Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy for Management of Personal Information

This document describes the privacy policy of Wisemind Psychology 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 (Cth).

Client information
Wisemind Psychology stores client files in a secure filing cabinet and uses a professional practice management software called Halaxy, which is protected by bank-grade security and encryption. All client files are accessible only to authorised employees or any authorised service provider in accordance with our practice's policies and procedures. 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.

How clients' personal information is collected
A client's personal information is collected in a number of ways during psychological consultation with Wisemind Psychology, including when the client provides information directly to Wisemind Psychology using hard-copy forms, correspondence via email, when the client interacts directly with Wisemind Psychology's employees such as the receptionist, and when other health practitioners provide personal information to Wisemind Psychology, via referrals, correspondence and medical reports.

Consequence of not providing personal information
If a client does not wish for their personal information to be collected in a way anticipated by this Privacy Policy, Wisemind Psychology may not be in a position to provide the psychological service to the client.

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 issue. The personal information is retained to document what happens during sessions and enables the psychologist to provide a relevant and informed psychological service.

Disclosure of personal information
Clients’ personal information will remain confidential except when:

1. it is subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law;
2. mandatory reporting of child abuse and domestic violence is required;
3. failure to disclose the information would, in the reasonable belief of the psychologist, place a client or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or
4. the client’s prior written approval has been obtained to release or discuss information with other parties.

A client's personal information is not disclosed to overseas recipients, unless the client consents or such disclosure is otherwise required by law. Clients' personal information will not be used, sold, rented or disclosed for any other purpose.

To uphold their registration with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA), all psychologists have a responsibility to ensure that they continue to maintain, enhance, and extend their knowledge and skills throughout their professional practice. To fulfil this requirement, your psychologist may discuss your treatment with another registered psychologist in a de-identified manner. If you have any concerns regarding this, please speak with your treating psychologist for further information.

In the event that unauthorised access, disclosure or loss of a client’s personal information occurs Wisemind Psychology 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 (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 treating psychologist. In the event the treating psychologist is not available, requests can be lodged with Marybeth Pereira, Director of Wisemind Psychology, using the contact details below. These requests will be responded to in writing within 14 days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.

Retention of client records
All client records are held for a minimum of seven years after the last attendance or, for clients under the age of 18, when the client attains the age of 25. For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients born after 1980 will be kept for a minimum of seven years, while records for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients born before 1980 will not be destroyed.

Use of Digital Platforms
Wisemind Psychology uses a professional practice management software called Halaxy, which is protected by bank-grade security and encryption. Our psychologists also use secure and encrypted audio-to-text platforms called Heidi and NovoNote, which are automated tools designed to assist clinicians with taking session notes. The use of an artificial intelligence (AI) enhanced note taker was adopted to enable us to focus more on communication and your care during sessions, rather than being distracted by manual notetaking. 

Heidi and NovoNote help by transcribing the session and providing a summary of that session. The transcript of the session will be deleted and will not make up part of your record, while the summary is reviewed and amended by your psychologist saved as part of your file. Audio of the session is never saved. Heid and NovoNote all comply with the Australian Privacy Principles as well as AHPRA and HIPAA standards. Both tools operate on secure servers in Australia, and your data does not contribute to training AI models. 

For additional information, please review the Heidi Patient Explainer and NovoNote Fact Sheet.

Concerns
If clients have a concern about the management of their personal information, they may inform Marybeth Pereira, Director of Wisemind Psychology.

Click here to review the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe clients' 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, or by post to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001.