This page describes the privacy policy of Anchor Psychology Clinic for the management of clients’ personal information. The psychological service provided is bound by the legal requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988.
Psychological service
As part of providing a psychological service to you, your psychologist will need to collect and record personal information from you that is relevant to your current situation. This information forms a necessary part of the psychological assessment and treatment that is conducted.
Client information
Client files are held electronically via Zanda Health, which is accessible only to authorised employees or any authorised service provider in accordance with the practice’s policies and procedures. The information on each file includes personal information such as name, address, contact phone numbers, and sensitive information such as medical history and other personal information collected as part of providing the psychological service.
How clients’ personal information is collected
A client’s personal information is collected in a number of ways during psychological consultation with Anchor Psychology Clinic, including when the client provides information directly to their psychologist using hardcopy or electronic forms, correspondence via email or sms, when the client interacts directly with Anchor Psychology Clinic employees such as the receptionist, and when other health practitioners provide personal information to Anchor Psychology Clinic via referrals, correspondence and medical reports.
Consequence of not providing personal information
If the client does not wish for their personal information to be collected in a way anticipated by this Privacy Policy, Anchor Psychology Clinic may not be in a position to provide the psychological service to the client . In some circumstances, clients may request to be anonymous or to use a pseudonym, unless it is impracticable for Anchor Psychology Clinic to deal with the client or if Anchor Psychology Clinic is required or authorised by law to deal with identified individuals.
Purpose of holding personal information
A client’s personal information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing psychological services, which includes assessing, diagnosing and treating a client’s presenting. 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.
Peer consultation
As part of providing best-practice psychological services, the treating psychologist may periodically discuss individual cases with another registered psychologist during peer consultation. This is a necessary part of providing psychological services and is a requirement under AHPRA. No identifying information will be disclosed during peer consultation.
Disclosure of personal information
Clients’ personal information will remain confidential except when:
- it is subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law;
- failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable belief of Anchor Psychology Clinic place a client or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or
- the client’s prior approval has been obtained to:
- a) provide a written report to another agency or professional, e.g., a GP or a lawyer; or
- b) discuss the material with another person, e.g. a parent, employer, health provider, or third party funder; or
- c) disclose the information in another way; or
- d) disclose 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.
The security and privacy of your data is our top priority. We manage all patient data through Zanda, an electronic management system that complies with the Australian Privacy Act and its Principles. This ensures that your personal data is protected by software that meets the highest global standards for information security management and complies with all applicable privacy regulations. Zanda has offshore servers and your encrypted data may be sent or stored offshore.
If you choose to have a session via video or phone as an alternative to having an in-person session, you will need to ensure you access the call in a secure, quiet space to conduct the session to ensure your privacy. The privacy of any form of communication via the internet is potentially vulnerable and limited by the security of the technology used.
Clients’ personal information will not be used, sold, rented or disclosed for any other purpose. In the event that unauthorised access, disclosure or loss of a client’s personal information occurs Anchor Psychology Clinic will activate its data breach plan and use all reasonable endeavours to minimise any risk of consequential serious harm.
Requests for access and correction to client information
At any stage clients may request to see and correct the personal information about them kept on file. The psychologist may discuss the contents with them and/or give them a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988. 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 Clare Calderwood. These requests will be responded to in writing within 30 days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.
Communication
Please contact your psychologist through our reception via email or phone. Anchor Psychology Clinic does not offer crisis services, so if you are in crisis please contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Emergency Services on 000 if you are at risk of immediate harm. If you email your psychologist please be aware that they will only receive it on the days that they are in the office. Emails sent to admin@anchorpsychologyclinic.com.au are monitored by reception so they can attend to your enquiries. We do not communicate with clients using social media platforms.
Cookies
If you have an account and you log in to this site, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
Concerns
If clients have a concern about the management of their personal information, they may inform Clare Calderwood. Upon request they can obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe their rights and how their 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, online at https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/lodge-a-privacy-complaint-with-us or by post to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5288, Sydney, NSW 2001.