Privacy Policy

Privacy policy

I may collect personal information about you, which has been provided by you or on your behalf or by a referring clinician or agency.

The kinds of information that I collect and hold are:

(a)       information about your name, address and contact details and, if you are a minor, information about the names addresses and contact details of your parent(s) and/or guardian(s) and siblings;

(b)       information that I need in order to provide you with psychotherapeutic services.

The main reason I collect information from you is so that I can provide child, adolescent, family and adult psychotherapeutic services.  I will also use the information you provide in the following ways
•     Administration of this practice.
•     Billing, including compliance with Medicare and Health Insurance Commission requirements.
•     Disclosure to others involved in your/your child’s care, including treating doctors, specialists, school counsellors, psychologists or other therapists outside this practice who are, or may become involved in treating you or your child. This may occur through referral to doctors or for medical tests and in the reports or results returned to me following the referrals.  I ordinarily discuss such disclosures prior to making contact with any other professional.
•     Disclosure in the course of presentation of my work for the purposes of professional development. This disclosure would be to colleagues also bound by the Code of Ethics of the Victorian Association of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapists or the Victorian Child Psychotherapists Association or other appropriate professional organisation such as the Australian Psychoanalytical Society.  This may include professional colleagues located in other countries such as the United Kingdom.  This disclosure would not include any details that could reveal you or your family’s identity.   Details, including personal details such as gender, age, or country of birth are ordinarily disguised in such circumstances.

I will hold the personal information which I collect about you in paper files or computer records or a combination of the two.  I will take all reasonable and practicable steps to ensure that your personal information is properly protected from misuse or loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

You may obtain access to personal information about you which I hold by making a request in writing.  If you consider any personal information about you which I hold is incorrect, you may make a written request to me to correct that information.

If you wish to make a complaint about privacy issues you may do so personally or in writing.  I will deal promptly with your complaint and respond to it in writing.  If you are dissatisfied with my response you can make a complaint to the Privacy Commissioner at the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. The OAIC can be contacted on 1300 363 992 or at www.oaic.gov.au