As a psychologist, I Tracey Donkin (the Psychologist) take your privacy seriously and am committed to protecting your privacy under the Privacy Act and other relevant laws including Public Records Act 2002 (Qld) and Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 (Cth). This Privacy Policy describes how the Psychologist treats your Personal Information.
By contacting Brisbane Counselling Centre (BCC), scheduling an appointment for, and/or having a consultation with, the Psychologist (the ‘services’) (whether the consult is completed by you or not), you agree to be bound by this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy may be amended from time to time. You will be notified of important changes and provided with a prominent link to those changes for a reasonable length of time following the changes. You consent to any amendments to this Privacy Policy by continuing to use the services.
If you have any questions about our use of your Personal Information or have any concerns about this Privacy Policy, please contact the Psychologist:
Name: Tracey Donkin
Tel: (07) 3831 4452
Fax: (07) 3831 4457
Personal Information collection and usage
This Privacy Policy relates to all information supplied by you (or BCC on your behalf) to the Psychologist including:
- Contact information: your name, position, role, company or organisation, telephone number email, postal address emergency contact details;
- Your communications: information provided in communications with BCC including when you book (or enquire about booking) an appointment with the Psychologist;
- Information from public sources: for example, from LinkedIn and similar professional networks, directories or internet publications;
- Financial information: the Psychologist or BCC (on the Psychologist’s behalf) may obtain your bank account details (or third party payer) for example when taking payment for an appointment with a Psychologist (whether that appointment has occurred or not and including late or cancellation fees);
- Medical information: the Psychologist or BCC (on the Psychologist’s behalf) may collect information about your health and medical history for the purpose of your consultation and to process payment and rebates, for example through HICAPS and Medicare;
- Social media: posts, likes, tweets and other interactions with BCC’s social media presence;
- Technical information: when you access BCC’s website and technology services being IP address, time zone setting, browser plug-in types and versions, operating system you are using, device type, hardware model, MAC address, unique identifiers and mobile network information;
- Online data: when you access BCC’s website, app and technology services, information about your visit including URL clickstream to, through and from BCC’s website (including date and time), information about your network as such as information about devices, nodes, configurations, connection speeds and network application performance; pages viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits and interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, mouse-overs) and other similar information and whether you click on particular links or open emails from the Psychologist or BCC.
Personal Information may be received directly from you or screening providers who assist us with the Psychologist’s (and or BCC’s) legal obligations. This information may be exchanged over the phone, by email, SMS, in person, in any other form of written communication or through BCC’s online enquiry form on the website. Personal Information may also be obtained about you from a healthcare professional such as your treating GP or specialist doctor.
Personal Information is not collected about your online activities across third party websites or online services.
In addition to the information you provide to the Psychologist (or BCC on the Psychologist’s behalf), any information supplied by you to the Psychologist will not be made available to other psychologists, staff or interested parties without firstly obtaining your written consent (unless required or permitted by law).
If you do not wish to provide your Personal Information, then you do not have to do so, however it may affect the Psychologist’s ability to treat you or see you for a consultation.
How your Personal Information is used
Your Personal Information is used by the Psychologist for the following purposes:
- to enable the Psychologist to provide psychology and/or counselling services to you;
- to communicate with you including for example reminding you that your mental health treatment plan requires updating or sending you useful resources related to your consultation;
- receiving or responding to feedback, enquiries or concerns you may have; and
- compliance with law, including circumstances where disclosure is required without your consent for example where a serious threat to life, health or safety exists. The Psychologist may obtain further information from you to comply with the law if required.
Why your Personal Information is used
Your Personal Information may be processed for a number of reasons including:
- with your consent: for example you share details for particular purposes;
- to comply with law;
- to look after your health and wellbeing when providing services to you.
Why Sensitive Information may be used
Sensitive Information is only used if:
- it is not otherwise permitted under this Privacy Policy, but you have provided express and informed consent for the particular processing;
- it is necessary to protect your vital interests or those of another person for example, in medical emergencies;
- you have manifestly made the data public for example, where you have published it on social media;
- it is necessary to deal with legal claims for example, involving court proceedings;
- it is necessary for substantial public interest for example, to prevent or detect unlawful acts; or
- it is permitted by applicable law.
