Our Service Providers are bound by the privacy policies, rules and guidelines of their relevant professional association as well as applicable Australian laws and legislation. As part of the provision of Services to you, it will be necessary for us to collect, record and maintain personal information from you which is relevant to your personal contact details, medical history and any other information relevant to the services we provide you.
The terms of our Privacy and Consent Policy are drafted so as to ensure our compliance with State Privacy Laws (Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 NSW) and National Privacy Laws and standards (Privacy Act 1998 Cth).
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Privacy Policy
This document describes the Privacy Policy of Rising People Psychology for the management, collection, use and disclosure of a client’s personal information. The psychological services provided by Rising People Psychology are governed by the legal requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles and the Privacy Act 1988(Cth).
Client Information
Client notes are held on Power Diary, a secure private practice software program. Your notes are kept secure and private. By law your clinical notes can only be viewed by your psychologist at Rising People Psychology. Client information based on the Act, include client personal information such as name, address, contact phone number, medical history, and other personal information collected as part of providing the psychological service including emails, chat records, and text messages between the client and the company.
How are clients’ personal information collected?
A client’s personal information will be collected in a variety of ways during psychological consultation with Rising People Psychology. This includes when the client provides information directly to Rising People Psychology using hardcopy forms, correspondence via email, when the client interacts directly with the Rising People Psychology team such as the administration staff, through your access and use of the Rising People Psychology website and when other health practitioners provide personal information to Rising People Psychology . During your sessions, notes are written which are required by law and our ethical obligations. This ensures the best continuation of your care. Referrals and medical reports are also provided to your psychologist.
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, Rising People Psychology may not be in a position to provide the psychological service to the client. In some circumstances, clients may request to remain anonymous or to use a pseudonym, unless it is impracticable for our psychologist to deal with the client or if our psychologist is required or authorised by law to deal with identified individuals.
Disclosure of Personal Information
A client’s personal information will remain confidential unless:
It is subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law; or failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable belief of the Rising People Psychology Psychologist place a client or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or the client’s prior approval has been obtained to provide a written report to another agency or professional, e.g., a GP or a lawyer; or discuss the material with another person, e.g. a parent, employer, health provider, or third-party funder; or disclose the information in another way; or 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.
In the event that unauthorised access, disclosure or loss of a client’s personal information occurs, Rising People Psychology will activate its data breach plan and use all reasonable endeavours to minimize the risk of consequential serious harm.
Consent for Treatment
This statement provides information about the practice and the treatment offered to assist you in choosing the treatment and the provider which best suits your needs. It is every client’s right to refuse or discontinue treatment at any time. Every client has the right to choose a practitioner and treatment modality that best suits his/her needs.
It is important that you feel comfortable with your treating provider, and if not, we always encourage you to speak with your clinician or call Najlah on 0450 238 186 to discuss further options.
The purpose of collecting and holding information:
The information is gathered as part of the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of the client’s condition, and is seen only by the psychologist. The information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions, and enables the psychologist to provide a relevant and informed psychological service. This information is stored on a web-based secured and protected patient management system.
Confidentiality
Professional Responsibility – All registered psychologists are required to abide by guidelines of ethical conduct as set by the Psychology Board of Australia. Additionally, members of the Australian Psychological Society are also required to comply with APS Code of Conduct.
All personal information gathered by the psychologist during the provision of the psychological service will remain confidential and secure except where:
1. Information is subpoenaed by a court, or
2. Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious and imminent risk; or
3. Your prior approval has been obtained to:
- Provide a written report to another professional or agency. e.g. a GP or a lawyer; or
- Discuss the material with another person, e.g. a parent or employer; or if disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law.
Requests for Access and Correction to Client Information
Clients may request to view and correct their personal information that is kept on file. Subject to exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988, our Psychologist may discuss the contents with them and/or give them a copy. If a client determines that the personal information is incomplete, has inaccuracies and is out of date, reasonable steps will be taken in such circumstances to ensure that this information is corrected. A client can request access for the purpose of correcting their personal information by writing to the Rising People Psychology Practice Manager (Email: risingpeoplepsychology@gmail.com or Phone: 1800 878 883). These requests will be responded to in writing within 30 days. An appointment may be made for clarification purposes, if required.
Links
There may be links to other websites owned and operated by third parties. We make no guarantee, warranty or representation into the privacy practice of any third parties, the content of any third party websites and their privacy policies.
The client agrees to indemnify and keep indemnified Rising People Psychology Pty Ltd and all of its associated Service Providers against all claims, loss, damage, injury, objections or litigation arising from cancellations made under these Terms & Conditions.
Concerns
Any concerns regarding the management and or use of their personal information or privacy, you may inform the Rising People Psychology Practice Manager (Email: risingpeoplepsychology@gmail.com or Phone: 1800 878 880). You may request to obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles, which provides information regarding your rights and the manner in which your 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 http://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.
Changes to our Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may change from time to time. Any updated versions of this Privacy Policy will be posted on our website.
Rising People Psychology Pty Ltd Terms of Service: Cancellation Policy
The reasons for our Cancellation and Late Attendance policy are to ensure that our services are provided equally and fairly to all of our clients who need them.
