Confidentiality & Your Privacy
Climb Youth Therapy Ltd from Struggle to Strength TM
Document Status: Public Website Policy
Website Location: Policies & Information (linked from the website footer and available on the website under resources)
Version: 1.0
Policy Owner: Climb Youth Therapy Limited
Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL): Professor Christina Poulatova
Approved By: Director, Climb Youth Therapy Limited
Effective Date: [01/08/2026]
Review Date: 12 months from publication or sooner if legislation or guidance changes.
1. Introduction
Confidentiality is one of the foundations of effective counselling. A safe therapeutic relationship depends upon clients feeling able to speak openly, honestly and without fear that personal information will be shared unnecessarily.
At Climb Youth Therapy Limited, we are committed to treating the information you share with us respectfully, professionally and in accordance with UK law, recognised professional standards and our ethical responsibilities.
This policy explains how confidentiality works, when information will remain private and the limited circumstances in which information may need to be shared.
It should be read alongside our Privacy Policy and Safeguarding Policy.
2. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to explain:
- what confidentiality means;
- how your information is protected;
- when confidentiality may need to be limited;
- how information is shared;
- how professional records are managed; and
- what you can expect throughout your therapeutic relationship with us.
3. Scope
This policy applies to all counselling and wellbeing services provided by Climb Youth Therapy Limited, including:
- online counselling;
- future face-to-face counselling;
- consultations with parents or carers;
- wellbeing consultations;
- secure communications through Konfidens;
- written correspondence relating to client care.
It applies to all directors, practitioners, associate counsellors, contractors and anyone providing services on behalf of Climb Youth Therapy Limited.
4. Our Commitment
We are committed to creating an environment where clients feel safe to discuss sensitive and personal matters.
We will:
- treat your information with respect;
- protect your privacy;
- only collect information that is necessary;
- explain confidentiality clearly before therapy begins;
- only share information where there is a lawful or ethical reason to do so;
- maintain secure professional records; and
- comply with UK data protection legislation and recognised professional standards.
5. What Confidentiality Means
Confidentiality means that information shared during counselling is kept private between you and your practitioner.
This includes information you share:
- during therapy sessions;
- through secure messages;
- during assessments;
- in written correspondence;
- through questionnaires or registration forms.
Maintaining confidentiality helps create the trust necessary for effective therapeutic work.
6. The Limits of Confidentiality
Although confidentiality is fundamental to counselling, it is not absolute.
There are occasions where we may have a legal or professional duty to share information without your consent.
This may happen where:
- there is a serious and immediate risk of harm to you;
- there is a serious and immediate risk of harm to another person;
- a child is believed to be at risk of significant harm;
- an adult at risk is experiencing abuse or neglect;
- disclosure is required by law;
- a court orders disclosure; or
- another lawful basis exists under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018.
These situations are uncommon, but it is important that every client understands them before counselling begins.
7. If Information Needs to Be Shared
Wherever possible, we will:
- discuss the situation with you;
- explain why information needs to be shared;
- seek your agreement where appropriate;
- involve you in decisions whenever it is safe to do so; and
- only share information that is necessary for the purpose concerned.
However, where seeking consent would increase the risk of harm or prejudice a safeguarding investigation, information may be shared without consent where permitted or required by law.
8. Working with Young People
Many of our clients are aged between 15 and 25 years.
We recognise that confidentiality is particularly important for young people seeking counselling.
For clients aged 18 years and over, information will normally remain confidential unless one of the exceptions described in this policy applies.
For clients aged 15 to 17 years, we aim to respect their developing independence while balancing our safeguarding responsibilities and, where appropriate, the role of parents or those with parental responsibility.
Each situation is considered individually, taking account of the young person’s understanding, best interests and the relevant legal and professional guidance.
9. Clinical Supervision
All counsellors require professional clinical supervision as part of safe and ethical practice.
During supervision, practitioners discuss aspects of their clinical work with an experienced supervisor.
This helps to:
- maintain professional standards;
- support safe decision-making;
- improve client care;
- identify safeguarding concerns;
- support practitioner wellbeing.
Where possible, information discussed during supervision is anonymised and limited to what is necessary for professional purposes.
Clinical supervisors are themselves bound by strict duties of confidentiality.
10. Record Keeping
Professional records are maintained to support safe and effective counselling.
