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Privacy Policy

Last Updated: 25th April 2025

This policy outlines the ways in which Mindful Mind Counselling & Consultancy handles the personal information of our clients. We take privacy seriously and are committed to complying with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), relevant Western Australian legislation, and the ethical guidelines of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).

Personal information

Personal information is any information about an individual that can be used to identify them directly or indirectly, such as name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth.

Sensitive information is a type of personal information which includes details, for example, about a person’s racial or ethnic origins, political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation, health or genetic information, family court orders or criminal record. The breach of sensitive information is likely to leave people open to discrimination or embarrassment.

1. Collection of Personal Information

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary for us to provide our counselling services and operate our website effectively. The types of personal information we may collect include:  

  • Identity and Contact Information: Your name, address, email address, phone number, date of birth, and emergency contact details.

  • Session Information: Notes and records related to your counselling sessions, including your presenting concerns, goals, progress, and any assessments conducted. These records are kept securely and confidentially.

  • Health Information: Information about your mental and emotional health, relevant medical history, and any other information you choose to share that is relevant to your counselling.

  • Payment Information: If you make payments through our website, we may collect your billing details (though we may use secure third-party payment processors who have their own privacy policies).

  • Website Usage Information: Information about how you use our website, including your IP address, browser type, operating system, referring website addresses, pages visited, and the dates/times of your visits. This information is generally collected through cookies and similar technologies (see section 6).

  • Communication Data: Records of any correspondence between us, including emails and phone calls.

We will generally collect your personal information directly from you. However, in some limited circumstances, we may collect information from third parties with your consent or as required or authorised by law (e.g., from a referring GP with your permission).

Within our practice and due to our duty of care a client cannot be anonymous. A client may request to use a pseudonym, but a name as listed on ID’s is required.

2. Use of Personal Information

We use your personal information for the following purposes:

  • Providing Counselling Services: To understand your needs, develop treatment plans, deliver counselling sessions, and monitor your progress.

  • Administrative Purposes: To manage appointments, billing, process payments, and communicate with you about your sessions or our services.

  • Responding to Enquiries: To address your questions and provide you with information about our services.

  • Improving Our Services: To analyse website usage and feedback to enhance our services and website functionality.

  • Legal and Ethical Obligations: To comply with legal and regulatory requirements and the ethical guidelines of the ACA.

  • Research and Education (Anonymised Data): In some cases, we may use anonymised and de-identified data for research or educational purposes. This data will not be linked back to you in any way.

3. Disclosure of Personal Information

We will only disclose your personal information in the following limited circumstances:

  • With Your Consent: We will obtain your explicit consent before disclosing your personal information to any third party, unless otherwise permitted or required by law.

  • Reporting Requirements: In situations where there is a serious risk of harm to yourself or others, or if we are legally required to disclose information (e.g., under a court order or child protection legislation), we may need to disclose your information without your consent. We will always aim to discuss this with you first, where possible.

  • Service Providers: We may disclose your information to trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our website, processing payments, or providing other administrative or technical support. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your personal information in accordance with the APPs.  

  • Professional Supervision: As part of our commitment to ethical practice and ongoing professional development, your case may be discussed with a clinical supervisor. In such instances, your identifying information will be kept to a minimum, and confidentiality will be maintained by the supervisor.

We will not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

4. Storage and Security of Personal Information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These steps include:  

  • Secure Storage: Storing electronic records on secure servers with encryption and password protection. Physical records are stored securely in locked cabinets.

  • Access Control: Limiting access to your personal information to only those staff members or contractors who need it to perform their duties.

  • Data Breach Procedures: Implementing procedures to address any suspected data breaches in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under the Privacy Act.

  • Regular Security Audits: Regularly reviewing and updating our security measures to ensure they remain effective.

We do not retain any credit card or banking details once processing the payment is finalised. We also try not to retain unnecessary information, disposing of it securely from time to time depending on the type on information it is and our legal obligations. If we become aware of a security breach we will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, take remedial action and notify the individual affected in accordance with the Privacy Act.

While we strive to protect your personal information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is completely secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security.  

5. Your Rights Regarding Your Personal Information

We try to ensure that the personal information we collect is accurate and up to date. You may request an update or correction to personal information we hold about you and we will deal with all such requests as required by the Privacy Act.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details provided in section 8. We may require you to verify your identity before processing your request.  

6. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect information about your browsing behaviour. Cookies are small data files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. We use this information to:  

  • Improve Website Functionality: To enhance your browsing experience and ensure the website functions properly.  

  • Analyse Website Traffic: To understand how visitors use our website and identify areas for improvement.

You can control the use of cookies through your browser settings. However, disabling cookies may affect your ability to use certain features of our website.  

We may also use third-party website analytics services (e.g., Google Analytics) to track and analyse website traffic. These services may use cookies and other tracking technologies to collect information about your use of our website. Please refer to the privacy policies of these third-party providers for more information about their data handling practices.  

7. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to other websites. Please note that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any website you visit.  

8. Contacting Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about our Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal information, please contact us:  

Mindful Mind Counselling & Consultancy

232B Albany Highway, Gosnells, WA 6110

info@mindfulmindcc.com

+61 413 519 382

We will endeavour to respond to your enquiry within a reasonable timeframe.

9. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or ACA guidelines. Any changes will be posted on our website with an updated "Last Updated" date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.  

10. Complaints

If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy-related concern, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). For more information, please visit the OAIC website at www.oaic.gov.au.