PRIVACY POLICY FOR MANAGEMENT OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Elies Counselling and Consulting is committed to providing quality services to you and this policy outlines our ongoing obligations to you in respect of how we manage your Personal Information.
We have adopted the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act). The NPPs govern the way in which we collect, use, disclose, store, secure and dispose of your Personal Information.
A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles may be obtained from the website of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.aoic.gov.au
What is Personal Information and why do we collect it?
Personal Information is information or an opinion that identifies an individual. Examples of Personal Information we collect include: names, addresses, email addresses, date of birth, phone numbers and more.
This Personal Information is obtained in many ways including interviews, in sessions, written correspondence, by telephone, email and facsimile, by email, via our website www.eliescc.com.au, from your website, from media and publications, from other publicly available sources, and when other health practitioners provide personal information to Elies Counselling and Consulting, via referrals, correspondence and health and educational reports. We don’t guarantee website links or policy of authorised third parties.
We collect your Personal Information for the primary purpose of providing our services to you, providing information to our clients and marketing. We may also use your Personal Information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose, in circumstances where you would reasonably expect such use or disclosure. You may unsubscribe from our mailing/marketing lists at any time by contacting us in writing.
When we collect Personal Information we will, where appropriate and where possible, explain to you why we are collecting the information and how we plan to use it.
Client information
Client files are held in a secure filing cabinet and/or stored on a password protected electronic device, and/or an online electronic practice or data management software, Power Diary, which is accessible only to authorised employees. The information on each file includes personal information such as name, address, contact phone numbers, medical history, date of birth and other personal information collected as part of providing the service.
Consequence of not providing personal information
If you do not wish for your personal information to be collected in a way anticipated by this Privacy Policy, Elies Counselling and Consulting may not be in a position to provide the psychological service to the client. Clients may request to be anonymous or to use a pseudonym, unless it is impracticable for Elies Counselling and Consulting to deal with the client or if Elies Counselling and Consulting is required or authorised by law to deal with identified individuals. In most cases it will not be possible for the client to be anonymous or to use a pseudonym, however if Elies Counselling and Consulting agrees to the client being anonymous or using a pseudonym, the client must pay consultation fees at the time of the appointment.
Purpose of holding personal information
A client’s personal information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing services at Elies Counselling and Consulting. 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.
Sensitive information will be used by us only:
- For the primary purpose for which it was obtained
- For a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose
- With your consent; or where required or authorised by law.
Disclosure of personal information
Clients’ personal information will remain confidential except when:
- It is subpoenaed by a court; or
- Failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable belief of the Elies Counselling and Consulting, place a client or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or
- The client’s prior approval has been obtained to:
- provide a written report to another professional or agency, e.g., a GP or a lawyer; or
- discuss the material with another person, e.g. a parent, employer or health provider; or
- disclose the information in another way; or
- you would reasonably expect your personal information to be disclosed to another professional or agency (e.g. your GP) and disclosure of your personal information to that third party is for a purpose which is directly related to the primary purpose for which your personal information was collected; or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law.
A client’s personal information is not disclosed to overseas recipients, unless the client consents or such disclosure is otherwise required by law.
When your Personal Information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was obtained, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your Personal Information. However, most of the Personal Information is or will be stored in client files which will be kept by us for a minimum of 7 years.
Requesting Access your Personal Information
You may access the Personal Information we hold about you and to update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. Staff responsible may discuss the contents with you and/or give you a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If you wish to access your Personal Information, please contact us in writing. These requests will be responded to in writing within 30 days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.
Elies Counselling and Consulting will not charge any fee for your access request, however an administrative fee of $25 is charged for providing a copy of your Personal Information.
In order to protect your Personal Information we may require identification from you before releasing the requested information.
Maintaining the Quality of your Personal Information
It is an important to us that your Personal Information is up to date. We will take reasonable steps to make sure that your Personal Information is accurate, complete and up-to-date. If you find that the information we have is not up to date or is inaccurate, please advise us as soon as practicable so we can update our records and ensure we can continue to provide quality services to you.
Policy Updates
This Policy may change from time to time.
Privacy Policy Complaints and Enquiries
If you have any queries or complaints about our Privacy Policy please contact us.
Upon request you may obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe your rights and how your personal information should be handled.
Ultimately, 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