Overview and Legal Framework

At Methexis Psychology, protecting your privacy and managing your personal and clinical data with care is a core professional responsibility. This Privacy Policy is issued by Epameinondas Leimonis, trading as Methexis Psychology (KvK 42182370, located in The Hague, Netherlands), and explains how your information is collected, processed, and safeguarded in accordance with the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR / AVG) and the Dutch Medical Treatment Contracts Act (WGBO). Services provided consist of private psychological support and non-BIG-registered healthcare (gezondheidskundige diensten).

Personal Data Collected

To deliver effective care and manage practice administration, the following data is collected:

  • Contact & Personal Details: Full name, date of birth, home address, telephone number, and email address.

  • Telephone Data: The phone numbers of callers, the time and duration of calls, and any voicemail messages left for the practice. Calls are not recorded.

  • Emergency Contact Information: Name and contact details of a designated relative or trusted individual.

  • Clinical Records: Initial evaluation notes, background history, progress notes, and consultation summaries, including relevant family or developmental history where applicable to your care.

  • Financial Circumstances: For clients on a reduced-fee arrangement, relevant information about financial situation (e.g., employment or income changes) shared for the purpose of reviewing that arrangement.

  • Billing & Administrative Information: Invoices, payment receipts, and agreed fee structures.

  • Technical Data: When you visit this website, Squarespace processes standard technical data (such as IP address and browser type) to deliver and secure the site. When you use the contact form, the information you enter is processed to respond to your enquiry.

Where your file includes limited information about family members (for example, as part of your background history), this is processed solely to support your care and is held to the same confidentiality standards as the rest of your file.

Why Your Data is Processed

Your data is used strictly for the following purposes:

  • Delivering tailored psychological support and treatment planning [Legal basis: healthcare contract under the WGBO, and Article 9(2)(h) GDPR/AVG for health-related data].

  • Managing appointments, admin tasks, and general communication [Legal basis: performance of our agreement, Article 6(1)(b) GDPR/AVG].

  • Issuing invoices and fulfilling financial record-keeping obligations under Dutch law [Legal basis: legal obligation, Article 6(1)(c) GDPR/AVG].

  • Reviewing and adjusting reduced-fee arrangements, where applicable [Legal basis: performance of our agreement, Article 6(1)(b) GDPR/AVG].

  • Responding to enquiries sent via the website contact form [Legal basis: legitimate interest, Article 6(1)(f) GDPR/AVG].

  • Protecting personal safety in acute emergency situations Protecting personal safety in acute emergency situations [Legal basis: vital interests, Articles 6(1)(d) and 9(2)(c) GDPR/AVG].

Confidentiality and Professional Standards

All sessions and records are kept strictly confidential in accordance with Dutch law and the ethical code of the Dutch Institute of Psychologists (NIP). Information is never shared with third parties without your explicit written consent, except in these specific circumstances:

  • Peer Consultation: Case details may be discussed in anonymised peer supervision (intervisie) to maintain high clinical standards; no identifying information is disclosed.

  • Safety & Harm Prevention: Confidentiality may be breached to alert emergency services, general practitioners (GPs), or emergency contacts if there is an acute, serious risk to your safety or the safety of others.

  • Reporting Codes: Concerns involving the abuse or neglect of minors or vulnerable adults are handled under the mandatory Dutch framework (Meldcode Huiselijk Geweld en Kindermishandeling), which may involve consulting Veilig Thuis.

  • Legal Requirements: Disclosures required by a court order, statutory regulation, or requests from the Child Protection Board (Raad voor de Kinderbescherming).

Privacy Rights for Minors and Parents

Under Dutch healthcare law (WGBO), access to medical records for young clients depends on their age:

  • Children under 12: Parents or legal guardians holding parental authority (ouderlijk gezag) have full rights to inspect records. Specific session details remain private to protect the child's space, while parents receive general progress updates.

  • Adolescents aged 12 to 15: Dual consent applies. Detailed clinical notes are shared with parents only with the adolescent's agreement, unless essential for making care decisions.

  • Adolescents aged 16 and 17: The file belongs exclusively to the client. Parents require explicit permission from the adolescent to view any records.

Data Storage, Security, and Cookies

Digital records are stored using encrypted, password-protected systems that comply with European healthcare data standards.

