Privacy Policy

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:

- 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.

The sharing of personal information by a client to Beyond the Couch Therapy assists us to assess and support the client in processing their identified concerns. Personal information is retained to enable us to provide a relevant and informed service. Within our practice and due to our duty of care a client cannot be anonymous, a name as listed on ID’s is required. 

We collect personal information through a variety of means, including:

- the information you verbally share with us during sessions

- written communication received from you via email, SMS or letter

- our online booking and practice management system 

- our intake and consent forms

- contact forms on our website

- social media communications (where applicable) 

- the guardian of those under 18 years of age

- referrals from your GP or another treating practitioner or service.

To protect the personal information we hold from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure, we store information in several secure ways. Access is limited to authorised individuals only.

Personal information may be stored in both hard copy and electronic formats, including:

- secure digital systems

- secure servers hosted in Australia

- secure offline storage for hard copy records.

We use Zanda Practice Management Software for online bookings, client records, and practice administration. Zanda stores client information on secure servers located in Australia and is designed to comply with Australian privacy and data security requirements.

Payments are processed securely through Stripe via our practice management system, Zanda. Credit card information is entered directly into Stripe’s secure payment platform and is not stored or accessible by Beyond the Couch Therapy. Stripe complies with industry security standards for payment processing. We do not retain credit card or banking details once payment processing has been completed. We also aim not to retain unnecessary information and securely dispose of information when it is no longer required, in accordance with legal, ethical, and record-keeping obligations.

If we become aware of a data breach involving personal information, we will promptly investigate the matter and, where required, take remedial action and notify affected individuals in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 and the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

We will not disclose personal information about you to third parties without your consent, except where disclosure is:

- required or authorised by law, or

- necessary to prevent a serious threat to life, health, or safety.

It is unlikely that personal information will be disclosed to recipients outside Australia. Where third-party service providers are used, reasonable steps are taken to ensure they handle personal information in a manner consistent with Australian privacy obligations.

You may request access to the personal information we hold about you. We may ask you to specify the information you require and may charge a reasonable administrative fee, where permitted, to provide access.

All requests for access are managed in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988. In some circumstances, access may be refused if the Act allows us to do so.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we collect, use, and disclose is accurate, complete, and up to date.

You may request that we update or correct your personal information at any time, and we will respond to such requests in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988.

If you believe that your personal information has not been handled in accordance with this privacy policy or the Privacy Act 1988, please contact us in the first instance so that we can investigate and attempt to resolve the matter promptly.

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, then you may make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). For information about how to make such a complaint, please refer to the OAIC website http://www.oaic.gov.au/. 

We may make changes to this privacy policy from time to time and in such cases, we will notify clients by email or on our website.

If you have any questions relating to privacy matters, please contact us by using the contact form which can be located in the top right hand corner of the header of this website.