Confidentiality Policy

Last Updated: 12 July 2025

Introduction and Our Commitment

At The Echo Society, we are deeply committed to maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality in all aspects of our counselling and support services. We understand that trust is fundamental to effective therapeutic work. This policy outlines how we handle the confidential information you share with us, detailing both our commitment to privacy and the specific circumstances where confidentiality may need to be limited.

Principles of Confidentiality

Our approach to confidentiality is built on three core principles:

Informed Consent: We will always seek your explicit and informed consent before sharing your personal information with anyone, unless there is a clear ethical or legal duty to disclose without your consent (as outlined below). When you provide consent for your records to be disclosed to a third party, we will provide the documents directly to you to ensure you remain in control of what is shared. For consent to be informed, we will clearly explain what information we need to share, with whom it will be shared, and the likely consequences of agreeing or not agreeing to disclosure.
Need to Know: Access to your confidential information is strictly limited to those who genuinely need to see it to provide you with a safe and effective service. This includes your counsellor, their clinical supervisor (where information is typically anonymised), and necessary administrative staff.
Data Minimisation: We only collect and process information that is absolutely necessary for providing our services and meeting our legal and ethical obligations. We will not use person-specific information unless there is no alternative, and we will not sell, trade, rent, or lend confidential information to anyone.

What is Confidential Information?

We define confidential information as any personal or sensitive data you share with us during your time with The Echo Society.

Confidential information includes, but is not limited to:

Your personal details (name, contact information).
The content of your counselling sessions.
Any notes or records we keep about your sessions.
Your attendance records.
Any other personal or sensitive information you disclose to us.

How We Handle Your Information

We use the information you share with us solely to provide our services and carry out authorised transactions.
We handle all confidential and personal information under secure and restricted conditions, both digitally (encrypted files, secure systems) and physically (locked filing cabinets).
Our team members are trained and regularly reminded of their responsibilities and obligations regarding confidentiality.
This policy is reviewed regularly to ensure compliance with all legal requirements and best practice guidelines.
For more detailed information on how we collect, store, use, and protect your personal data, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

Limits to Confidentiality (When Confidentiality May Be Breached)

Confidentiality is highly valued, but it is not absolute. Confidentiality will only be breached in the following very specific circumstances, where there is a clear ethical or legal duty to do so:

Risk of Serious Harm: If we believe there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to yourself or to another identifiable person. This includes serious self-harm, harm to children (safeguarding), or harm to vulnerable adults (safeguarding). In such cases, we are ethically and legally obliged to share relevant information with appropriate third parties (e.g., emergency services, social services).
Legal Obligation/Court Order: If we are compelled by a court of law to disclose information (e.g., through a subpoena or court order). We will always attempt to seek your consent first and will only provide the minimum information required by law.
Serious Crime: In rare and specific circumstances, where information relates to acts such as terrorism, drug trafficking, or money laundering, we may have a legal duty to report to the relevant authorities.
Supervision: All our counsellors take part in regular clinical supervision to support best practice. Client cases may be discussed, but your identity will always be anonymised, and supervisors are bound by strict confidentiality.
Clinical Will/Emergency Contact: If your counsellor becomes seriously ill or suddenly unable to work, a designated professional (clinical executor or supervisor) may access your contact details to inform you and support continuity of care. They are also bound by strict confidentiality.
Professional Complaint: If a formal complaint is made against The Echo Society or a specific counsellor to a relevant professional body, information may need to be shared as part of the formal investigation process, strictly on a "need to know" basis.
With Your Informed Consent: If you explicitly give us consent to share specific information with a third party (e.g., your GP, another professional), we will do so only with your clear permission. In the specific case of an authorised request from a solicitor or other legal professional, we will provide the documents directly to you for your review and discretion. We will not send documents directly to a third party, even if they are named on your authorisation form. This policy ensures your full autonomy.

All concerns and actions regarding a necessary breach of confidentiality shall be recorded internally in your client file.

The Policy in Practice

All client visits, emails, or telephone calls to The Echo Society are treated with the utmost confidentiality, subject to the limits outlined above. Information is only ever shared on a ‘need to know’ basis. In response to external enquiries about whether a person is known to us, our team uses the following standard statement to protect your privacy:

"The Echo Society operates a policy of confidentiality and I can therefore neither confirm nor deny that this person is known to The Echo Society. However, I can take a message and, should this person contact The Echo Society, I will pass this message on to them."

Details of our support services, including intake assessments, support groups, and counselling services, are confidential within our team. Such information will not be passed on to any third party without your specific request, except where a limit to confidentiality applies. In the specific case of requests from third parties like solicitors, your records will always be provided directly to you to ensure your full control over what is shared.

Partnership Working

The Echo Society is committed to partnership working for the benefit of our service users. Where joint working protocols are agreed with other agencies, appropriate information may be shared to reduce the risk of potential harm to an individual, always with due consideration for your confidentiality and, wherever possible, with your informed consent.

Your Right and How to Contact Us

You have the right to access, correct, or request deletion of your personal data at any time. You also have the right to withdraw your consent or raise concerns about how your data is handled. If you’d like to do any of the above, or have questions about this policy, please contact us via the details on our website.

Review of This Policy

We may update this Confidentiality Policy from time to time as necessary to reflect changes in our practices, ethical guidelines, or legal requirements. The terms that apply to you are those posted here on our website on the day you use our services. We advise you to print a copy for your records.