Good Counselling collects personal information that is reasonably necessary to manage enquiries, bookings, payments and the administration of our services.

This may include:

• your name, telephone number and email address;
• appointment details and booking history;
• payment and transaction information;
• information provided in enquiries, correspondence or complaints; and
• other information reasonably necessary to arrange or administer your appointment.

We usually collect information directly from you when you contact us, complete a form, make a booking or arrange a payment. Where authorised by you or otherwise permitted by law, we may also receive relevant information from your practitioner, an authorised representative, or a booking or payment provider.

You may make a general enquiry anonymously or using a pseudonym where practicable. If you choose not to provide information reasonably needed for a booking or payment, we may be unable to arrange the service you request.

Counselling and Health Information

Your practitioner may collect sensitive and health information as part of providing counselling, including information about your mental health, relationships, family circumstances, personal history or other matters discussed during counselling.

Your practitioner is responsible for managing their counselling records in accordance with applicable privacy laws and professional and ethical obligations.

Good Counselling may also receive or hold health information through appointment records, enquiries, correspondence or information shared with us for an authorised purpose. We protect this information in accordance with the obligations that apply to it, even when it forms part of an administrative record.

Please provide only information relevant to your enquiry or booking. Detailed information about your counselling needs can be discussed directly with your practitioner.

We collect, use and disclose personal information for the purposes explained in this Privacy Policy and as permitted by law.

Where we collect sensitive information, including health information, we obtain your consent unless an exception under applicable law permits or requires collection without consent. We explain the relevant purpose so that any consent is informed, voluntary, current and specific.

Your practitioner will separately obtain any consent required for counselling and explain the counselling process, how their records are managed and the limits of confidentiality.

You may contact us to withdraw consent to a use or disclosure that relies on your consent. We will explain any consequences for the services we can provide. Withdrawal does not affect information already lawfully handled, and information may still need to be retained or disclosed where required or authorised by law.

When you contact Good Counselling by telephone, email, website form or another communication method, we may retain relevant information to respond to your enquiry and manage your booking.

We may contact you regarding:

• appointment confirmations and reminders;
• cancellations or changes;
• payments;
• administrative matters; and
• other information relating to services you have requested.

If we send optional marketing communications, we obtain any consent required by law. We do not use or disclose your health information for direct marketing without your consent. You may unsubscribe using the link or instructions in the communication, or by contacting us.

Unsubscribing from marketing does not prevent us from sending communications necessary to administer your bookings or payments. Please let us know if you have privacy concerns about a particular contact method.

Our website may use cookies, analytics and similar technologies to help operate, secure and improve the website.

This may include collection of:

• IP address;
• browser and device information;
• pages visited;
• date and time of visits; and
• general website usage information.

Booking and payment services embedded in or accessed through our website may also collect technical and usage information under their own privacy policies. For example, Calendly explains its collection of visitor and booking information in its Privacy Notice.

You can manage cookies through your browser settings, although disabling cookies may affect some website functionality. Where consent is required for a particular collection or use, we obtain that consent.

Good Counselling does not sell or rent your personal information.

We may share relevant information for the purposes for which it was collected, with your consent, or where otherwise permitted or required by law. Depending on the purpose, recipients may include:

• the practitioner you have booked with;
• authorised Good Counselling personnel;
• appointment and booking providers;
• payment providers;
• website, hosting and technology providers;
• professional advisers where necessary; and
• government, regulatory or other authorities where required or authorised by law.

We limit the information shared to what is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

Third-party providers used in connection with our services may include:

• MyAppointments – appointment and practice management. See its client privacy policy.
• Calendly – appointment scheduling. See its Privacy Notice.
• Stripe – payment processing. See its Privacy Policy.

Overseas Processing and Disclosure

Some providers and their service partners process or store information outside Australia. Their published information identifies the following locations:

• MyAppointments stores information in Australia and identifies service providers in Australia and the United States.
• Calendly stores user and invitee information in the United States.
• Stripe identifies international transfers including to the United States and India.

The locations relevant to your information depend on the services used. Providers may also use other overseas recipients as described in their privacy and data-processing information. Where practicable, we identify the countries of likely overseas recipients in this policy and update this information when arrangements change.

