Privacy Policy

Effective date: July 14

Dammer & Starbuck Clinical Psychology ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information in a responsible and transparent way. As a provider of health services, we are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), which apply to us regardless of the size of our practice.

This policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use and protect it, and how you can access it or raise a concern. By providing us with your information — including through our website enquiry form, by phone or email, or during appointments — you agree to the handling of your information as described in this policy.

The information we collect

Personal information is information or an opinion about an identified individual, or an individual who is reasonably identifiable. The personal information we collect may include:
- your name, date of birth, address, phone number and email address.
- your emergency contact and, where relevant, your next of kin or guardian.
- your Medicare number, private health fund details, NDIS details and referral information (for example, a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP)
- payment and billing details.
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‍Sensitive information, including health information, receives a higher level of protection under the Privacy Act. In the course of providing psychological services we may collect:
- information about your physical and mental health, history and wellbeing
- the reasons you are seeking support, your symptoms and your treatment goals
- assessment results, session notes, correspondence with other health professionals, and other clinical records
- any other information you choose to share with us as part of your care

We only collect sensitive information with your consent, or where we are otherwise permitted or required by law to do so.

How we collect your information

Wherever practical, we collect personal information directly from you — for example, when you complete our website enquiry form, contact us by phone or email, complete intake or consent forms, or during your appointments (in person or via telehealth).

Sometimes we collect information from others with your consent or as permitted by law, such as from your GP or referring practitioner, another treating health professional, a parent or guardian (for clients under 18), or your NDIS plan manager.

If you contact us through our website, we collect the information you enter into the enquiry form (such as your name, email address and message). Please avoid including detailed clinical or highly sensitive information in the enquiry form — a short note about what you are seeking help with is enough, and we can discuss the rest securely once we are in contact.

Why we collect, hold, use and disclose your information

We collect and use your information to provide you with psychological services and to run our practice safely and lawfully. This includes:

- assessing your needs and providing appropriate treatment and care
- communicating with you about appointments, follow-up and your care
- liaising, with your consent, with your GP, referrer or other treating practitioners
- processing Medicare, private health fund or NDIS claims and paymentsmeeting our professional, legal and record-keeping obligations
- maintaining the quality and safety of our services

We will only use your information for the purpose for which it was collected, a directly related purpose you would reasonably expect, or another purpose you have consented to or that is permitted by law.

Consent

By engaging our services you consent to us collecting, holding, using and disclosing your personal and health information as set out in this policy. You can withdraw or vary your consent at any time by contacting us, although this may affect our ability to provide services to you. Some disclosures do not require your consent where they are authorised or required by law (see below).

Disclosing your information

We treat your information as confidential and do not sell it or disclose it for marketing purposes. We may disclose your information:
- to other health professionals involved in your care, with your consent
- to Medicare, your private health fund or the NDIS to process claims, with your consent
- to our professional advisers, insurers, or contracted service providers (such as our practice management and IT providers) who are bound to keep it confidential
- to a parent or guardian, where the client is a minor and disclosure is appropriate

We may also use or disclose your information without your consent where the law permits or requires it, including where we reasonably believe it is necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to your life, health or safety or that of another person, where we are required by law (for example, a subpoena, court order or mandatory reporting obligation), or as otherwise authorised under the Privacy Act.

Using our website

Enquiry form. Information you submit through our website is transmitted to us electronically. While we take reasonable steps to protect information sent to us, no transmission over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure, and you provide information at your own risk.

‍Cookies and analytics. Our website may use cookies and analytics tools to understand how visitors use the site and to improve it. [CONFIRM WHICH, e.g. "We use Google Analytics, which collects anonymised usage data such as pages visited and time on site." — or delete this paragraph if no analytics/cookies are used.] You can disable cookies through your browser settings, though some features of the site may not work as intended.

‍Third-party links. Our website may contain links to other websites (for example, external mental health resources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those websites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

Complaints

If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us first using the details below so we can try to resolve it. We take privacy concerns seriously and will respond promptly.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC): website oaic.gov.au, phone 1300 363 992.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice or the law. The current version will always be available on our website, with the effective date shown at the top.

Contact us

If you have any questions about this policy, or wish to access, correct or discuss your personal information, please contact: Dammer & Starbuck Clinical Psychology: Suite 10, 405 Oxford Street, Mount Hawthorn WA 6016

Phone: +61 493 287 314