Privacy Policy
Calm, Connect & Heal Therapeutic Services
Calm, Connect & Heal Therapeutic Services is committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal information with care, respect and confidentiality.
This policy explains how personal information is collected, used, stored and protected in relation to counselling, clinical supervision, enquiries, website visitors and newsletter subscriptions.
We are committed to meeting our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, applicable NSW legislation and relevant PACFA professional and ethical standards.
Personal information
Personal information is information about an individual who is identified or reasonably identifiable, such as their name, email address, phone number or contact details.
Sensitive information includes health and mental health information and other categories of information given additional protection under privacy law.
Why we collect personal information
We collect personal information where reasonably necessary to:
Respond to enquiries and communicate with you.
Assess whether our services are appropriate for your needs.
Provide safe and effective counselling and clinical supervision.
Maintain appropriate clinical and administrative records.
Manage appointments, billing and relevant funding arrangements.
Meet legal, professional and ethical responsibilities.
Send newsletters and professional updates where you have voluntarily subscribed.
For ongoing counselling services, accurate identifying information is required to support clinical record keeping, safety, duty of care and relevant administrative obligations. For these reasons, we generally cannot provide ongoing counselling anonymously or solely under a pseudonym.
What information we collect
Depending on the services provided, personal information may include:
Name and contact details.
Appointment and billing information.
Emails and correspondence.
Intake and referral information.
Relevant health, mental health and psychosocial information.
Handwritten clinical notes and records.
Emergency contact or funding information, where applicable.
We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for the services we provide.
How we collect information
Information is generally collected directly from you through:
Emails or other communications you send to us.
Enquiries and appointment arrangements.
Basic client and appointment information recorded in Halaxy.
Information shared during counselling or clinical supervision.
Intake and referral processes, where applicable.
Voluntary newsletter subscriptions through our Squarespace website.
Information may also be received from another professional, referral service or authorised person where appropriate and permitted by law.
Confidentiality and disclosure
Your privacy and confidentiality are important aspects of the therapeutic relationship.
Information shared during counselling is treated as confidential and is not ordinarily disclosed to others without your consent.
There are circumstances where information may need to be disclosed without consent, including where disclosure is required or authorised by law. These may include:
Relevant child protection and mandatory reporting obligations.
Serious threats to life, health or safety, where disclosure is legally permitted or required.
A valid court order or other lawful requirement to provide information.
Other circumstances permitted or required under applicable legislation.
Where appropriate and lawful, we will discuss any necessary disclosure with you.
Where personal or sensitive information needs to be shared with another professional or service, we seek the client's written consent unless disclosure is required or authorised by law, including where necessary to respond to a serious threat to safety.
The limits of confidentiality are also discussed as part of the counselling informed consent process.
Clinical supervision
Clinical supervision is an important part of maintaining safe, ethical and professional counselling practice.
As part of this process, aspects of therapeutic work may be discussed with an appropriately qualified clinical supervisor. Client information is de-identified to protect confidentiality.
When providing clinical supervision to other practitioners, we also maintain appropriate supervision records and protect the confidentiality of information discussed.
Storage and security of information
Calm, Connect & Heal Therapeutic Services takes reasonable steps to protect personal information and clinical records from loss, misuse, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Clinical notes and records are primarily maintained in handwritten files and stored securely in a locked filing cabinet.
Basic client and appointment information is managed through Halaxy. Electronic correspondence and administrative information are stored in electronic systems used by the practice.
Access to personal information and clinical records is restricted to authorised persons.
Clients make payments directly by electronic bank transfer. We do not collect or store clients' credit card details.
If we become aware of a privacy or data security breach, we will investigate and take appropriate action, including notifying affected individuals and relevant authorities where required by law.
Retention of clinical records
Clinical records are maintained and retained in accordance with applicable legal, professional and ethical requirements.
Records are retained for the periods required by relevant legislation and professional obligations, including any additional requirements relating to children or young people.
When records are no longer required to be retained, they are securely destroyed or permanently de-identified where appropriate.
Newsletter subscriptions
If you choose to subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address to share occasional reflections, educational resources, new blog articles and updates about counselling, clinical supervision and professional development.
Subscribing is voluntary and does not establish a therapeutic relationship.
You can unsubscribe at any time using the link provided in our emails or by contacting us directly.
Newsletter information is used for managing subscriptions and related communications and is retained only as long as necessary for these purposes and any applicable legal obligations.
Website analytics and cookies
Our website uses Squarespace analytics to help us understand website traffic and how visitors interact with our pages. This may include visitor numbers, pages viewed and general traffic sources.
Our website uses essential cookies and may use optional analytics cookies.
Non-essential cookies are restricted until visitors provide consent. Visitors can accept, decline or manage their cookie preferences through the website's cookie banner and change their preferences later.
Third-party service providers
We use third-party technology and service providers, including Halaxy and Squarespace, to support practice administration, communications, website functionality and newsletter subscriptions.
Some providers may store or process information outside Australia.
We take reasonable steps to manage personal information in accordance with applicable privacy obligations. Information about relevant providers and their privacy practices can be requested from us.
Accessing or correcting your information
You may request access to personal information or clinical records we hold about you. You may also request that personal information we hold about you be corrected if it is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date. Requests will be considered in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and professional obligations.
Requests are handled in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and professional obligations.
We may need to verify your identity before providing access. Where access must lawfully be limited or refused, we will explain the reason where appropriate.
Privacy concerns and complaints
If you have concerns about how your personal information has been handled, please contact Calm, Connect & Heal Therapeutic Services so we can investigate and respond.
You may also contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) regarding a privacy complaint.
If your concern relates to professional or ethical conduct, you may contact the Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA), which has a professional complaints process for concerns relating to its registered practitioners.
Further information is available at www.pacfa.org.au.
Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice, technology, legislation or professional obligations.
The current version will be available on our website.
Contact us
Calm, Connect & Heal Therapeutic Services