Privacy Policy for Management of Personal Information
Last Updated 26 June 2022
This document describes the privacy policy of Nurtured Mums Psychology for the management of personal information.
Nurtured Mums Psychology respects the privacy and confidentiality of the information provided by you and adheres to the Australian Privacy Principles. Please read our Privacy Policy below carefully. You may change your details at any time by advising us in writing via email, to carmel@nurturedmumspsychology.com.au.
How personal information is collected
Nurtured Mums Psychology collects personal information in the following ways:
- When we receive enquiries through the Website, via email or telephone;
- From clients–when they make an enquiry via the website, book an appointment, attend in-clinic appointments, when a psychologist attends your home for a home-visit, and/or at any other time from in the course of our psychologists providing counselling services;
- From third party service providers – when they are engaged to supply services to us (such as but not limited to psychologists), provide information to us or invoice us for the provision of services;
Our psychologists collect personal information for the purposes of organizing appointments and delivering psychological consultation, as well as communicating with the client.
A client’s personal information is collected in a number of ways throughout the course of consultation with a psychologist at Nurtured Mums Psychology. This includes:
When the client provides information directly to Nurtured Mums Psychology using hard-copy forms, including the registration and consent forms provided prior to commencement of therapy;
- Correspondence via email;
- When the client interacts directly with psychologists at Nurtured Mums Psychology;
- In the course of our psychologists undertaking psychological assessment and treatment;
- When other health practitioners provide personal information to Nurtured Mums Psychology via referrals, correspondence and medical reports.
Client information
Client files are stored in secure electronic practice management and document management systems which are accessible only to authorised employees. The information on each file includes personal information such as name, date of birth, residential address, Medicare details, billing information, credit card information, contact phone numbers, health information including medical history, and other personal information collected as part of providing the psychological service.
Consent
Your consent is given for collecting, using and disclosing personal information (including Health Information) for the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy if you:
- Engage us via this website (including registering details on this website), email or telephone;
- Complete a client registration and/or consent form; or,
- Engage in our psychological therapy services
Use and disclosure of personal information
Nurtured Mums Psychology will not knowingly share personal information with any third party other than service providers who assist us in providing the information and/or services we are providing to you. We do not and will not sell or deal in personal information.
We may use any personal information collected (excluding Health Information) to provide our psychological therapy services, operate the Website, sign the person up to our newsletter, respond to feedback and complaints, communicate with third party service providers or if needed, to enforce our Client agreement (Client Consent Form).
A client’s personal information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing psychological assessment and treatment.
The personal information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions and enables the psychologist to provide a relevant and informed psychological service.
Clients’ personal information will not be disclosed except when:
- It is subpoenaed by a court, or
- There is serious risk of harm to the client or another person, where failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety;
- The client’s prior approval has been obtained to; a. provide a written report to another professional or agency. e.g. GP, school or a lawyer; or, b. discuss the material with another person, eg. a parent, employer or health provider;
- The client would reasonably expect personal information to be disclosed to another service provider, professional or agency (e.g. GP) and disclosure of the client’s personal information to that third party is for a purpose which is directly related to the primary purpose for which the personal information was collected (eg. providing a treatment update to your GP);
- Disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law
Data security and quality
Nurtured Mums Psychology strives to ensure the security, integrity and privacy of personal information, and will take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we collect and hold from misuse, loss and interference and from unauthorised access and modification, and to make sure it is accurate, complete and up-to-date when we collect, use or disclose it.
Please ensure that details that are provided to us are correct, and let us know if the information we have is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading (and we will take reasonable steps to correct the information). We may take steps to destroy or permanently de-identify information when it is no longer needed for any purpose for which it may be used or disclosed. We may retain and use de-identified information.
Our Website: www.nurturedmumspsychology.com.au
Cookies
Our Website may use “cookies”; technology to store data on a computer using the functionality of a browser. Cookies do not access information stored on your computer or any personal information (e.g. name, address, email address or telephone number). Information stored in the cookie is used to identify visitors, which enables us to operate an efficient service and to track the patterns of behaviour of visitors to the Website.
A browser can be modified to prevent cookie use – however if this is done, our service (and our Website) may not work optimally. In the course of serving advertisements to the Website (if any), third-party advertisers or ad servers may place or recognise a unique cookie on a browser. The use of cookies by such third party advertisers or ad servers is not subject to this Privacy Policy, but is subject to their own respective privacy policies.
Links
This website may contain links to third party websites, which do not constitute sponsorship or endorsement or approval of these websites. Nurtured Mums Psychology is not responsible for the privacy practices of such other websites. We encourage our users to read the privacy statements of every website that collects personally identifiable information. This privacy statement applies only to information collected by this website.
Requests for access and correction to client information
On request, we will provide clients with access to any personal information we hold about them (including any Health Information) (subject to any applicable legal exceptions). Requests should be submitted by email to carmel@nurturedmumspsychology.com.au . Where our records are found to be inaccurate, we will promptly rectify any inaccuracies on the basis of the further information provided.
Concerns
If clients have a concern about the management of their personal information, they may inform Dr. Carmel Sivaratnam (Principal Psychologist). Upon request, they can obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe their rights and how their personal information should be handled. If clients wish to lodge a formal complaint about the use of, disclosure of, or access to, their personal information, they may do so with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by phone on 1300 363 992, online at http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-a-privacy-complaint or by post to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW 2001.