Privacy policy
The following describes the Privacy Policy of Mona Vale Psychology for the management of any client personal information. The clinical psychological service provided is bound by the legal requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Clinical psychology services
As part of providing our psychological service to you it may be necessary to collect and record personal information. The information gathered is part of our assessment, diagnosis and treatment. It enables us to provide a relevant and informed service.
Confidentiality
All personal information gathered during the provision of the psychological service will remain confidential and secure except where:
1. It is subpoenaed by a court
2. Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious and imminent risk
There may be times where, as part of the assessment and therapy process. It may be helpful for us to liaise with other people or agencies that are relevant to your goals. Additional consent forms will be requested in these instances.
Please note that if you intend to claim rebates from Medicare or another organisation then we must provide summary reports to your referring specialist regarding your treatment progress. Under the Medicare scheme these reports will be sent to your GP or psychiatrist.
How client information is collected
A client’s personal information is collected in a number of ways before, during or after our consultation sessions including: when the client provides information directly to Mona Vale Psychology using hardcopy forms, correspondence via email or through Mona Vale Psychology’s website; when the client interacts directly in therapy sessions; when other health practitioners provide personal information to Mona Vale Psychology via referrals, correspondence and medical reports.
Requests for access to client information
At any stage clients may request to see and correct the personal information about them kept on file. We may discuss the contents with them and/or give them a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (ct.).
If satisfied that personal information is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, reasonable steps will be taken in the circumstances to ensure that this information is corrected.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, in writing, with Mona Vale Psychology directly. We will endeavour to respond to these requests in writing within 28 business days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.