Confidentiality Policy & Data Protection Notice

All Information and personal data which you provide to the DCU Counselling & Personal Development Service (C&PDS) is confidential and is processed in accordance with European Data Protection legislation and the codes of ethics and practice for psychologists (Psychological Society of Ireland, PSI, https://www.psychologicalsociety.ie/) and psychotherapists (Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, IACP, https://iacp.ie/), (Irish Association for Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy, IAHIP,  https://iahip.org/).
 

In rare circumstances disclosure of discrete personal data is reserved where:

• it appears there is a serious and imminent risk to your own or to other’s safety
• mandated by law and obliged to report any disclosures of child sexual abuse, assault, ill-treatment or neglect of children to the Child & Family Agency TULSA and/or An Garda Siochana under the reporting responsibilities of the Children First Guidelines (2015) and the University’s policy on Child Protection
• there is a formal legal requirement to share information as part of a legal process or a court order
   

If a significant level of risk to self is disclosed, contact with one’s general practitioner and/or emergency contact may be necessary and appropriate.
It is anticipated that should this situation arise, it will be discussed and an appropriate plan of action will be put in place by you and your counsellor where possible.
However, protecting the student’s safety and the safety of others takes precedence.

In these circumstances, information will be shared/discussed with the Head of Counselling and Personal Development Service when appropriate.

The personal data provided by you to the Counselling and Personal Development Service (CPDS) is obtained, processed and retained by the C&PDS only for the purposes that are directly connected with the provision of Counselling and Personal Development Services by C&PDS and related administrative purposes. Your personal data is processed under the terms of General Data Protection Regulations and Codes of Ethics and Practice for psychologists/psychotherapists, (Psychological Society of Ireland, PSI, https://www.psychologicalsociety.ie/), (Irish Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy, IACP, https://iacp.ie/), (Irish Association for Humanistic and Integrative Psychotherapy, IAHIP, https://iahip.org/).

 In relation to any special categories of personal data (including information on mental health), such data will be used only for purposes directly connected with the counselling service and based on your explicit consent. We ask your consent to process your personal data when registering with the C&PDS on the C&PDS registration form.    

Electronic files are held on a database (Core Net); which is password protected and has 2 factor authentication. Core IMS Ltd is ISO 27001 (international recognized standard for information security) accredited. Access to records is limited to relevant staff within the Counselling and Personal Development Service.  

Records are held securely and confidentially within the Service for seven years. Following this period records are securely destroyed. Counselling records are not attached to any academic record within the University.

Email communication from the C&PDS service administration is via counselling@dcu.ie or spd.counselling@dcu.ie
 

Email communication from C&PDS counsellors is via DCU Email accounts. Online counselling appointments are via google hangout meet and scheduled via GCal.
 

For access to online SilverCloud wellbeing and mental self-help CBT (cognitive behavioural therapy) https://www.dcu.ie/counselling/online-mental-health-and-wellbeing-programmes, please use your DCU email address details and select a password to set up your account.
 

DCU security measures employed: McAlfee Drive Encryption, Password Protection, DCU Pulse VPN (Virtual Private Network), DCU 2 Factor Authentication.
 

If you have any queries relating to the processing of your personal data for the purposes outlined above or you wish to make a request/complaint, please contact the DCU Counselling and Personal Development counselling@dcu.ie  in the first instance so that we can address any issues arising.
 

The DCU’s Data Protection Unit can be contacted by email at: data.protection@dcu.ie or by phone at: 01 7005118 / 7008257.
 

To obtain further information about DCU Privacy Policy please visit https://www.dcu.ie/system/files/2020-10/25-data_privacy_policy_v3.4.pdf

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Data Protection Commission if you are dissatisfied with the processing of your personal data. Please visit the Data Protection Commission’s website http://www.dataprotection.ie for full details.