These may include:
- assessments;
- therapy notes;
- safeguarding records;
- risk assessments;
- professional correspondence;
- consent records.
Records are:
- factual;
- accurate;
- securely stored;
- protected against unauthorised access;
- retained in accordance with our Data Retention Policy.
We do not keep unnecessary information.
11. Secure Communications
Climb Youth Therapy Limited uses Konfidens as its secure practice management system.
Konfidens is used for:
- appointment bookings;
- secure messaging;
- online counselling sessions;
- therapy notes;
- invoicing;
- payments.
Clients are encouraged to use the secure communication methods provided wherever possible when discussing confidential matters.
Standard email should not be used to share sensitive personal information unless appropriate safeguards have been agreed.
12. Online Counselling
Online counselling provides convenient access to therapy but also requires additional privacy considerations.
To help protect confidentiality:
- sessions should take place in a private environment;
- clients should use a secure internet connection wherever possible;
- clients should not allow others to listen to therapy sessions unless agreed in advance;
- practitioners will also conduct sessions from a confidential setting.
Therapy sessions are not routinely recorded by Climb Youth Therapy Limited.
Clients are requested not to record sessions without prior written agreement.
13. Access to Your Records
You have the right to request access to your personal information in accordance with UK GDPR.
Before releasing information, we may:
- verify your identity;
- consider any legal restrictions;
- consider the rights of other individuals;
- remove information where disclosure is not legally permitted.
Further information is available in our Privacy Policy.
14. Professional Boundaries
Maintaining confidentiality also involves maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.
Practitioners will:
- avoid discussing client information outside appropriate professional settings;
- protect confidential conversations;
- ensure records remain secure;
- only access information necessary for their role.
Confidential information will never be discussed casually or shared for personal interest.
15. Breach of Confidentiality
If we become aware that confidential information has been disclosed inappropriately, we will take prompt action to:
- contain the breach;
- assess any risk;
- investigate the circumstances;
- comply with any legal reporting obligations;
- learn from the incident; and
- reduce the likelihood of recurrence.
Any personal data breach will be managed in accordance with our internal Data Breach Response Procedure and UK data protection law.
16. Complaints
If you have concerns about confidentiality, we encourage you to discuss them with us.
We will always try to resolve concerns fairly and promptly.
If you remain dissatisfied, you may make a formal complaint using our Complaints Policy.
Where appropriate, you may also have the right to raise concerns with:
- the Information Commissioner’s Office; or
- the relevant professional body.
17. Policy Review
This policy will normally be reviewed every twelve months or sooner if required by changes in legislation, professional guidance or organisational practice.
18. Related Documents
This policy should be read alongside:
- Safeguarding Policy
- Privacy Policy
- Young Person’s Privacy Notice
- Website Terms and Conditions
- Cookie Policy
- Complaints Policy
- Accessibility Statement
- Client Agreement
- Information Sharing Procedure (Internal)
- Data Retention Policy (Internal)
Appendix A – When We May Share Information
| Situation | Information May Be Shared? |
|---|---|
| Routine counselling session | No |
| Clinical supervision (anonymised where possible) | Yes |
| Serious risk of harm to client | Yes |
| Serious risk of harm to another person | Yes |
| Child safeguarding concern | Yes |
| Adult safeguarding concern | Yes |
| Court Order | Yes |
| Client requests information be shared | Yes (with appropriate consent) |
Appendix B – How We Protect Confidential Information
To protect your confidentiality we:
- use secure electronic systems;
- use encrypted practice management software (Konfidens);
- restrict access to client information;
- use strong authentication measures;
- maintain secure storage of records;
- regularly review our security arrangements;
- provide confidentiality training to practitioners.
Appendix C – Contact Details
Climb Youth Therapy Limited
Website:
General Enquiries:
[Business Email]
Privacy and Confidentiality Enquiries:
[Privacy Email]
Telephone:
[Business Telephone]
Website Confidentiality Statement
Your Information Is Treated Confidentially
Everything you discuss with your counsellor is treated confidentially and handled with care.
There are a small number of situations where we may need to share information to protect you or another person from serious harm, or where we are legally required to do so. Wherever possible, we will explain this to you first.
Our counsellors work within recognised professional standards, receive regular clinical supervision and use secure systems to protect your personal information.
For more information, please read our full Confidentiality Policy, Privacy Policy and Safeguarding Policy.