What is personal information?

The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) defines personal information as any information that can be used to identify a living individual. Individuals can be identified by various means including their name, address, telephone number or email address for example.

Why do you want to process my personal information?

I need to process your personal information in order to fulfill my contractual obligations to you as a therapist, for example to assess whether I am able to offer you my services, or to deliver effective therapy to you. Your personal information helps guide both my assessment process, and my decision-making during therapy. I may use the information that I collect about you in order to develop a better psychotherapy website service without disclosing identifying information. My contractual obligations to you as a therapist are the lawful basis for my processing of your personal information.

How will you collect my personal information?

I will collect your personal information in the following ways: via my website: www.rapidtherapyjapan.com, over the telephone, in writing, and in person during our meetings.

How will you treat my personal information?

I will treat your personal information in a way that is compliant with the DPA. The lawful and proper treatment of your personal information is important to me, not least in order to maintain your confidence in me, but also to maintain the confidence of other clients and staff. Your information will be processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner; collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes; adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary; accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; kept in a form that permits identification of information subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal information are processed; and processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal information.

How will you store my personal information?

I will store your personal information both electronically and physically. Personal information is stored electronically on devices that are password and/or fingerprint I.D. protected, and in files that are further password protected and only accessible by me. Names and contact details may be stored separately to other personal information (anonymised format). Information is stored physically using paper records held securely in locked storage. These records are also only accessible by me.

How long will you store my personal information?

I will usually store your information for a minimum of 7years following the assumed completion of your treatment. However, I may need to store you information for longer than this, for instance in order to defend myself in a claim situation, or to comply with my insurance terms and conditions.

What types of information will you collect about me?

I will collect different types of information about you and in different ways. For instance, when you visit www.rapidtherapyjapan.com I will collect the following information about your visit: I.P. address, location, search engine, date, time, web pages visited, operating system, and device.

If you request a call-back via the web form on www.rapidtherapyjapan.com, I will collect the following information: name, telephone number, date, and time, and extra information you have given.

Before committing to provide you with psychotherapy services, I will ask you over the telephone to provide me with the following information: name, telephone number, address, availability, the issues that you would like to address, and symptoms.

Once we have agreed that therapy with me is right for you, and your therapy commences, I will collect further information from you that may include but is not limited to: goals for therapy, G.P. contact details, previous therapy, current medication, previous criminal convictions, network of support, financial and employment circumstances, health and physical issues, alcohol and drug use, appetite and sleep, family structure, overview of your family situation, and early memories of caregivers.

Who else will you collect information about?

I collect and process information about the individuals with whom my business operates. These include clients, staff, suppliers and other business contacts.

Who will my personal information be shared with?

Some of your personal information may be shared with your doctor, or other healthcare professionals, under certain exceptional circumstances. These include the requirements of a court of law, the threat of serious physical harm to you or to others, or during regular consultations with my professional supervisor. In the event of possible harm to yourself or others, I may be required by law to contact the appropriate authorities and share necessary information. Some of your personal information such as website visits, telephone call data, or payment information, is shared with the website provider, mobile phone operator, or card payment provider respectively. These providers operate under their own privacy policies, and these can be provided upon request.

Can I ask for a copy of the personal information that you store about me?

Yes. Any request that you make to obtain a copy of the personal information that I hold about you is called a ‘Subject Access Request’. You can write to me and ask for a copy of the information that I hold about you. I will respond to your request usually within one month at the latest. I may charge a fee for providing this information based on the administrative costs involved.

Can I request that you delete my personal information?

Yes. You can request for your personal information to be deleted in writing. There may be an administrative charge for this. I may also have the right to refuse to comply with your request, for example in order to defend myself in a claim situation, or to comply with my insurance terms and conditions, and I will let you know my response to your request within one month of receiving it.

If you feel in any way the privacy policy is not being followed, I ask you to please contact me at info@rapidrapidtherapyjapan.com