Questions & Concerns
How do I make an appointment?
You can find my contact details in the CONTACT section of this site. You can email me, contact me by phone or use online enquiry service on the website. I aim to respond to my emails/enquiries within 48 hours. Prior to the first appointment, I am happy to offer a free 15-minute telephone consultation to discuss what you would like help with and whether I could be of help. Following this we can arrange an appointment for an initial assessment.
When and where are appointments available?
I have clinics in the City of London, Guildford, Croydon, Banstead, Brockham & Tunbridge Wells.
How much does each session last and how much does it cost?
Please allow up to 50 minutes for an initial assessment appointment. Further sessions are of 50 minutes duration.
Please refer to the FEES section of this website for more details.
Payment is required in full by BACS 24 hours before the date and time of the session (payable to MGM Psychology).
How many sessions will I need?
This depends on the nature of your difficulty. I would suggest initially 6-12. However it is possible to achieve positive results in fewer sessions. In any event we would keep this under regular review.
Is the service confidential?
As an HCPC registrant, my professional and legal duty is to respect and protect the confidentiality of service users at all times.
However, in some circumstances—such as a situation where I need to prevent serious harm to other people—it may be necessary to disclose confidential information. In this type of situation, I need to consider whether it is in the public interest to disclose the information, and seek appropriate advice and support as necessary.
What is your Cancellation Policy?
Please contact me as soon as you are aware that you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.
Unfortunately, appointments cancelled at less than 48 hours notice will be charged the full fee. This also applies to cases of unforeseen events (such as illness or childcare difficulties) as all consultations are pre-arranged and it is unlikely that I will be able to offer the appointment slot to another client within this time frame.
Privacy Policy?
I take the collection and storage of your information very seriously and I comply with both the Data Protection Act 1998, and also the European General Data Protection Regulations 2018.
I act as the Data Controller and I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO): https://ico.org.uk/.
Information collected about you and how it is used
Upon starting therapy, basic personal information will be collected for contact and identification reasons. During your therapy meetings, an assessment of your psychological health will be completed, and notes will be taken during sessions. These will include personal and sensitive details about your life. The assessment and notes are used solely for the delivery of a therapy service to you.
Private Medical Insurance data: If you/your child are referred by a health insurance provider, then I will also collect and process personal data provided by that organisation. This includes basic contact information, referral information, and health insurance policy number and authorisation for psychological treatment.
Electronic Data
Any electronic notes written about the work will be stored in a password protected file on my computer or on encrypted memory stick.
If you have emailed me, and / or have consented to me emailing you, your email will be stored in an account that is password protected. If you use the contact message form on my website, this information will be sent to a password protected email address that is only accessible by me. I will delete any email correspondence for any individuals who are not on my caseload.
I will not share any information about you with third parties without your consent with the exception of that detailed in the section regarding confidently above.
Your rights
You have rights relating to the information I hold to verify the accuracy or to ask for them to be supplemented, deleted, updated or corrected. You have the right to request a copy of the information that I hold about you. If you would like a copy of some or all of your personal information, please email or write to me via the contact details stated in this agreement. Information will be provided to you within 30 days if this is appropriate.
You may ask me to correct or remove information you think is inaccurate. You have a right to request the transfer of your data to another individual or company.
Data Retention
Your information is kept for the time necessary to provide the therapy service requested. At the end of therapy, any hard copy documents will be scanned and saved on a password protected computer only I have access to. The hard copies will then be securely destroyed (shredded). I will hold your details and session notes electronically for a period of 7 years following the end of treatment to comply with legal obligations set by my insurers. In the case of a children and young people, records will be kept for 7 years after they reach the age of majority (18). After this date, all data will be securely deleted.
Sharing of data
There may be times where your information needs to be shared with third parties. I will explicitly ask your consent before doing so, and the data will be sent to third parties securely.
If you/your child are/is referred by a health insurance provider, or otherwise claiming through a health insurance policy to fund therapy, then I will share appointment schedules with that organisation for the purposes of billing. I may also share information with that organisation to provide treatment updates.
If you would like me to share information about your/your child’s treatment with outside organisations that are directly involved in your/your child’s care/case, for instance, your GP or psychiatrist, or your child’s school, I will require your written consent. I will tell you with whom I would discuss your/your child’s care, and what details I would share with them.
If I feel that you / your child is putting themselves or others at risk then I may have to break confidentiality and inform the relevant parties. This maybe statutory bodies e.g. Social Services or maybe parents if the child is under 18 years of age. If possible I will discuss this with you / your child before sharing the information.
Security of your data
Information will be kept securely and confidentially in line with the data retention policy as stated above.
Lawful basis for processing your information
The lawful basis for me holding and using your information is in relation to the delivery of a contract to you as a health care professional. As an accredited member of The Health and Care Professions Council, I operate under a strict code of confidentiality and is legally obliged to lawfully process your data in line with this privacy policy.
Complaints or queries
I try to meet the highest standards when collecting and using personal information. For this reason, I take any complaints I receive about this very seriously. I encourage people to bring it to my attention if they think that my collection or use of information is unfair, misleading or inappropriate. I would also welcome any suggestions for improving our procedures. If you do have a complaint, contact me and I will investigate the matter on your behalf. If you are not satisfied with the response from me, or believe I am not processing your personal data in accordance with the law you have the right to raise your complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO)
Contact information ICO:
Website: https://ico.org.uk/concerns/
Email: casework@ico.org.uk
Telephone: +44 (0) 303 123 1113