Privacy Policy

Peaceful Mind Psychology is committed to protecting the privacy of our clients, employees and psychologists, and takes the protection of personal and health information very seriously.

This policy outlines our approach to managing personal and health information, collected as part of provision of a service, enquiry about provision of service, or in accessing our website. Peaceful Mind Psychology complies with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the relevant Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act, together with the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and the applicable Health Privacy Principles in the Health Records Act, when handling personal information.

Collection and Management of Personal Information

Purpose of collecting personal information

Your personal information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing psychological services, which includes assessing, diagnosing and treating your presenting issue(s). We also collect personal information for the purposes of communicating with you. 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.

How personal information is collected

Your personal information is collected in a number of ways during psychological consultation with Peaceful Mind Psychology. E.g. via notes that our Psychologists take to document important details relevant to assessment and treatment. Personal information is also collected when you provide information directly to Peaceful Mind Psychology using online intake forms or enquiry forms, correspondence via email, when you interact directly with our reception team, and when other health practitioners provide personal information to Peaceful Mind Psychology, via referrals, correspondence and medical reports.

Storage of personal information

Client information is predominantly stored in Halaxy, which is an Australian-based secure private practice software program commonly used in the healthcare industry. For more information regarding Halaxy please see the Halaxy Terms of Use and Halaxy Privacy Policy. The information on each file includes personal information such as name, address, contact phone numbers, medical history, and other personal information collected as part of providing the psychological service. If your psychologist prefers hard-copy notes, hard-copy client files are held in a secure filing cabinet which is accessible only to authorised employees and Psychologists. For the purposes of managing incoming enquiries, our reception team also uses internal databases which are securely stored (via encryption) online.

Peaceful Mind Psychology is also required by law to store your records for a minimum of seven (7) years (or until the age of 25 if under 18 years of age). Peaceful Mind Psychology also retains personal information for administrative purposes such as for Medicare requirements.

International Partnerships

Some of our administrative services are conducted by international staff. These staff operate under the governance of Peaceful Mind Psychology and utilise our systems and agreements. We have strict oversight over these staff and ensure compliance with Australian privacy standards is maintained at all times. Any information that is subject of overseas handling is stored on Australian data servers.

Data security

We have stringent security protocols in place regarding data security. Our clinical system, Halaxy, and all back-end systems are protected with multi-factor authentication. We have strict guidelines for our employees regarding password and other data-security measures (such as anti-virus software etc.), and provide guidelines for our psychologists, for circumstances where they are responsible for data security (such as their own clinical notes storage).

Disclosure of personal information

The information you disclose will remain confidential and will not be shared with any other parties, unless you otherwise request/permit (e.g. you request a written report for work/study or you wish to involve a loved one). However, your Psychologist may be required to breach confidentiality and disclose your information in the following unlikely situations:

1. If failure to disclose the information would, in the reasonable belief of your Psychologist, place you or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or
2. Information is subpoenaed by a court of law; or
3. Your Psychologist suspects that a child is at risk of neglect, abuse or harm (i.e. mandatory reporting), or
4. An authorised member of the Department of Human Services believes on reasonable grounds that your Psychologist has information that is relevant to the protection or development of a child in respect of whom a protection order is in force.

There also may be times where as part of the assessment and therapy process, it may be helpful for your Psychologist to liaise with other people that are relevant to your therapy goals (e.g. your GP, specialist, etc.). Please note that if you intend to claim rebates from Medicare or another organisation (such as NDIS) then your Psychologist must provide summary reports and be open to professional discussion regarding assessment and treatment progress.

The clinic also receives phone calls from parents of school-aged clients, where by law we are required to confirm with the parent the attendance at the practice of a client who is under the age of 18 years. Please notify your therapist if you are not comfortable with this agreement, or if there is an issue with a parent/guardian knowing about your attendance.

Consequences 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, Peaceful Mind Psychology may not be in a position to provide the psychological service to you. In some circumstances, you may request to be anonymous or to use a pseudonym, unless it is impracticable for Peaceful Mind Psychology to provide a service to a de-identified individual, or if Peaceful Mind Psychology is required or authorised by law to deal with identified individuals.

Consent to providing information

By contacting us (via website enquiry, phone, or other written communication such as email), by completing a client consent form, or otherwise engaging in our services, you consent to us and our Psychologists collecting, using and disclosing your information for the purposes specified in this Privacy Policy.

Requests for access and correction to client information

At any stage you may request to see and correct the personal information about you kept on file. Your Psychologist may discuss the contents with you and/or give you a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If satisfied that personal information is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, reasonable steps will be taken in the circumstances to ensure that this information is corrected.

All requests by clients for access to or correction of personal information held about them should be lodged with their Psychologist via their email address at info@peacefulmind.com.au. These requests will be responded to in writing within 10 days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.

Our Website

Our website uses ‘cookies’ as part of our website analytics. Cookies are a form of technology used to track data using your browser’s functionality. Cookies are small data files that websites place on computers or devices to enhance the functionality of the website, for example identifying if a person has visited our website before, and record details of the user’s visit.

Most browsers have the option to enable notifications if you receive a cookie, or block cookies entirely if you wish.

Concerns

If you are dissatisfied with our privacy policy, or how we have handled your information, you can see how to register your concerns or complaint with us in our Complaints Handling Process. Upon request, you can also obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe your rights and how your personal information should be handled. Ultimately, if you wish to lodge a formal complaint about the use of, disclosure of, or access to, your personal information, you may do so with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

Updates to the Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy maybe amended or varied from time to time. Any changes will be effective upon the posting of the updated policy on our website. By continuing to use our website and receive services, you will be deemed to have agreed to such changes. If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy, you must cease usage of our website and inform us immediately prior to receiving any further psychological services.