Cancellation and Late Attendance Policy

If, for some reason you need to cancel or postpone the appointment, please note that 50% of the scheduled fee will be charged if notice is provided less than 24 hours prior to your appointment time, and 100% of the scheduled fee will be charged in a situation where there is a failure to attend the appointment without any notice prior to the appointment time. Cancellation fees cannot be claimed through Medicare nor are they payable through government funding options such as FaHCSIA.

If the client is greater than 20 minutes late for a standard 50 minute session, Step by Step Psychology has the right to cancel the session in the interests of the client, as shorter sessions are often not conducive to therapy. Should it be agreed that the appointment go ahead at the specified time, the psychologist will finish the session at the original end point. If claiming through Medicare, the full rebate will not be available.

Privacy Policy for Management of Personal Information

This document describes the privacy policy of Step by Step 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).

Storage of Client information

Client files are held in a secure filing cabinet and on an electronic document management system (HealthKit) which is accessible only to authorised employees. HealthKit is backed by bank grade security and 256-bit encryption. 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. Once a client has finished treatment, all information is scanned and securely stored on the electronic document management system (HealthKit) and handwritten case notes are shredded.

How clients’ personal information is collected

A client’s personal information is collected in a number of ways during psychological consultation with Step by Step Psychology, including when the client provides information directly to Step by Step Psychology using hardcopy forms, correspondence via email, when the client interacts directly with Step by Step Psychology employees such as receptionists, and when other health practitioners provide personal information to Step by Step Psychology via referrals, correspondence and medical reports. Health information is kept for a minimum of 7 years from the date of last entry in the client record for adults; or for children; 7 years from the date the child turns 18.

Consequence of not providing personal information

If the client does not wish for their personal information to be collected in a way anticipated by this Privacy Policy, Step by Step Psychology may not be in a position to provide the psychological service to the client. In some circumstances, clients may request to be anonymous or to use a pseudonym, which can be used, unless it is impracticable for Step by Step Psychology to deal with the client or if Step by Step Psychology is required or authorised by law to deal with identified individuals.

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 in order to document what happens during sessions, and enables the psychologist to provide a relevant and informed psychological service. Client’s files are held and therefore ‘owned’ by Step by Step Psychology, not the individual treating Psychologist.

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; or
2. failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable belief of Step by Step Psychology or the individual practitioner, place a client or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or
3. the client’s prior approval has been obtained to:
   1. provide a written report to another agency or professional, e.g., a GP or a lawyer; or
   2. discuss the material with another person, e.g. a parent, employer, health provider, or third party funder; or
   3. disclose the information in another way; or
   4. disclose to another professional or agency (e.g. your GP) and disclosure of your personal information to that third party is for a purpose which is directly related to the primary purpose for which your personal information was collected.

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.
In the event that unauthorised access, disclosure or loss of a client’s personal information occurs Step by Step 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 a copy of the file is requested; a cost is associated with this. Costs are in accordance with the Australian Psychological Society recommended fees. 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 Step by Step Psychology’s director, Hayley Jennings. These requests will be responded to in writing within 30 days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.

Website Security

We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to track the activity on our website and hold certain information. The information collected by cookies allows us to monitor the number of people using our website, and how they are using the website. 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 device. Tracking technologies also used are beacons, tags, and scripts to collect and track information and to improve and analyse our website usage. 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 not be able to use some portions of our website to its full capacity.

Step by Step Psychology may also include a third-party cookie from Google in order to use Google Analytics to monitor site statistics. Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic. Google uses the data collected to track and monitor the use of our website. This data is shared with other Google services. Google may use the collected data to contextualize and personalize the ads of its own advertising network.

You can opt-out of making your activity on the Step by Step Psychology available to Google Analytics by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on. The add-on prevents the Google Analytics JavaScript (ga.js, analytics.js, and dc.js) from sharing information with Google Analytics about visits activity. For more information on the privacy practices of Google, please visit the Google Privacy & Terms web page.

Step by Step Psychology employs reasonable security measures to protect the personal information you submit to it. Such security involves the use of SSL-secured Web forms, firewalls and other company employed security methods. The Step by Step Psychology website may contain links to other sites that are not operated by us. If you click on a third-party link, you will be directed to that third party’s site. We strongly advise you to review the Privacy Policy of every site you visit. We have no control over and assume no responsibility for the content, privacy policies or practices of any third-party sites or services.

Concerns

If clients have a concern about the management of their personal information, they may inform Step by Step Psychology’s director, Hayley Jennings. Upon request they can obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe their 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 at www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-a-privacy-complaint or by post to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW 2001.

Queries and Questions

We welcome suggestions from our clients and other health professionals so that we can continue to improve our services. Please speak to us in person by phoning the clinic on 9893 4537 or email info@stepbysteppsychology.com.au.

If you have any questions or concerns or you wish to gain access to your personal information, have a complaint about a breach of your privacy or you have any query on how your personal information is collected or used, please forward your query to info@stepbysteppsychology.com.au. If you would prefer to remain anonymous, please post a letter to 132 Springfield Rd, Blackburn, 3130.

If you are not satisfied with our handling of any complaints internally, or our internal process presents a conflict of interest, you are entitled to pursue an external method of providing feedback. Any complaints about your Psychologist can be directed to the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) by phoning 1300 419 495 or accessing the online or visiting www.ahpra.gov.au for more information.