Confidentiality and Privacy Policy

Privacy and trust are essential to ensure a safe environment for you as my client to enter into a counselling relationship. With limited exceptions, information discussed or recorded is confidential. You will be asked to give your permission in written form if information needs to be provided to third parties. Exceptions to the strict maintenance of confidentiality include:

1. Information that is shared during the counsellor’s own clinical supervision or peer review. Please note that your name or any factors that identify you will not be mentioned;
2. Provision of information to your referring medical General Practitioner or psychiatrist, or medical fund as required;
3. Disclosure of information to relevant persons or authorities if there is:
   Potential of serious physical danger to yourself or someone else,
   II. Risk of child abuse,
   III. An enquiry from a legal parent or guardian if the client is under 16 years of age, or
   IV. Information legitimately subpoenaed by a court or otherwise authorised for release by law.

Please note that as we live in a small community, I will maintain your confidentiality should we cross paths in public. Should you wish to acknowledge me or initiate a brief conversation, I am very happy to speak with you. However at no time will we speak of personal issues outside of the counselling context. It is also completely safe and acceptable for you not to acknowledge me in an effort to maintain your confidentiality.

Records

In keeping with the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 (as amended in 2006) information privacy principles are observed. As part of providing a counselling service there is a need to collect and record personal information that is relevant to your healing process.

In keeping with best practice, files are retained for a period of 7 years from the time of the last service or in the case of a minor, from the date the child reaches 18, after which the files are destroyed.