Creating Change Pty Ltd (Creating Change) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy tells you about how we collect and use your personal information and how we use that information.
Creating Change’s use and collection of your personal information is subject to the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Consent
By visiting and/or using the Creating Change website (Website) or by engaging Creating Change to provide you with psychological or counselling services (Services), you consent to our use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with what is set out below.
You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting Creating Change (see contact us section below).
The type of personal information we collect
This Privacy Policy covers personal information you give to us or that we collect automatically when you visit our website. Personal information is information that can be used to identify you. Personal information might include, your name, mailing address, email address, phone numbers, medical history and financial information such as your credit card number and billing address.
Personal information that you give to us
We collect your personal information, which may include sensitive information, in a number of ways. These include when you contact us via the Website, in person when you attend our premises and give personal information to the Creating Change practice or one of our psychologists, by email, post, over the phone or if you have been referred to us by another health practitioner.
You may always choose not to provide personal information, but if you do this, Creating Change may not be able to provide the Services to you. In some circumstances, you may request to be anonymous or use a pseudonym, however, it may then be impracticable for Creating Change to deal with you or Creating Change may be required or authorised by law to identify you.
Creating Change tries to collect personal information directly from the relevant person. However, if this is not practicable we may collect personal information from third parties or publicly available information. If you give us personal information about another person, you must ensure you have the right to disclose that personal information to us.
Information automatically collected
When you visit this Website, other kinds of information may also be collected automatically as part of this Website’s operation. This includes the website that referred you to us, your IP address, browser type and language, and access times. Creating Change may also collect navigational information, including information about the pages you view, the links you click, and other actions taken in connection with the Website. Creating Change may combine your visit and navigational information with personal information that you provide.
Creating Change uses “cookies” to enable you to sign in to our services and to help personalise your online experience. A cookie is a small text file that is placed on your hard drive. Cookies contain information, including personal information that can later be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. The information that cookies collect includes the date and time of your visit, your registration information, and your navigational and purchase history. Cookies offer you many conveniences. They allow us to identify registered users when they return to the site so that they can retrieve previous image search results and view their previous invoices. Cookies also save you time by eliminating the need to repeatedly enter the same information.
In some cases, our third-party service providers may use cookies on our sites. Creating Change has no access to or control over these cookies. This Privacy Policy covers the use of cookies by Creating Change only and does not cover the use of cookies by third parties.
You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to sign in or use other interactive features of our sites and services that depend on cookies.
In addition to cookies, Creating Change may use other technologies, including single-pixel gifs (also known as web beacons) on our websites and in promotional e-mail messages or newsletters. These tiny electronic images assist us in determining how many users have visited certain pages or opened messages or newsletters. Creating Change do not use these images to collect personal information.
Use of your personal information
We use the personal information you have given us for purposes which are consistent with the reason you provided the personal information, or for a directly related purpose. Such purposes for which we may use your personal information include:
- the provision of the Services to you which includes assessing, diagnosing and treating you;
- effectively communicating with you;
- operating and improving our website;
- providing customer service;
- performing research and analysis aimed at improving our products and services; and
- displaying content that is customised to your interests and preferences.
We may also use or disclose your personal information where you have consented to the use, either expressly or by implication.
Your personal information is retained by Creating Change in order to document what happens during sessions and enables your consulting psychologist to provide the Services in a relevant and informed way.
Where your information is stored
Personal information that we collect in hard copy is stored in locked filing cabinets. Other information is stored in Creating Change’s electronic document management system or on back up servers in the United States. We take all reasonable steps to protect personal information no matter what country it is stored in. However, information collected may be retained, and may be stored, processed, accessed, and used in jurisdictions whose privacy laws may be different and less protective than those of in Australia. By using the Website or giving us the personal information requested, you consent to any such transfer, processing and storage of personal information outside of Australia.
Disclsosure of your personal information
Creating Change does not sell, rent or trade your personal information to or with any third parties. We may disclose your personal information to external service providers in the circumstances discussed below.
We may share your personal information with external service providers who perform services on our behalf. For example, we may hire other companies to handle the processing of payments, to provide data storage, to host websites, to fulfil orders and shipments, to assist in direct marketing, to conduct audits, etc. Those companies will be permitted to obtain only the personal information they need to provide the service. They are required to maintain the confidentiality of the information and are prohibited from using it for any other purpose. We will take all reasonable steps to make sure they comply with the same privacy principles that govern our collection of your personal information.