Unfortunately, if you do not show up for your appointment without giving adequate notice to us, you are taking away the opportunity for another of our clients to fill in your spot.
We understand that from time to time things can go wrong that are beyond the control of our clients and in such circumstances of emergencies and extenuating circumstances. In the event that you need to cancel your session with less than 24hrs notice, we will need to add a cancellation fee to your next payable invoice as scheduled in the fees chart below. This is not a punitive action, but a means to cover costs for holding your clinicians’ time for an hour.
Rising People Psychology is not in the practice of charging punitive cancellation charges to people who may be struggling. We understand that issues arise, and emergencies happen, however we do ask that you always try your best to notify us with enough time to rebook your session time.
We will try at all times to do our best to avoid these fees and hope you will also try to give us as much notice as possible. All cases will be managed on a case by case basis and will be best discussed with your clinician.
Emergencies
The nature of the practice does not encompass the provision of continuous emergency services. If you have an emergency, please contact Lifeline 13 11 14 or go to the emergency department of your local hospital. The Mental Health Accessline is also a 24hr number to assist in a crisis, and can be called on 1800 011 511. If you are unable to reach help, please call 000 if there is a person at risk of harm to themselves or others.
Deposit Fee
Before booking a session with us, whether through our online portal or through direct booking via our admin staff, we require an $80 deposit which will be deducted from your total appointment fee at the end of your session. Failure to show on your appointment will forfeit your deposit fee.
Fees Payable for cancellations
- 48hrs notice – nil charge
- Less than 24hrs notice – $70
- Same day cancellation – 50% of full session fee
Policy
Participants are entitled to receive a refund for a cancellation under the following conditions:
1. Cancellation by Rising People Psychology - Rising People Psychology reserves the right to cancel, postpone, re-schedule events or change venues or substitute Service Providers at its discretion. Generally, these possibilities would occur due to unavailability or unforeseen circumstances. In these circumstances, a full refund will be available should alternative dates offered for the event be unacceptable. Respective refunds will be processed within 30 days and will be issued by cheque or EFT.
2. Cancellation by client - The client is entitled to cancel a confirmed event booking under the following terms:
a) All requests for refunds for late cancellations must be made in writing.
b) Where cancellation requests are approved, the following terms apply:
(i) Cancellations given 48 hours or more prior to the event will not incur a fee
(ii) Cancellations given 24 – 48 hours prior to the event, a $70 refund of fees already paid upfront OR a $50 payment is required for unpaid bookings. Refunds will be provided (within 30 days via cheque or EFT). Requests for credit towards future booking may be considered at the discretion of Rising People Psychology if more than 48 hours written notice of request has been provided by the client.
(iii) Cancellations given less than 24 hours prior to the event, a $94.3 refund of fees already paid upfront OR a $100 payment is required for unpaid bookings.
c) Whereby the client has not attended an enrolled booking (“no show”), no refund or transfers will be approved.
d) Cancellation fees are not eligible for medicare rebate.
3. Late Appointments
a) The client will be sent reminder messages by text message and/or by email in advance of their appointment.
b) In the event that the client is late to the enrolled appointment, the Service Provider will wait for ten (10) minutes before considering the appointment to have been forfeited by the client and the policy for Cancellations Given less than 24 Hours prior to the event in subclause (2)(b)(iii) above will apply.
c) In the event that the client arrives for their appointment within the initial ten (10) minutes from the start of the appointment, the entire duration of the appointment will be shortened by the amount of time the client was late.
d) The Service Provider responsible for the appointment may, at their sole discretion, determine whether to wait for a period longer than ten (10) minutes from the start of the appointment and whether to run the session to its full duration.
Fees
The fees for a standard session during business and after hours are outlined in your initial appointment confirmation email, or as discussed between you and our client support team members or your psychologist. As a patient of Rising People Psychology, you consent to paying your invoice via STRIPE. Similar to a direct debit, your fee payments are processed automatically at the time of your appointment from the nominated credit/debit card provided by you and stored electronically on STRIPE. This means you can focus your entire appointment on treatment without the need to worry about payments. It also means less administration for your practitioner, enabling your practitioner to focus on you and help more people. When payment is processed you receive a receipt of payment.
Our preferred method of payment is automatic debit of funds via STRIPE using the debit/credit card you provided. You authorize Rising People Psychology to securely store your debit/credit card and debit payments from your nominated debit/credit card stored on STRIPE when you have or cancel an appointment or are provided with a service from Rising People Psychology. You acknowledge Rising People Psychology will appear on your bank statement. You acknowledge you are personally liable for fees if third-party funders do not cover the service you use. You understand that STRIPE PTY LTD Terms and Conditions can be found on their website.
We use Power Diary to schedule appointments and Power Diary does not store your credit card details. All credit card information will be stored by STRIPE only. STRIPE encrypts all card numbers on disk with AES-256 encryption and stores decryption keys on separate machines. Stripe is certified as a PCI Service Provider – Level 1, which is the highest level of certification available as the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. If you would like the full terms and conditions about STRIPE please let our team know and we can share this with you.
Learn more about Rising People Psychology services here.