As part of providing a professional psychological service to you, Redlands Psychologists will need to obtain/exchange and record personal information from you that is relevant to your current situation.  This information is a necessary part of the psychological assessment and treatment that is conducted.

Psychotherapy is not easily described in general statements.  It varies depending on the personalities of the psychologist and patient, and the particular problems you hope to address. There are many different methods used to deal with those problems.  Psychotherapy is not like a medical doctor visit.  Instead, it calls for a very active effort on your part.  In order for the therapy to be most successful, you will have to work on things talked about both during sessions and at home.

Psychotherapy can have benefits and risks.  Because therapy often involves discussing unpleasant aspects of your life, you may experience uncomfortable feelings like sadness, guilt, anger, frustration, loneliness, and helplessness.  On the other hand, psychotherapy has also been shown to have significant benefits for people who go through it.  Therapy often leads to better relationships, solutions to specific problems, and significant reductions in feelings of distress.  However, there are no guarantees as to what you will experience.

Your first few sessions will involve an evaluation of your needs.  By the end of the evaluation, you will be offered some first impressions of what work will include and a treatment plan to follow, if you decide to continue with therapy.  You should evaluate this information along with your own opinions about whether you feel comfortable working with your psychologist.  At the end of the evaluation, you are free to decide if that psychologist is the right person for you. You are able to choose a different psychologist if you feel this is right for you.

Therapy involves a large commitment of time, money, and energy, so you should be very careful about the psychologist you select.  If you have questions about any procedures, please discuss them whenever they arise with either your psychologist or the admin team. If your doubts persist, we will be happy to help you set up a meeting with another psychologist for a second opinion.

PRIVACY AND CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

Redlands Psychologists’ client privacy policy is developed in compliance with Australia’s privacy legislation.  Psychologists are bound by the legal requirements of the National Privacy Principles from the Privacy Amendment Act 2000 and follow strict guidelines for professional conduct that include confidentiality.

At your first appointment, a file containing personal contact details, referral information and session notes will be set up. These files are kept in a secure filing cabinet accessed only by our psychology team and administrative staff. Administrative staff only access files in order to enter referral information into the computer system for billing purposes.

Information in your file will remain confidential within the bounds of legal requirements. Unless you grant a third party authority to your client records in writing, you are the only person who will be granted access to your personal information.

Exceptions to this include:
If a file is subpoenaed by court or requested by a government agency for audit, or you give your psychologist permission to disclose the contents of your file, or if the psychologist becomes aware of information that would place you or another person at risk. In these cases, the contents of your file may be shared with appropriate people.  Every attempt will be made to discuss this with you first.

Psychologists may also be legally bound to disclose client information in certain situations, such as court orders, subpoenas (as mentioned above), search warrants and Coroner's Court cases. Children and other dependent relatives also have the right to privacy of their health information. Access by other individuals (eg. parents, guardians, carers etc.) will be determined by medical and legal privacy requirements and each request for access will be addressed on an individual basis.

Please speak to us if you have any questions or concerns regarding confidentiality.

Data Quality and Security of Client Information

It is the policy of Redlands Psychologists to maintain accurate, up-to-date and complete records. Client information may be stored on paper and/or in electronic formats. It is the policy of Redlands Psychologists to protect client information from loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure. Client information will be kept at Redlands Psychologists as long as is legally necessary or required for administrative purposes. If information is no longer needed after this time, it will be destroyed in a secure manner.

 Access and Correction of Patient Information

Under Australia’s privacy legislation, all clients have the right to access their personal records. Requests for access to personal records must be in writing. All clients are able to have incomplete or inaccurate information amended. There are some circumstances, such as for legal reasons, where access to client information will be denied. If this is the case, the client will be advised of the reason.

There is no charge for lodging a request for access, however, a charge may be made if Redlands Psychologists incurs costs in providing access to records.

Anonymity

Under privacy legislation, clients may choose to remain anonymous if it is lawful and practicable to do so. In a medical context it may be dangerous for clients to remain anonymous. It is however not possible to claim Medicare and health insurance rebates without providing some identifying information.

Complaints

All client complaints regarding the handling of records should be discussed with the client’s Psychologist or the Director.

Further concerns may be forwarded to:

Federal Privacy Commissioner:
GPO Box 5218
Sydney NSW 1042

Privacy Hotline: 1300 363 992
Website: www.oaic.gov.au