General Data Protection Regulation

Before we begin working together, I’ll need to gather some personal information from you. This helps me support you in the best and most effective way possible. Please rest assured that your privacy is very important to me, and I’m fully committed to looking after your information with care and in line with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), as well as the ethical guidelines of the Association for Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (AfSFH) and the Complementary and Natural Healthcare Council (CNHC).

I’m insured through Holistic Insurance Services, and my practice DLM Hypnotherapy is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). If you’d like to learn more about that, you can visit: https://ico.org.uk/. As a sole trader, I am both the Data Controller and the Data Protection Officer.

While you are not legally obligated to provide any personal information, withholding it may affect my ability to work with you effectively.

What kind of personal information will I ask for?

To give you the best possible care and support, I’ll need to gather a few important details like your name, contact information, an emergency contact, a brief overview of your medical history, and also what you'd like support with. During our sessions, I’ll also take some notes to help me keep track of your progress and any insights we explore together.

Everything you share is treated with complete confidentiality and care. These notes and details help me stay connected to your journey, so I can tailor each session to you and reflect back on what’s been helpful along the way. Your contact information will only ever be used if I need to get in touch with you urgently.

Will you discuss information about me with other health and social care professionals?

Your privacy is deeply respected, and everything you share with me is kept in confidence. That said, part of my professional responsibility is to make sure that you and others are safe. If I’m ever genuinely concerned that you may be at risk of harming yourself or someone else, I may need to share that information with the appropriate people or services who can help.

If this ever becomes necessary, I’ll always aim to talk with you about it first and involve you in the process wherever possible. There are also rare occasions where I may be legally required to share information, such as if it’s requested by a court or the police through a proper legal order.

How will my Data be stored?

Your privacy and trust mean a lot to me, and I take great care in keeping your personal information safe and secure. Here’s how I do that:

Session Notes: Any notes I take during our sessions are first written by hand, then securely digitized and stored electronically. Once they’re safely saved, the paper versions are destroyed. Everything is kept in a secure, password-protected and encrypted folder on a computer that’s also protected by a strong password.

Text Messages: If we communicate by text, please know that my phone is locked with both a PIN and biometric security to keep everything private.

Emails: My email account is protected with two-step verification to add an extra layer of security.

Electronic Documents: If I ever create documents that contain your personal information, like a letter for your GP or an invoice, they’re always password-protected and stored securely on my password-protected computer.

How long will you store my Data?

As a registered member of the CNHC and AfSFH, I’m required to keep your records for 8 years after our final session together. This is in line with NHS guidelines and helps ensure I meet professional and legal standards.

After that time, your records will be securely deleted the following January. Until then, they’ll be stored safely and handled with the same level of care and confidentiality as always.

What if I don't want you to hold onto my records that long?

As part of my professional duties, I’m required to keep certain records like session notes and messages related to our work. However, if you’d prefer, you can ask for your data to be anonymized. That means I’ll remove any personal or identifying information and store the remaining documents under a coded name, so they can no longer be linked back to you.

If you'd like to request this, just send an email to [email protected]. I’ll take care of it promptly, and there’s absolutely no charge for this service.

Can I see or get a copy of the information held by DLM Hypnotherapy?

You have the right to see the personal information I hold about you. If you'd like a copy, just send me a written request letting me know what you’d like to access. I’ll need to confirm your identity first (just to keep things safe), and then I’ll get the information to you within 30 days. There’s no charge for this, though in some cases, my insurance provider’s legal team may need to review the request before I share the information, just to make sure everything’s handled properly.

Is what we discuss confidential?

Everything you share with me in our sessions is treated with the utmost care and kept completely confidential. As part of my commitment to offering you the best possible support, I sometimes reflect on my work with a qualified Supervisor. This is a normal part of safe and ethical practice, and it helps me stay grounded, supported, and effective. If I do talk about our sessions, I’ll never share your name or any identifying details, and my Supervisor also follows strict GDPR guidelines and confidentiality standards.

What if I see you outside of a session?

If we run into each other outside of our sessions, I’ll likely smile and say hello, but I won’t start a longer conversation. This is just to make sure your privacy is always protected. Of course, if you’d like to share with others that you’re in hypnotherapy, that’s completely up to you, and you're welcome to do so.

How does it work if I live overseas?

Our sessions will continue as usual, since my insurance allows me to work with clients remotely anywhere in the world. Just so you’re aware, my practice is covered under Scottish law, which means that if any legal matters were ever to come up, they would be handled under the jurisdiction of the UK courts.

What if I need to cancel a session?

I know that unexpected things can come up, and I’m always happy to reschedule or cancel a session if I’m given more than 24 hours’ notice. If it’s less than 24 hours, I’m not able to offer a refund, unless there are special circumstances, which I’ll consider on a case-by-case basis.

For block bookings, a missed session may be deducted, and please note that block bookings are non-refundable. Since I work with many clients, I kindly ask that you respect both my time and the commitment you’ve made to your sessions.

Hypnotherapy works best when it’s consistent, so regular attendance is really important. If cancellations become frequent, I may need to pause or bring our work together to a close.

Who is the Data Controller and what is their ICO Registration number?

The Data Controller is Dee Muchmore, trading name DLM Hypnotherapy.

My ICO Registration number is: ZB829017.