Privacy Notice & Data Protection Policy
This document outlines how I, Dr Ian Cookson as a Trainee Sport and Exercise Psychologist, collects, protects, uses, and stores your personal and sensitive data. In legal terms, I act as the Data Controller for the information you share with me.
- What Information I Collect. I collect personal information to provide safe, effective, and professional psychological services. This includes:
Personal Data: Your name, age/date of birth, phone number, email address are stored in an offline database.
Special Category Data: Health information, physical or mental health details, and notes detailing our consultations, performance assessments, or training sessions are all captured in session notes that are available on request.
- Lawful Basis for Processing Data. Under the UK GDPR, I must have a valid legal reason to process your information:
Contractual Necessity (Article 6): I process your basic personal data to fulfill our agreement and deliver psychological support.
Health and Social Care Condition (Article 9): I process your special category health data under the condition that it is necessary for the provision of psychological support.
- How Your Data is Used. Your information is strictly used to:
Assess your sport psychology needs and tailor performance or well-being interventions.
Manage scheduling, billing, and direct communications regarding your sessions.
Meet professional training and supervision requirements.
- Supervision and Training Disclosures
As a sport and exercise psychologist in training, my professional practice is supervised by a qualified supervisor registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and the Chartered Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (CASES).
Case details may be discussed during supervision to ensure quality of care.
Any information presented in supervision or academic case studies will be strictly anonymised so you cannot be identified.
- Data Confidentiality and Exceptions
Your information will not be shared with coaches, teams, parents (if you are a child), or third parties without your explicit consent. The only exceptions to confidentiality occur if:
I believe there is a significant risk of serious harm to yourself or others.
I am legally compelled to do so by a court of law.
- How Your Data is Stored and Secured
I maintain strict security measures to protect your information:
Digital Records: Electronic notes, emails, and contact details are stored on a password-protected device or GDPR-compliant cloud storage platforms.
Physical Records: Any handwritten notes or paper assessments are held in a securely locked draw.
Data Retention: I retain your records for the duration of my training in order to evidence my practice during the supervision process, in accordance with professional insurance and psychological society guidelines. Once HCPC registered data will be retained for a maximum of 12 months after our last contact. All data will be destroyed at this point.
- Your Rights
You hold specific rights regarding the personal data I keep:
Access: You can request a copy of the data I hold about you at any time.
Rectification: You can ask me to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erasure: You can request that I delete your data, though this right may be limited by my professional and legal obligations to maintain clinical records.
Restriction: You can ask me to limit how your data is processed.
- Contact and Complaints
If you have any questions or wish to exercise your rights, please contact me directly at ipcookson72@gmail.com. If you remain unsatisfied with how your data is handled, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).