Confidentiality
Confidentiality is crucial in therapy. We will make every effort to ensure that your details, story and therapy progress will not be shared with others who are not involved in the team of people who will be caring for you.
The primary people in the ‘team’ are the practice manager and your therapist. The practice manager will gather up information required to complete the task of billing and booking. Your therapist will be gathering information relevant to your health care needs, to help facilitate change. Information will be kept on a computer owned by the therapist.
As part of your primary health care needs, and generally in discussion with yourself, the referring Doctor will also be informed as to your situation. This means that any communication made to your referring doctor, or any other doctor involved in the team of professionals, may be seen on ‘My Health Record’.
If you don’t want others in your team (GP, psychiatrist etc) to know information, you must tell your therapist. For children and teenagers, the “team” also includes parents / guardians. If there is information you don’t want them to know, please inform your therapist about it. Generally this is fine unless it is to do with risk of danger to yourself or others.
Other people in the “team” who are involved in your care do include financial (third party) providers such as private health care groups. Compliance with the ATO (Australian Tax Office) does require them to have knowledge of the sources of the therapist’s income. Another situation where information may be required is for medico-legal reasons. A Court for example may subpoena any information. Finally, other parties (eg insurance companies) may want information relating to you and your condition. This will only be given with your consent. All of the above should have a privacy policy in accordance with Australian standards. On occasions, you may want to have information, and you may certainly request that. (There may be a cost for any administrative work involved). Generally, this will not be a problem. However, if there are safety or medico – legal reasons, some information may be restricted.
Please note that for confidentiality I will generally try and use first names when you are in the waiting area. I will also be sensitive to the issues of confidentiality in relation to your immediate family. If you have any specific requests in regards to this, please let me know. At times, I may use “clinical examples” in the therapist’s teaching, supervision and research. In all of these, you will not be identified.
If you do not keep your Heart in Mind, you will remain unaware of whether your psychological needs are getting met. That being the case, you may not be nourished and because you are not nourished, you will not prosper.
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Contact us
Heart in Mind
6/3 Days Road
Grange Qld, 4051
Phone: 07 3856 4488
Fax: 07 3356 3184
Email: info@heartinmind.com.au