1. Audience

This policy applies to all visitors to this website and clients who make use of the services Dan ("I", "me" and "my") offers (“you” and “your”).

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2. Purpose of this policy

I respect your privacy and take the protection of personal information very seriously. The purpose of this policy is to describe the way I collect, store, use and protect information that can be associated with a specific natural or juristic person and can be used to identify that person (“personal information”). Personal information:

2.1 includes

• certain information collected on the contact form on the website (see below);

• information collected on the consent form when you book a session (see below). Please note that there is a confidentiality agreement stated within the consent form which describes confidentiality of consented clients.

2.2 excludes

• information that has been made anonymous so that it does not identify a specific person;

• permanently de-identified information that does not relate or cannot be traced back to you specifically;

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3. Acceptance of terms

You must accept all the terms of the consent form, with an appropriate understanding of this agreement, when you register for any of my services. If you do not agree with anything in this policy or in the consent form, you are welcome to contact me for some clarity. You are also able to end your sessions at any point, making sure that your account is settled. By continuing on this site, you agree to this privacy policy. By accepting this policy, you are deemed to have read, understood, accepted, and agreed to be bound by all its terms while browsing/using my website.

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4. Changes

I may change the terms of this policy at any time. I will notify you of any changes by placing a notice in a prominent place on the website or by email. If you do not agree with the change you must stop using the services. If you continue to use the services following notification of a change to the terms, the changed terms will apply to you and you will be deemed to have accepted such terms.

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5. Collection

5.1 On the contact form.

Once you submit a contact form on my website, you will no longer be anonymous to me as you will provide me with personal information. This personal information will include:

• Name, surname

• Email address, telephone number

• You may also provide additional information on a voluntary basis (“optional information”). This includes content about your difficulties and reason for seeking my services.

This information is collected so that I can contact you by phone call or email in order to better understand your difficulties and to either book a session or refer to another professional if this is more relevant to your specific needs. The completed contact form is stored by Wix and sent to Dan directly via email, only Dan has access to this information.

5.2 On the consent form.

In order to provide the services to you, you will need to provide informed consent. The consent form provides information about the sessions, the practice and the cancellation policy amongst other information about starting therapy. You will be asked to provide me with additional personal information which is required in order to begin the process of therapy. This personal information will include:

• Name, surname

• ID number, date of birth

• Email address, telephone number

• Physical and postal address

• Medical aid details

This information is collected on a voluntary basis in order to gain your informed consent to begin therapy with me. Furthermore, this information may be required if you wish to claim from your medical aid and so it is added to your invoices and statements. Invoices and statements are password encrypted in order to secure your personal information. This information may be shared with my attorney in the case where a client has an outstanding account and where this client has been given sufficient time and notice to settle their account. This information will only be shared with my attorney as a 'last resort', where I have given sufficient notice and warned the client of my intent to share their information for debt collection purposes. 

5.3 Collection from browser.

This website automatically receives and records Internet usage information on my hosting company’s server logs from your browser, such as your internet protocol address (“IP Address”), browsing habits, click patterns, version of software installed, system type, screen resolutions, colour capabilities, plug-ins, language settings, cookie preferences, search engine keywords, JavaScript enablement, the content and pages that you access on the website, and the dates and times that you visit the website, paths taken, and time spent on sites and pages within the website (“usage information”). Please note that other websites visited before entering my website might place personal information within your URL during a visit to it, and I have no control over such websites. Accordingly, a subsequent website that collects URL information may log some personal information. 

5.4 Cookies.

When you access my website, the website may send one or more cookies (small text files containing a string of alphanumeric characters) to your computer to collect certain usage information. The website uses session cookies (which disappear after you close your browser) and persistent cookies (which remain after you close your browser which can be removed manually) and may be used by your browser on subsequent visits to our website. I use information gathered by cookies to improve the website.

5.5 Web beacons.

My website may contain electronic image requests (called a “single-pixel gif” or “web beacon” request) that allows me to count page views and to access cookies. Any electronic image viewed as part of a web page (including an ad banner) can act as a web beacon. My web beacons do not collect, gather, monitor or share any of your personal information. I merely use them to compile anonymous information about my website.

5.6 Purpose for collection.

I may use any service information and optional information provided by you for such purposes as indicated to you at the time you agree to provide such optional information. I may use your usage information for the purposes described in 5.3, 5.4 and 5.5 above and to:

• remember your information so that you will not have to re-enter it during your visit or the next time you access the website;

• monitor website usage metrics such as total number of visitors and pages accessed; and

• track your entries, submissions, and status in any promotions or other activities in connection with your usage of the website.

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6. Consent to collection

I will obtain your consent to collect personal information:

• In accordance with applicable law; and

• At the time you provide us with any registration information and optional information.

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7. Use

7.1 Best Practice

Any information that you share with me in a session or during the course of our sessions will remain strictly confidential. I may record, in the form of notes, certain information about our sessions in order to provide the best services I can. These notes will be stored in de-identified files which are locked in a cabinet/drawer in my office.

7.2 Website Experience

Information collected from your browser and cookies is used to improve this website and to track the website's metrics in conjunction with Google Analytics.

7.3 First Contact

Information submitted in the contact form is used as a means for Dan to contact you by phone call or email.

7.4 Informed Consent

Information collected in the consent form is used as a means to identify your informed consent to therapy. It is also added to invoices and statements in order for you to claim from your medical aid.

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8. Disclosure

8.1 Service providers.

• Physical notes from our sessions will be destroyed by a third party shredding company once they are no longer useful. Notes are stored for a minimum of six years after dormancy prior to shredding. These service providers will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement and notes will be de-identified prior to shredding.

• Identifying information may be shared with my attorney in the case where a client has an outstanding account and where this client has been given sufficient time and notice to settle their account. This information will only be shared with my attorney as a 'last resort', where I have given sufficient notice and warned the client of my intent to share their information for debt collection purposes.

8.2 Regulators.

If you contact me regarding your experience with my services, and choose to lay a complaint with the Information Regulator, I may disclose your personal information as required of by law or governmental audit. However, I will be sure to limit the information I share in order to maintain your confidentiality. I will endevour to inform you should this occur.

8.3 Law enforcement.

I may disclose personal information if required:

• by a subpoena or court order;

• to comply with any law;

• to protect the safety of any individual or the general public;

I will inform my clients should I be required to share information about them.

8.4 No selling.

I will not sell personal information. No personal information will be disclosed to anyone except as provided in this privacy policy.

8.5 Marketing purposes.

I may disclose aggregate statistics (information about the customer population in general terms) about the personal information to advertisers or business partners such as Google Analytics.

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9. Security of personal information

I protect your personal information using computer safeguards such as firewalls and data encryption to protect personal information.

 

10. Accurate and up to date

I will try to keep the personal information I collect as accurate, complete and up to date as is necessary for the purposes mentioned in sections 5 and 7. You are able to review or update any personal information that I hold on you by emailing me or phoning me. 

 

11. Retention of personal information

I will only retain your personal information for as long as it is necessary to fulfill the purposes mentioned in sections 5 and 7, unless:

• retention of the record is required or authorised by law; or

• you have consented to the retention of the record. During the period of retention, I will continue to abide by our confidentiality obligations and will not share or sell your personal information.

 

13. Updating or removing

You may choose to correct or update the personal information you have submitted to me, by contacting me via phone call or email.

 

15. Enquiries

If you have any questions or concerns arising from this privacy policy or the way in which I handle personal information, please contact me.