safely and securely to prevent your data from being lost, or used/accessed in an unauthorised manner. Should any data breach occur, I will notify you and any other relevant parties required by law in a timely fashion. The internet is never completely secure, and I must advise you that data that you share with me online, as with all practitioners, is shared at your own risk.

Your duty

It is your duty to update me on changes to your data to ensure it is accurate.

Your rights

Under certain circumstances, under the law, you might be able to:

  • Request access to your personal information (subject access request)
  • Request correction of your personal information
  • Request erasure of your personal information
  • Object to processing of certain information
  • Request the transfer of information to another party e.g. a therapist or a different coach

Confidentiality policy

Aside from very specific and rare cases, any information shared with me relating to the administration or content of your coaching (as set out above) will be treated in strict confidence. As noted above, I may need to collect and use some personal information in order to claim or administrate payment for your coaching with relevant third parties.

If you are having coaching funded by a third party such as a workplace or Access to Work, the contents of your coaching sessions remain confidential. However in the case of coaching funded by your workplace, if it is agreed between you, I and the workplace that certain outcomes or contents of the coaching session are shared at any point in the contract we all are party to, of course this will be carried out in line with our three-way agreement.

Finally, in cases where your life is in danger, you are at serious personal risk, or you represent a risk to public safety, I am obliged to inform emergency services or other professional services in your interest or in the wider interest of the public. I may also contact any next of kin or relevant support/health worker if we have discussed me doing so, should you become seriously unwell or safety or the safety of others is at immediate risk.