New Beginning’s Privacy Policy
New Beginnings Psychotherapy is committed to safeguarding your privacy and adhering to the Privacy Act 1988 (Privacy Act) and relevant state legislation concerning the management of personal data. This Privacy Policy pertains to the handling of personal information concerning clients and potential clients of New Beginnings Psychotherapy. These are people who utilize or have used our services, visitors to our website (www.newbeginningspsychotherapy.com.au) and users of the services New Beginnings Psychotherapy. By accessing our website or utilizing our services, you consent to the terms outlined in this Privacy Policy.
Definitions
References to “New Beginnings Psychotherapy,” “me”, “I” or “my” pertain to Rachel Agnew operating as New Beginnings Psychotherapy (ABN: 49 503 123 774 ). References to “you” and “your” refer to any individual from whom I collect personal information. References to “counsellor”, “therapist” or “psychotherapist” refer to the sole trader Rachel Agnew, who represents New Beginnings Psychotherapy, a company registered to provide counselling services.
Personal Information
In this Policy, “personal information” carries the meaning provided in the Privacy Act. This generally means that any information or opinion that could be used to identify you. Sensitive information includes personal data concerning health, criminal history, sexual orientation, religious or philosophical beliefs, racial or ethnic origin, and political opinions.
Information Collection
I aim to collect only necessary personal information for the specific functions of running the New Beginnings Psychotherapy service. When you inquire about the service I provide, I may gather your full name, date of birth, email address, phone number, and other personal details. This could include sensitive information which is used to assess the suitability of the counselling and therapy services, and can also help provide relevant information or resources. Additional personal information, including sensitive data, may be collected when you schedule an appointment at New Beginnings Psychotherapy and if you agree to the ‘contracting’ stage; such as your address, emergency contact details, and medical history. I may also collect personal information about you if you are a healthcare professional who has referred a client to New Beginnings Psychotherapy, including your name, medical speciality, and contact information, among other details. Your banking details (or the details of third parties involved in the funding of your appointments) may also be collected during the process of paying for the service.
If we engage commercially, I may gather information about you or the company. This could include service providers, contractors, or members of the public interacting with New Beginnings Psychotherapy. The specific information I collect depends on the nature of our interaction. Typically, this information would your name, contact details, details of our interactions and transactions, as well as pertinent details such as professional registration numbers, insurance certificates, and other relevant information.
Information Gathering
Information is gathered throughout our interactions. This may occur during phone conversations, in-person interactions, via letters, documents or forms, or online through our website (e.g., www.newbeginningspsychotherapy.com.au), email, SMS, and social media channels. Additionally, I may obtain personal information indirectly from other sources. This could include referrals from other health practitioners. If you intend to share information containing identifiable details about another person, you must seek permission from that individual and inform them about my Privacy Policy.
Data Storage and Security
Your personal information held by New Beginnings Psychotherapy is maintained in a secure environment accessible only to authorised personnel. I take reasonable steps to safeguard the security of stored data, including via physical and electronic measures, such as the use of secure password protection, and lockable filing cabinets for printed sensitive information. I am also committed to the destruction or de-identification of information when no longer necessary, in line with state legislation (QLD). However, I cannot guarantee the absolute security of data transmitted over the internet or stored on internet-accessible servers. In addition to this, I can also not guarantee the security of any information that is provided to you or left with you, from me, such as paper contracts or emails.
Purpose of Data Collection
I collect personal information to fulfil the function of providing a counselling and psychotherapy service. These functions can include assessing service suitability, communicating with clients, responding to inquiries, and updating records. If you have concerns regarding the personal information requested, please contact me on rachel@newbeginningspsychotherapy.com.au
Disclosure of Personal Information
There are extreme circumstances where I may be legally permitted or obligated to disclose your personal information to third parties. While consent for disclosure will always be sought, this may not be possible or safe to do so in every circumstance.
For example, I may need to disclose personal information in the following situations. Such as, if I have a reasonable belief that:
Or, you may also
I also enlist external service providers to deliver counselling and therapy services and manage business operations. For instance, as part of my membership with The Australian Counselling Association, regular client supervision is required. While your identity remains anonymous to supervisors, details of our discussions may be shared to ensure optimal service provision.
I also utilize various software providers, including IT and data security services, website hosting, insurers, and professional advisors such as accountants, bookkeepers, and lawyers. Your personal information may be shared with them to facilitate business operations.
Your personal information will not be used, sold, rented or disclosed for any other purpose. However, some of the information collected by New Beginnings Psychotherapy may be stored in systems that utilise data hosting facilities outside of Australia due to working with third parties.
Website Data Collection
The website, www.newbeginningspsychotherapy.com.au, is hosted in Australia. We utilize Google Analytics to analyse website traffic, which may involve data transmission to Google servers outside Australia. By using New Beginnings Psychotherapy website (www.newbeginningspsychotherapy.com.au), you consent to data processing as outlined in Google’s Privacy Policy. My website contains links to third-party sites; however, New Beginnings Psychotherapy is not responsible and has no control over their content or privacy practices. I would strongly advise you review the privacy policy of each website you visit.
New Beginnings Psychotherapy uses “Cookies” to collect information. Cookies are files with small amount of data, which may include an anonymous unique identifier. Cookies are sent to your browser from a website and stored on your computer's hard drive. use "cookies" to collect information. You can instruct your browser to refuse all cookies or to indicate when a cookie is being sent. However, if you do not accept cookies, you may lose some functionality of the website.
Access and Correction of Personal Information
You can request access or corrections of your personal information if you believe it to be inaccurate. This request must be in writing, and I must respond to it within 30 days. During this process, I may ask you to verify your identity before access is granted.
However, access to your personal information may be declined in accordance with privacy laws. For example, in a situation where giving you access would put another person at risk of harm. If access is denied then I will notify you in writing giving the reasons why. I will only provide private, personal information to third parties when required to by law, such as through a subpoena. If a person requests access to your personal information and is authorised to do so, such as a lawyer, then I would need to verify their identity before access to any of your personal information is granted.
New Beginnings Psychotherapy takes reasonable steps to ensure any personal information held is up-to-date, accurate and complete. Should you believe any information held is incorrect or outdated, you may request a correction. If correction isn't feasible, you can request that I attach a statement explaining the inaccuracy. If I disclosed incorrect information to others and have made a correction, you can ask us to inform them of the update, and I must comply unless there is a valid reason not to do so.
Children’s Information and Privacy
New Beginnings Psychotherapy does not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under 16. If you are a parent or guardian and you are aware that your child has provided me with Personal Information, please contact me. If I discover that a child under 16 has provided me with Personal Information, I will delete such information from our servers promptly.
Privacy Concerns and Complaints
For questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or personal information handling, please contact New Beginnings Psychotherapy. Complaints about our handling of personal information will be promptly acknowledged, investigated, and responded to within 30 days. If unsatisfied with my response, you may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (www.oaic.gov.au).
In the unlikely event of unauthorised access, disclosure or loss of your personal information that is likely to result in serious harm to yourself or others then an investigation will be commenced and the Australian Information Commissioner will be notified in accordance with the Privacy Act.
Changes to Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy will be updated to reflect any changes in data and personal information handling practices. All personal information is governed by the current Privacy Policy. It is recommended you periodically review this policy for any changes.
