Dr Meg – Clinical Psychology

Dr Meg – Clinical Psychology Privacy Policy

 

Official

Introduction: 

Dr Meg – Clinical Psychology (ABN: 99 867 451 464) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of our clients, supervisees, website visitors, and individuals who engage with our services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, store, use, disclose, and manage Personal Information. This Policy complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), as outlined under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).   

Personal Information Collected: 
We collect Personal Information that is necessary for the purpose of providing clinical psychology services and supervision. This information includes any information that identifies an individual; for example (and not limited to), names, contact details (e.g., address, email, phone numbers), demographic and professional information, health information including your Medicare number, referral letters, session notes, correspondence, reports, assessments, website usage information collected via cookies and similar technologies. Examples of other information that may be collected include emergency contact details and payment information, such as credit card details or bank account information, where applicable.  

Personal Information is collected when it is voluntarily submitted via our website, email, or any other format in which you knowingly enter your personal details. We may need to collect Personal Information directly from you or from third parties when necessary and permitted by law. 

Please note that if you do not wish for your Personal Information to be collected in a way anticipated by this Privacy Policy, we may not be in a position to provide psychological services to you.  

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information: 

We collect Personal Information for the following purposes:  

  • to provide clinical psychology services and supervision;  
  • to communicate with you about our services;  
  • to operate and administer our website; and  
  • to comply with legal and regulatory obligations. 

We may disclose Personal Information when we are required to comply with a legal requirement, such as a law, regulation, court order, subpoena, or warrant, in the context of a legal proceeding, or in response to a law enforcement agency request.  

We may need to disclose Personal Information to the following parties when necessary: 

  • Government agencies, regulatory bodies, and professional associations, as required by law; 
  • Contractors or service providers, such as administrative staff or IT support, to facilitate their provision of services; and  
  • Other third parties with your consent or as otherwise permitted under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).  

There are other instances where your Personal Information may be disclosed. These include: 

  • Where 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 
  • Where we have previously obtained your approval to liaise with another professional or agency (e.g., GP, psychiatrist, third-party funder, support worker); or  
  • Where we have previously obtained your consent to share this information with another person (e.g., parent, carer, employee, spouse).  

Your psychologist may consult with their professional supervisor or another registered health practitioner about your case, for the purpose of supervision and guidance. The aim of supervision is to improve your psychologist’s provision of clinical psychology services. In such instances, effort will be made to maintain your confidentiality – for example, by using a pseudonym and only disclosing information relevant to the case.   

No personally identifying information is collected routinely as a function of your interactions with our website. Our website does collect key information (e.g., browser type, IP address, operating system) to tailor your online experience.  

A client’s Personal Information is not disclosed to overseas recipients, unless the client consents or such disclosure is required by law. A client’s Personal Information will not be used, sold, rented or disclosed for any other purpose. In some cases, we may need to disclose Personal Information to overseas recipients, such as cloud service providers located outside Australia. We will only do so if we are satisfied that the recipient will handle your information in accordance with the APPs. 

Children and Minors: 

All reasonable steps will be taken that Personal Information will not be collected by any person who is known by the organisation to be under the age of fifteen (15) without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. Persons under age fifteen (15) may only provide Personal Information with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian. 

Data Security: 

While no data transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure, we take reasonable precautions to protect your Personal Information from unauthorized access, loss, misuse, or alteration.  

Dr Meg – Clinical Psychology uses third-party service providers such as Zanda Health to provide clinical psychology services. Clients are encouraged to review these organisations’ Privacy Policies should they have concerns about the storage of their information on these services. While we strive to use commercial best practice measures to safeguard your Personal Information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. 

Data Retention Periods: 

Personal Information collected for the provision of clinical psychology services will be retained for seven (7) years following the last date of service, unless a longer retention period is required by law. 

Data Breach Notification: 

In the unlikely event of a data breach that compromises the security of Personal Information, Dr Meg – Clinical Psychology will promptly investigate the incident and notify affected individuals and relevant authorities in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. We will take reasonable steps to mitigate the harm caused by the breach and implement additional security measures as needed. 

Cookies and Google: 

We may use cookies and similar technologies to enhance your experience on our website, analyse website traffic, and personalize content. Information collected through cookies may include your preferences, session information, and other usage data. You can adjust your browser settings to refuse cookies or alert you when cookies are being sent. 

Accessing to Personal Information: 

We will endeavour to take all reasonable steps to keep secure any information which we hold about you and keep this information accurate and up to date.  

If, at any time, you discover that information held about you is incorrect, you may contact us to have the information corrected. 

You may request to see the Personal Information in your client record by writing directly to your psychologist. Your psychologist will respond to your request in writing within 28 days and may or may not provide you access to this information, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act. We ask that you kindly identify, as clearly as possible, the type/s of information requested. Where access is granted, your psychologist will require you to attend an appointment to view your Personal Information at Dr Meg – Clinical Psychology. Standard service fees apply to these appointments.  

Importantly, your right to access your Personal Information is not absolute. In some circumstances, the law permits us to refuse your request to provide you with access to your Personal Information. Some such circumstances include (but are not limited to):  

  • Access would pose a serious threat to the life or health of any individual;  
  • Access would have an unreasonable impact on the privacy of others;  
  • The request is frivolous or vexatious; or 
  • Access may prejudice enforcement activities, a security function or commercial negotiations. 

Links to Other Sites: 

Our website may contain links to other websites. These links are intended for your convenience only. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of these other websites. We encourage you to read and understand the privacy policies on those websites prior to providing any information to them. 

Changes to this Privacy Policy: 

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations.  

Updates will be clearly marked and the policy’s revision date will be indicated. We encourage you to review the latest version of this policy on our website. Continued use of our services indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.  

Concerns: 

If you have any questions or concerns about our privacy practices, please contact Dr Meg – Clinical Psychology. You may access the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe your rights and how your Personal Information should be handled, via www.privacy.gov.au.  

If you feel your privacy concerns have not been adequately addressed, you may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) by phone (1300 363 992), by post (GPO Box 5218, Sydney NSW 2001), or online at http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-a-privacy-complaint. 

Agreement 

By using our website or our services, you are agreeing to the terms of this Privacy Policy 

Version 1.0 Privacy Policy (effective January 2025)