Privacy Policy

ABC Psychology

ABN: 28 775 870 466

Address: 3 Bright Place, Birtinya QLD 4575

Phone: 0432 879 820

Effective date: 1st of August 2026 | Last reviewed: 16 August 2026

ABC Psychology respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal and health information. This policy explains what information we collect, how we use and protect it, and your rights regarding it.

It applies to our website, online forms, phone and email enquiries, telehealth services, appointment bookings, and all clinical and administrative services we provide.

1. Information we collect

Personal information you provide may include your name, date of birth, contact details, emergency contact, and (where relevant) parent/guardian, Medicare, private health insurance, NDIS, DVA, WorkCover or billing details.

Health information, which we handle with extra care, may include referral letters, clinical notes, assessment results, treatment plans, and information about your mental health, history, circumstances and current concerns.

We only collect what is reasonably necessary to provide safe, ethical psychological services and to meet our legal and professional obligations.

2. How we collect it

We usually collect information directly from you, through enquiries, bookings, intake and consent forms, appointments (in person or telehealth), and website forms.

We may also collect information from a GP or other treating practitioner, a parent/guardian/carer, or a school, insurer or funding body, where relevant to your care. We'll generally seek your consent first, unless the law requires or permits otherwise (for example, for safety reasons).

3. Our website

You can browse our website without identifying yourself. We only collect personal information if you choose to submit it, for example through an enquiry or booking form, though choosing not to may limit what we can help with.

Like most websites, we automatically collect general technical information (browser type, device, approximate location, pages viewed) and may use cookies to improve site performance. We use Google Analytics to understand how our website is used, and Google reCAPTCHA to protect our contact form from automated abuse. Both are provided by Google and involve some technical information being processed outside Australia, under Google's own privacy policy. You can adjust your browser settings to limit cookies, though some site features may not work as well.

Please keep what you send through our website contact form brief. If you are a client or prospective client, you do not need to include detailed clinical information here. Once we are in touch, we collect what we need through our secure intake process. If you are a referrer, you are welcome to attach a referral or supporting documents, with the client's consent. Information submitted through the form is received by email and then transferred into our secure practice management system.

4. How we use your information

We use your information to:

provide assessment, treatment and clinical care, and maintain accurate records;

manage bookings, enquiries, reminders and cancellations;

process invoices, Medicare, health fund or other third-party claims;

liaise with your GP or other providers involved in your care, with your consent;

meet our legal, professional and insurance obligations (e.g. mandatory reporting, subpoenas);

improve our services and website, using de-identified information wherever possible.

5. Consent

We'll seek your informed consent before providing services, including consent to collect, use and share information as needed for your care. Consent may be given in writing, electronically, verbally or by your conduct.

You can withdraw consent at any time, though this may mean we can no longer provide services, and we may still need to retain existing records for legal or professional reasons.

6. Confidentiality and disclosure

What you share with your psychologist is confidential. We don't sell, rent or trade your information, and we only disclose it where:

you've given consent;

it's needed for your care (e.g. liaising with another treating provider) or for billing and claims with Medicare, insurers, NDIS, DVA or WorkCover;

it's needed to protect your safety or someone else's (including mandatory reporting obligations);

it's required by law, for example a subpoena, court order, or request from a regulator;

it's shared with trusted service providers who support our practice (e.g. our practice-management software, IT and telehealth systems), or with our clinical supervisors, insurers or professional advisers, always with the minimum information necessary.

Your clinical records and health information are stored in Australia. Some of the general website and communication services we use, such as website analytics and spam protection, involve limited technical information being processed overseas. Where that happens, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is protected to Australian standards.

7. Children, young people and families

When working with children and young people, we balance parents' and guardians' role in consent, treatment and safety planning with the young person's own privacy rights, based on their age and maturity. We'll explain how this works, and what may or may not be shared with parents and guardians, at the start of therapy.

For couples, family or group work, we'll clarify at the outset who the client is, what's recorded, and how confidentiality applies across the parties involved.

8. How we protect and store your information

We use Halaxy, a secure practice-management system, to manage client records, bookings, clinical notes, correspondence and billing. Access is limited to authorised staff who need it for their role.

Where psychological assessments are used, these may be administered and scored through NovoPsych, a secure assessment platform.

With your separate written consent, your psychologist may use an AI scribe tool, NovoNote, to help draft session notes. No audio recording of your session is kept. Transcripts and notes are stored securely on servers located in Australia, any third-party AI model receives de-identified information by default, and your information is not used to train AI models. Your psychologist reviews, edits and approves every note before it becomes part of your clinical record. Using an AI scribe is entirely your choice, and your care will not be affected if you decline. We provide a separate consent form explaining this in full.

We protect your information through password protection, access controls, secure systems, staff confidentiality obligations, and secure storage or destruction of any paper records.

Retention: we generally keep adult client records for at least 7 years after the last entry, and records for clients who were under 18 until at least their 25th birthday. Some records may be kept longer where required by law or good practice. When no longer needed, information is securely destroyed or de-identified.

9. Telehealth, email, SMS and social media

We may communicate by telehealth, phone, email or SMS for both clinical and administrative purposes. While we take reasonable steps to protect these channels, no digital communication is completely secure, so please choose a private location for telehealth, and keep your own devices and accounts secure.

We use social media for general updates only. Please don't share personal or clinical information via our social media pages, as they aren't a secure channel, and note that platforms have their own privacy policies. Similarly, any third-party links on our website are outside our control and subject to that site's own policy.

10. Accessing or correcting your information

You can ask to access the information we hold about you, or request a correction if it's inaccurate or out of date. Contact us using the details below. We may need to verify your identity first, and there's no fee for a reasonable request.

We may need to limit access in some circumstances permitted by law (for example, where it would pose a safety risk or affect someone else's privacy), and we'll explain why if that happens. If we don't agree to a correction, you can ask us to note your view on file instead.

11. Data breaches

If we become aware of a data breach involving your information, we'll act to contain it, assess the risk of harm, and, where required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

12. Complaints

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal or health information, please tell us first. You can contact us at info@abcpsychology.com.au or on 0432 879 820. We will acknowledge your complaint within two business days and respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, or you would prefer not to raise it with us directly, you can contact:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), the national privacy regulator, about how your personal or health information has been handled.

oaic.gov.au | 1300 363 992

Office of the Health Ombudsman, which receives health service complaints in Queensland, about the care, conduct or services of a health practitioner.

oho.qld.gov.au | 133 646

Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (Ahpra), about the conduct, performance or health of a registered psychologist. In Queensland, complaints about health practitioners are made to the Office of the Health Ombudsman first, which decides whether a matter is referred to Ahpra and the Psychology Board of Australia.

ahpra.gov.au | 1300 419 495

You do not need to raise a concern with us before contacting any of these bodies, and doing so will not affect the care you receive from us.

13. Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The current version, with its effective date, will always be available on this page. By using our website or services, you acknowledge you have had access to this policy. If you have questions, please reach out before your appointment.

ABC Psychology

Privacy contact: The Practice Principal

Address: 3 Bright Place, Birtinya QLD 4575

Phone: 0432 879 820

Email: info@abcpsychology.com.au

Privacy Policy

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