Who your Personal Information is shared with
There are instances where your Personal Information can be disclosed where it is permitted or required by law, for example:
- To BCC: to allow BCC to assist the Psychologist to manage its files, records, and bookings, process payments and otherwise conduct its business;
- Law enforcement bodies and our regulators: or authorities in accordance with law or good practice for example by order of a court or otherwise required by law;
- Healthcare professionals: including hospitals and your treating GP for example in connection with a mental health treatment plan;
- Family or representative: any person, family member, representatives or other organisations that you have consented or where we are required, permitted, authorised or otherwise directed to by law;
- Appropriate parties in the event of emergencies: in particular to protect health and safety of you and others including where it is required to prevent serious risk to the health, safety or life of you or another;
- You consent: in instances where you consent for example to provide a report to a GP or other medical professional, lawyer or advisor, to discuss with another person connected with your treatment (including a spouse, parent or employer).
How your Personal Information is stored
The Psychologist will keep your patient records including any notes taken during your consultation private and in accordance with the Privacy Act and the APS Code of Ethics (subject to legal obligations). Any reasonable request from you to be provided with your Personal Information cannot be withheld.
BCC may be asked by the Psychologist to store your Personal Information in physical and electronic form (or a combination) on their behalf. All of your Personal Information, whether stored by the Psychologist or BCC, will be stored securely using good practice physical, technical and administrative security measures.
Where your Personal Information is also kept by BCC, how your information is dealt with is provided for under its own privacy policy. We encourage you to read BCC’s privacy policy.
How long your Personal Information is stored for
Data collected can be stored for different periods of time depending on what it is and how it is used. Generally, your information is kept for as long as needed to provide counselling and/or psychology services, comply with legal, accounting or regulatory requirements or to deal with claims. The Psychologist and BCC have a legal requirement to store your information for at least seven years from the time you had last contact with a Psychologist, or if you are a minor, until you turn 25 years of age.
Once your Personal Information is no longer needed (for example you no longer see the Psychologist at BCC), it will be destroyed (either by shredding physical documents or deleting electronic information from all servers, subject to any back-up records).
How you can correct your Personal Information
If you believe that any Personal Information that the Psychologist or BCC holds is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading, please contact the Psychologist or BCC by email. It is your responsibility to advise of any changes to your Personal Information (for example change of residential address, email address or phone number). Either the Psychologist or BCC will respond within a reasonable time where practicable and will endeavour to correct any personal information. You may request that you be provided with your Personal Information or it be deleted. Any written request by you cannot be unreasonably withheld.
Access to your personal information
Please contact the Psychologist if you would like to access your Personal Information. The Psychologist will generally provide you with access to your Personal Information within a reasonable period (and no more than 30 days after your request). Depending on the amount of information requested, the Psychologist (or BCC on the Psychologist’s behalf) may charge an access fee to cover the cost of retrieving the information and supplying it to you.
Access to Personal Information may be refused in a number of circumstances, such as where the information relates to anticipated legal proceedings or the request for access is frivolous or vexatious. If the Psychologist denies or restricts your access, you will be provided with a written explanation. Similarly, in some limited circumstances the Psychologist may not make requested corrections to Personal Information, in which case you will be provided with written reasons for this decision.
If you have any concerns about the way your Personal Information is stored, disclosed or otherwise managed, or believe that a breach of your privacy has occurred, please contact the Psychologist in writing. The Psychologist will respond to your concerns as soon as reasonably practicable (and no more than 30 days after your request). If you are for whatever reason not satisfied with the response or resolution of your concerns or complaint, you can contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Use of Commonwealth government identifiers
The Psychologist will not use Commonwealth government identifiers (Identifiers) (for example, Medicare numbers) as an identifier of individuals. Identifiers will only be used or disclosed in the circumstances permitted by the Privacy Act.
Where your information will be held
Your data may be stored in different parts of the world, and your information may be transferred out of Australia, including to the United States. Data protection laws vary by country. All reasonable steps will be taken to protect your information in line with locally applicable data protection requirements.
Definitions
In this Privacy Policy, the following terms have the meaning given to them below unless the context requires otherwise:
- APS Code of Ethics: means the Australian Psychological Society code of ethics as amended from time to time;
- Personal Information: has the meaning given to it in the Privacy Act, which includes information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable whether the information or opinion is true or not or in a material form or not;
- Privacy Act: means the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) as amended from time to time;
- Privacy Policy: means this privacy policy as amended from time to time made available on BCC’s website via the link under the Psychologists personal bio and available in physical copy upon request;
- Psychologist: the psychologist named in this privacy policy that operates its practice out of BCC, that you are treated by (or intend to be treated by) whether or not you engage the services of that psychologist or not;
- Sensitive Information: has the meaning given to it in the Privacy Act, which includes information or an opinion about an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, sexual orientation or criminal record; and
- You/Your: means the individual who we collect the Personal Information from and about.
