Privacy & Confidentiality | Dr Carla Dukas

Dr Carla Dukas runs a Private Practice in the field of Clinical Psychology. She undertakes general clinical psychology work. Dr Carla Dukas works in the Health Sector and is a healthcare professional registered under the Health Professions Act of 1974. She is registered with and subject to the rules and regulation of the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) and the Psychological Society of Ireland.

The Private Practice of Dr Carla Dukas recognises the importance of client confidentiality, especially as it relates to the sensitive and personal information shared when engaging a psychotherapy service. Dr Carla Dukas is subject to the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation 2018 (GDPR) and the Irish Data Protection Act 2018.

Dr Dukas will apply appropriate protection and management of any information you share with her. All information will be kept strictly confidential and with the highest standards of security, and used only in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).

Data Controller

The Data Controller of this psychology practice is Carla Dukas, owner and practitioner.

Contact number: 089 401 3792

Email: carla.dukas@gmail.com

Why is personal data processed?

It is necessary to process data as part of the provision of psychology services. This includes, but is not limited to booking appointments, conducting phone consultations and telehealth sessions, carrying out assessments and interventions, making onward referrals, discussing a client’s case with legal guardians and other professionals (only as appropriate and in the client’s best interests, and at all times with the client’s prior consent), as well as billing and/or debt recovery.

Sometimes you might give your consent implicitly, such as when you send an e-mail or text message to which you would reasonably expect a reply.

In exceptional circumstances, Dr Dukas may be required under law to surrender records to a legal authority. You will be informed of any such request unless forbidden to do so by law.

Please understand it is not possible to deliver an effective counselling/psychotherapy service without holding any client records at all.

All information you share via your participation in counselling/psychotherapy services is held under the strictest of security and in adherence with the confidentiality guidelines of the Psychological Society of Ireland.

Who has access to your records and why?

Only Dr Carla Dukas has access to your client records and therapy notes. Your records will not be shared with any commercial organization under any circumstances. Records will not be shared with another therapist, GP or allied professional unless given clear permission from you as part of the therapeutic process.

Non-sensitive details (your name, email address, phone number) are transmitted normally over the Internet, and this can never be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while Dr Dukas strives to protect your personal data, she cannot guarantee the security of any data you transmit on line, and you do so at your own risk. Once your data is received, technical and organizational precautions are used to prevent the loss, misuse or alteration of your personal data.

How long is data retained?

All clinical records must be retained for a minimum period of seven (7) years as from the date they become dormant (i.e. the last appointment), except where:

The patient is a minor, in which case records will be kept until the minor’s twenty first birthday, or
The patient has capacity difficulties, in which case records are kept for the duration of the patient’s lifetime.

Where is the data stored?

All data is stored electronically on a password-protected iPad and computer, both of which are kept in the sole custody of Dr Carla Dukas. The software on these devices is regularly updated to protect against hacking, unauthorised access, tampering, and the like.

Electronic records are backed up to a secure third-party cloud storage provider on a password protected account.

The practice’s email account is password protected and is accessed through either Dr Carla Dukas' personal PC or mobile phone, both of which are password-protected.

Dr Carla Dukas employs up-to-date technology to ensure the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of the personal information under her care. Measures include:

Firewalls
Virus protection software and update protocols
Physical access control

Any breaches to the integrity or security of clients’ confidential information (e.g., damage or theft) will be communicated with the relevant clients as soon as possible.

Your rights

You can request to see your records at any time. Please allow up to 10 working days for records to be provided. If you think any information is incorrect or not needed for the above purposes, you may request it be corrected or removed. Since this is an important change to clinical data/records, please make your request in writing via registered post. As all records are held on computer, in the interest of preserving data security, Dr Dukas reserves the right to provide printed copies instead of electronic files.

It must be noted that, in the health sector, personal and patient information are protected by legislation and ethical rules, and disclosure can only take place within those frameworks.

Website Enquiries – GDPR Statement

Information from this website contact form is sent to an encrypted email account. This email account is only accessed by Dr Carla Dukas.

Your Name, email and phone number is used only to communicate directly with you about psychotherapy services or mental healthcare advice.

Under no circumstances is this information passed on or shared in anyway with any other third party or used for any purpose other than to communicate about mental health services. Your email address will not be added to any distribution lists.

This website is hosted by Wix.com, a leading cloud-based development platform. You can read more about their privacy policy at https://www.wix.com/about/privacy

Does this privacy statement cover links to or from other websites?

This website may contain links to other websites run by other organisations. This privacy statement applies only to the website of Dr Carla Dukas.

Further Information

For more information and to read through your rights please visit the Data Protection Commission website http://dataprotection.ie

Any questions about Dr Carla Dukas’ privacy policy, concerns or complaints about how your data is handled or matters relating to your personal records telephone 089 401 3792, email c arla.dukas@gmail.com or use the website contact form to get in touch.