Privacy Notice - Ben Ward Counselling
Ben Ward CounsellingLast updated: 19 October 2026IntroductionI am Ben Ward, an independent counsellor based in Hertfordshire, offering online and telephone counselling to adults across the UK.I take your privacy and confidentiality seriously. This notice explains how I collect, use, store and protect your personal information when you contact me or receive counselling.I am responsible for the personal information I hold as part of my counselling practice. This is known as being a data controller under UK data protection law.If you have any questions about how your information is handled, you can contact me at:[email protected]Information I collectWhen you contact me or begin counselling, I may collect information such as:- Your name, contact details and other information needed to arrange counselling.
- Information about your personal circumstances, health and wellbeing that you choose to share.
- Brief notes relating to our counselling sessions.
- Information necessary for appointments, payments and professional record-keeping.I only collect information that is relevant and necessary for providing counselling and managing my practice.Why I collect your informationYour information is used to:- Respond to enquiries and arrange appointments.
- Provide counselling and maintain appropriate clinical records.
- Communicate with you about sessions.
- Manage payments and maintain financial records.
- Meet professional, ethical and legal responsibilities.For general personal information, the lawful bases may include taking steps towards or fulfilling our counselling agreement, complying with legal obligations, and legitimate interests where appropriate.Information about health and wellbeing is treated as special-category information and requires additional protection under UK data protection law. The applicable legal condition must also be established.ConfidentialityWhat you share during counselling is treated as confidential.There are, however, limited circumstances in which confidentiality may need to be broken, including where there is a serious concern about safety or where disclosure is required by law.I also receive professional clinical supervision to support safe and ethical practice. Client material discussed in supervision is shared with identifying details minimised wherever practicable.The limits of confidentiality will be explained more fully before counselling begins.How your information is storedClient information and counselling records are held electronically using secure, access-controlled storage with encryption during transmission and while stored on the cloud provider's servers.Personal identifying information is kept separately from counselling session notes. Session notes contain limited identifying information to help protect client confidentiality.Electronic records are stored using a cloud storage provider with European-based servers. Access to client records is restricted to the counsellor.Professional correspondence is handled through a dedicated email service.How long I keep your informationCounselling records are normally retained for seven years following the end of our work together, after which they are securely deleted, unless there is a legal or professional reason to retain them for longer.Enquiries from people who do not go on to begin counselling are normally deleted six months after the last contact, unless there is a legitimate reason to retain them for longer.Financial records are retained for the period required by applicable tax and accounting rules.Sharing your informationI use third-party service providers for professional email and electronic storage. These services process information on my behalf to support the administration of my counselling practice.I do not sell client information or share it for marketing purposes.Information may be disclosed where there is a legal obligation, a justified safeguarding concern or another applicable professional or legal requirement.Where appropriate, I will discuss any proposed disclosure with you first.Your rightsUnder UK data protection law, you may have the right to:- Request access to the personal information held about you.
- Ask for inaccurate information to be corrected.
- Request deletion of information in certain circumstances.
- Request restrictions on how your information is used.
- Object to certain uses of your information.
- Request a transfer of your information where applicable.These rights are not absolute and may depend on the circumstances and the lawful basis for processing.You can contact me at [email protected] if you wish to exercise any of these rights.You also have the right to raise a concern with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO):https://ico.org.ukChanges to this noticeThis privacy notice may be updated to reflect changes in my practice, the services I use or relevant legal requirements.The latest version will be available on my website.---Ben Ward MBACPRegistered Member of the British Association for Counselling and PsychotherapyBACP registration number: 420158[email protected]