Some of these service providers may be overseas. While we do our best to make sure that overseas service providers to whom we give your personal information will comply with the same privacy principles as us we cannot guarantee it. By giving us your personal information you consent to the disclosure of personal information to overseas service providers who may not comply.
All personal information gathered by the psychologist during the provision of the psychological service will remain confidential except when:
- it is subpoenaed by a court, or disclosure is otherwise required or authorised by law; or
- failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable be lief of Creating Change place you or another person at serious risk to life, health or safety; or
- your prior approval has been obtained to:
- provide a written report to another professional or agency. e.g., a GP or a lawyer; or
- discuss the material with another person, eg. a parent, employer, health provider or third party funder; or
- disclose the information in another way; or
- 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.
Security of your personal information
Creating Change follows accepted industry standards to help protect your personal information. For instance, when you enter sensitive information (such as a credit card number) on our registration or order forms, we encrypt that information using secure socket layer (SSL) technology. No method of transmission over the internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security and any transmission of personal information is at your own risk.
How to manage your personal information
You have, subject to certain exceptions allowed for by law, the right to access your personal information. If you would like to get access to, review or correct any of your personal information, after you have registered, you may contact us here.
We can provide you with a copy of personal information held on our current records at no charge. However, in the interests of maintaining the therapeutic relationship between you and your treating psychologist, it may be necessary to discuss with you restrictions on your access to these personal thoughts and comments.
We are happy to discuss the nature and manner of access by you to your personal information. You do not have to let us know why you require access to information, but we may need to clarify the scope of your request so that an appropriate form of access can be provided. There are some circumstances in which access may be denied, for example where the access poses a serious threat to the life or health of a person, but in such an event we will let you know the reason. Occasionally, access to notes may interfere with the therapeutic process, and pose a serious threat to your health as a result.
If you have requested personal information in which we need to access archived records, such as personal information backed up or stored offsite, then we may charge for the cost of providing such access.
If your personal information has been disclosed to a third party, in accordance with this Privacy Policy, we will take reasonable steps to notify the third party of the updated information.
Forums & other interactive services
The Website may include discussion forums or other interactive areas or services, including blogs, chat rooms, bulletin boards, message boards, online hosting or storage services, or other areas or services in which you or third parties create, post or store any content, messages, comments, materials or other items on the sites (Interactive Areas). If you use an Interactive Area, you should be aware that these areas are open to the public and any personal information you post or provide at registration may be viewable by others. Creating Change is not responsible for personal information you submit in connection with the Interactive Areas, nor is it responsible for how others might use that information, including sending you unsolicited messages. Interactive Area postings may be retained indefinitely. If at any time you would like to remove a posting, please contact us here. Keep in mind that removal of a posting from an Interactive Area does not mean that the posting will be deleted from our systems.
Notifiable data breaches
From 22 February 2018 under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme sets out requirements for some private businesses and government agencies in the event of data breaches (i.e. cyber hacking etc.). Should such an event occur and data held in relation to you be the subject of a Notifiable Data Breach, Creating Change may be obliged to provide information to the Scheme relating to data affected by such an event where there may be risk of serious harm to any individuals whose personal information is involved in the breach. Any client that may be affected by a notifiable data breach will be notified at their last known email/phone and/or mailing address and Creating Change will also provide information at that time of what steps it has taken to minimize any risk of serious harm. Please notify Creating Change of any change in your contact details.
Links
Creating Change may link to websites, including those of our third-party content providers and social media sites. Our website may contain social media features such as Facebook “Like” buttons. These features may collect information about your device’s IP address, set cookies or link you to a social media website where you may post personal information. The sites of our third-party providers and social media sites may have different privacy policies and practices from those disclosed here. Creating Change assumes no responsibility for the policies or practices of such sites and encourage you to become acquainted with them prior to use.
Complaints
If you have questions, complaints or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact us here. We treat all complaints about a breach of the Australian Privacy Principles seriously. Someone from Creating Change will investigate your complaint and respond to you within a reasonable time.
If you want to lodge a formal complaint about the collection, use, disclosure or access to your personal information, you 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.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
Creating Change reserves the right to change the terms of this privacy policy at any time. If there are material changes we will post a notice of such changes here or on our home page and publish the effective date of the change. We encourage you to review this policy whenever you visit our site.
Contact information
You can contact Creating Change by emailing us or by phoning us during normal business hours (EST) here.
