Management of Personal Information

This document describes the privacy policy of Her Fearless Heart in regards to the management of clients’ personal information. The counselling service provided is bound by the legal requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Client information:

All client files and documentation is held securely by the counsellor and accessible only to authorised employees of Her Fearless Heart.

The information on each file may include personal information such as name, address, contact phone numbers, medical history, and other personal information collected as part of providing the counselling service.

How clients’ personal information is collected:

A client’s personal information is collected in a number of ways during counselling consultation with Her Fearless Heart including when the client provides information directly to the counsellor using digital forms, correspondence via email, and when other health practitioners provide personal information to Her Fearless Heart via referrals, correspondence and medical reports.

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, Her Fearless Heart may not be in a position to provide the counselling service to the client. In some circumstances, clients may request to be anonymous or to use a pseudonym, unless it is impracticable for Her Fearless Heart to deal with the client or if Her Fearless Heart 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 counselling 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 counsellor to provide a relevant and informed counselling service.

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 Her Fearless Heart, 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:
a) provide a written report to another agency or professional, e.g., a GP or a lawyer; or
b) discuss the material with another person, e.g., a parent, employer, health provider, or third-party funder; or
c) disclose the information in another way; or
d) 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 Her Fearless Heart 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 counsellor may discuss the contents with them and/or give them a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). 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 Liz Taylor-Kemp (HFH Founder & Counsellor). These requests will be responded to in writing within 14 days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.

Concerns:

If clients have a concern about the management of their personal information, they may inform Liz Taylor-Kemp (HFH Founder & Counsellor). 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 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.

To better protect your privacy when visiting our website, we provide this notice explaining our online information practices and the choices you can make about the way your information is collected and used.

Her Fearless Heart’s “hosting provider” tracks the visitor information for statistical analysis and reporting on visitor engagement. When visiting our website, statistical analyses may be made of your web browsing actions to help Her Fearless Heart understand how visitors engage with their website. This happens primarily using cookies and analytics. The analysis of your browsing behaviour is usually anonymous encrypted and pseudonymized, e.g., meaning that we will not be able to identify you from through this data. You can object to this analysis or prevent it by not using certain tools. Information that personally identifies you, such as your name, email address, billing information, bank account details or credit card numbers, is NOT collected.

How to opt out of tracking:

You may refuse the use of cookies by selecting the appropriate settings on your browser, however, please note that if you do this you may not be able to use the full functionality of this website.