  • Third-Party Processors: Data is only shared with third parties when necessary to carry out our agreement or to comply with legal obligations. I use secure third-party platforms under Data Processing Agreements (DPAs), choosing European data storage wherever available. Clinical records and client files are stored using Microsoft 365 Business (OneDrive for Business), while practice email and video consultations (Google Meet) are managed via Google Workspace. Phone calls and voicemails are handled by Voys, a Dutch cloud telephony provider, under a data processing agreement with data stored within the EU; voicemails are delivered to the practice email. If you contact me via WhatsApp Business, your messages are processed by Meta, which may involve transfers outside the EEA; I use it for administrative matters only. This website is hosted by Squarespace, which also processes messages sent via the contact form. If you book an intro call through the It’s Complicated platform, that platform processes your booking details. Where these providers or their parent infrastructure involve processing outside the European Economic Area (such as in the United States), data transfers are protected under European Commission adequacy decisions (including the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework) and Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs).

  • Video Consultations: Video consultations conducted via Google Meet are encrypted in transit and are never recorded without explicit prior consent. Clients are advised to join online sessions from a private, secure location using a password-protected connection.

  • No Automated Decision-Making: Methexis Psychology does not make any decisions based on automated processing or profiling regarding matters that could have significant or legal consequences for individuals.

  • Electronic Messaging: Electronic messaging carries inherent risks; text messaging is restricted strictly to administrative tasks (such as scheduling or running late). Clinical discussions are kept within scheduled sessions. Calls to the practice telephone number are not recorded. If you leave a voicemail, please give only your name, number and a good time to call back, and do not include details about your therapy.

  • Cookies: This website uses essential cookies needed for it to function securely. Optional analytics cookies, which provide anonymised visitor statistics through Squarespace, are only placed if you accept them via the cookie banner. I do not use advertising or tracking cookies.

  • Data Breaches: If a data breach affecting your information ever occurs, both you and the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens) will be notified promptly.

Data Retention

Clinical and financial records are retained securely before being permanently destroyed:

  • Adult Clinical Files: Under the WGBO, files are legally retained for a period of 20 years after the conclusion of care.

  • Minor Clinical Files: Because clients may be minors, I apply a longer, more protective approach to retention than the statutory minimum, to help ensure they retain full access to their own file as an adult. The WGBO requires records to be kept for at least 20 years from the last entry in the file; as a matter of practice, I retain minors' records for at least 20 years from the client's 18th birthday, meaning records are kept until at least age 38.

  • Financial & Invoicing Data: Billing records are retained for 7 years to comply with the legal mandates of the Dutch Tax Authority (Belastingdienst).

  • Telephone Data: Call logs and voicemail messages are deleted once they have been handled, and no more than one year. Anything that belongs in your clinical file is recorded there and follows the retention periods above.

  • General Enquiries: Contact details from enquiries that do not result in an ongoing consultation are retained for a maximum of one year.

Your Legal Rights

Under the GDPR / AVG and WGBO, you (or your legal representative) have the right to:

  • Request access to, or a copy of, your clinical file.

  • Request corrections to inaccurate personal details.

  • Request restriction of how your data is processed, in certain circumstances.

  • Request a portable copy of data you have directly provided, where technically feasible (note: given the nature of clinical records, portability has limited practical application here, though the right still applies).

  • Object to processing based on legitimate interest (for example, the handling of website contact form enquiries).

  • Withdraw consent at any time, where processing is based on consent, without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

  • Request the deletion of records, subject to the statutory retention rules described above.

  • Raise a data protection concern with the Dutch Data Protection Authority (Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens).

To exercise any of these rights, please contact me at contact@methexispsychology.com. To protect your data, I may request confirmation of your identity before processing a request. I will respond within four weeks, in line with statutory requirements.

Questions and Complaints

  • Data Protection Enquiries: For any privacy-related questions or requests, contact Epameinondas Leimonis at contact@methexispsychology.com.

  • Care Quality Complaints: Complaints about professional conduct or the quality of care are handled under the Dutch Healthcare Quality, Complaints and Disputes Act (Wkkgz) and, where applicable to young clients, the Youth Act (Jeugdwet), through the independent NIP complaints and disputes scheme administered by Klachtenportaal Zorg. You can first raise any concern with me directly. If you prefer not to, or are not satisfied with the outcome, you can contact the independent complaints officer via Klachtenportaal Zorg (info@klachtenportaalzorg.nl / klachtenportaalzorg.nl), who can advise and help mediate free of charge. Unresolved disputes can be brought to the independent disputes committee affiliated with Klachtenportaal Zorg. Young people can submit a complaint themselves, and parents or guardians can also do so. Young people and their parents can also get free, independent advice and support from a youth confidential adviser (vertrouwenspersoon jeugd) via Jeugdstem (jeugdstem.nl).

Last updated: 12 October 2026