Where we disclose personal information to overseas recipients, we take the steps required by applicable Australian privacy law to protect that information. A provider’s own privacy policy does not replace Good Counselling’s obligations for information it handles.

Information provided to Good Counselling for enquiries, bookings and administrative purposes will be handled confidentially.

Information discussed during counselling is generally confidential. Your practitioner will explain the limits of counselling confidentiality as part of the informed consent process.

Information may be disclosed with your consent or where required or authorised by law. This can include compliance with a court order or another legal obligation.

Disclosure without consent may also be permitted to lessen or prevent a serious threat to life, health or safety, where the conditions under applicable law are met. Under the Privacy Act, this includes circumstances where it is unreasonable or impracticable to obtain consent and there is a reasonable belief that disclosure is necessary to address the threat.

Your individual practitioner is responsible for maintaining records relating to your counselling sessions, including counselling notes, assessments and other clinical information they collect.

Good Counselling generally maintains information needed for enquiries, bookings, payments and administration. If we also hold or control counselling or health information, including through a service provider, our own privacy obligations apply to that information.

You may contact your practitioner about access to or correction of their counselling records. You may also contact Good Counselling about any personal or health information we hold, or if you are unsure who to contact. We will respond to requests concerning information we hold and, where appropriate, help direct other requests to your practitioner.

You may request access to personal information held by Good Counselling, including any health information we hold. You may also ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, irrelevant or misleading.

Contact us using the details in the Contact Us section below. Please describe the information you wish to access or correct. We may need to verify your identity or, if you are acting for someone else, your authority to make the request.

We will respond within a reasonable period and within any timeframe required by applicable law. If access or correction is refused, we will provide written reasons and explain how you can complain, except where the law permits us not to provide reasons.

For counselling records held by your practitioner, you can contact them directly. This does not limit your right to request access to or correction of any information also held by Good Counselling.

Good Counselling takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Information may be held in our electronic communications and administrative systems and in the booking, practice-management and payment systems used to support our services. We limit access to authorised people who need the information for their role and take reasonable steps to ensure that service providers protect information they handle for us.

No electronic system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

We retain information for as long as it is reasonably needed for a lawful purpose, including providing services, managing enquiries or complaints, and meeting legal record-keeping obligations. When it is no longer needed and no legal requirement requires its retention, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites or use third-party services, including booking, payment, video conferencing and analytics services.

Third-party providers operate under their own terms and privacy policies. We recommend reviewing those policies before providing information directly to a third-party service.

Using a third-party service does not remove any responsibility Good Counselling has under applicable law for its own collection, use, disclosure or handling of your information.

Nothing in this Privacy Policy excludes, restricts or modifies any rights or remedies you may have under the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable Australian legislation.

Our services are subject to consumer guarantees that cannot legally be excluded.

This Privacy Policy should be read together with our Website Terms & Conditions and Cancellation & Refund Policy, as well as any Client Consent & Counselling Agreement entered into directly with your therapist.

If you have a concern about how Good Counselling has handled your personal information, please contact us using the details in the Contact Us section so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve the matter.

Please explain what happened, when it happened and the outcome you are seeking, and provide any relevant supporting information.

We will acknowledge your complaint, review the relevant information and provide a response explaining our findings and any action we propose to take. We aim to respond within 30 days of receiving your complaint. If we need more time, we will explain why and let you know when to expect a response.

If your concern relates to information handled by your practitioner, you may contact them directly. You can still raise with Good Counselling any concern about our own handling of that information. Where appropriate, we can help identify the relevant contact.

If you are not satisfied with our response, or we have not responded within a reasonable period, you may complain to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). The OAIC generally asks that you first give the organisation 30 days to respond.

A relevant state or territory health complaints or privacy authority may also be able to assist, depending on the nature and location of the service.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology, legal requirements or privacy practices.

The latest version will be published on our website with its revision date. Where a change requires fresh consent or a separate notice under applicable law, we will obtain that consent or provide that notice.

Good Counselling Pty Ltd
ABN: 23 638 074 156

For privacy enquiries, access or correction requests, or privacy complaints, please contact Good Counselling administration:

Email: admin@goodcounselling.com.au
Telephone: 0415 959 267
Online: Contact Good Counselling
Website: www.goodcounselling.com.au