Confidentiality & Privacy

Your privacy and confidentiality

Therapy depends on trust. This page explains how your confidentiality is protected, the rare limits to that confidentiality, and how your personal information is handled under data-protection law.

A confidential space

What you share in our work together is treated in the strictest confidence. As an Accredited Member of the Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (IACP), I work to the IACP Code of Ethics and Practice, which places confidentiality at the heart of the therapeutic relationship. I will not discuss your identity or what you bring to sessions with anyone outside the limited exceptions described below.

The limits to confidentiality

Confidentiality is fundamental, but it is not absolute. There are a small number of circumstances in which I may need to share information, ideally with your knowledge and agreement wherever possible:

• Risk of serious harm. If there is a serious and identifiable risk to your life or safety, or to that of another person, I may need to take steps to keep people safe, which can include contacting emergency services, your GP or a next of kin.
• Safeguarding. Where there is a concern about the welfare of a child or a vulnerable adult, I may be obliged to share information with the relevant authorities (for example, Tusla or An Garda Síochána).
• Legal requirement. In rare cases I may be required by law or a court order to disclose information, or there may be a statutory duty to report certain matters.
• Clinical supervision. Like all accredited therapists, I attend regular professional supervision to support safe, ethical practice. Your work may be discussed there, but your identity is protected and the supervisor is also bound by confidentiality.

Wherever it is safe and practical to do so, I will talk with you first before sharing any information, and share only what is necessary.

Session records and notes

I keep brief, factual notes to support our work and to meet professional and legal requirements. These are stored securely and kept separate from any information that identifies you wherever possible. Notes are retained for the period required by professional guidance and Irish law, after which they are securely destroyed.

How your personal information is handled (GDPR)

I am the data controller for the personal information you provide. Your data is processed in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018.

• What I collect. Contact details (such as your name, phone number and email), brief session notes, and any relevant background you choose to share. Information about your health is treated as a special category of data and given extra protection.
• Why I collect it. To provide and manage your therapy, to arrange appointments, to keep appropriate records, and to issue receipts. The lawful bases are typically your consent and the provision of health and social care.
• How it is stored. Records are held securely, whether on paper or electronically, with access restricted to me alone.
• Who it is shared with. Your information is never sold or shared for marketing. It is only shared in the limited circumstances set out in “The limits to confidentiality” above.
• How long it is kept. Only for as long as is necessary to meet professional and legal obligations, after which it is securely destroyed.

Your rights

Under data-protection law you have the right to access the personal information I hold about you, to ask for inaccurate information to be corrected, and, in certain circumstances, to request its erasure or to object to its processing. To exercise any of these rights, please get in touch using the details below. If you have a concern about how your data is handled, you also have the right to contact the Data Protection Commission.

Online and phone sessions

Online sessions are conducted over a secure video platform, and I take care to hold sessions in a private setting. For your own privacy, I encourage you to join from a quiet, confidential space where you will not be overheard.

Questions

If anything here is unclear, or you would like to talk through how confidentiality works before we begin, you are very welcome to ask. We can discuss it together as part of your free initial consultation.

Last updated: June 2026. This page describes current practice and may be updated from time to time.