Privacy Policy

To provide you with high-quality counselling and therapeutic services, we need to collect a variety of information. This includes:

• Personal Information: Your name, date of birth, address, contact details (phone and email), and emergency contact/next of kin details.
• Sensitive & Health Information: Your medical history, psychological history, current symptoms, family history, notes taken during counselling sessions, and any relevant reports or referrals from general practitioners (GPs) or other healthcare professionals.
• Financial Information: Payment details, Medicare details, or private health insurance information for billing purposes.

We collect your information in several ways, including:

• Directly from you during our initial intake process, phone calls, emails, or text messages.
• Face-to-face or via telehealth during your counselling sessions.
• From third parties, such as a referring GP (e.g., via a Mental Health Care Plan), psychiatrists, or other allied health professionals, but only where you have provided explicit consent.

Your information is used primarily to provide you with safe, professional, and ethical psychological and counselling services. Specifically, it is used to:

• Assess, diagnose, and treat your therapeutic needs.
• Administer and manage our services, including scheduling appointments and processing payments.
• Communicate with you regarding your appointments or care.
• Complete mandatory reporting or documentation required by funding bodies (such as Medicare), if applicable.

Information disclosed during your sessions and recorded in your file remains strictly confidential. Your information will not be shared with anyone without your written consent, except under the following legally mandated circumstances:

• There is a legal obligation to do so (e.g., a subpoena or court order).
• There is a reasonable belief that failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious risk of life, health, or safety.
• Your prior approval has been obtained to provide a report to another professional or agency (e.g., a GP, lawyer, or insurance company).

We take the security of your data very safely.

• Digital Records: Any electronic files, case notes, and client management systems we use are password-protected, encrypted, and stored on secure, Australian-compliant servers.
• Physical Records: Any paper-based files are kept in a securely locked filing cabinet with restricted access.
• Retention: In accordance with Australian health regulations, adult client records are kept for a minimum of 7 years from the date of the last contact. For clients under the age of 18, records are kept until the client turns 25.

You have a right to request access to the personal and health information we hold about you.

• If you wish to view or receive a copy of your records, please put your request in writing.
• We will endeavor to respond to your request within a reasonable timeframe. In some circumstances (such as where legal restrictions apply), we may be unable to grant access, and we will provide you with the reasons why.
• If you believe any information we hold is inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete, please let us know so we can promptly correct it.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, or if you wish to make a complaint about a potential breach of your privacy, please contact Helen Baker directly at:

• Email: helen@helenbaker.net.au
• Phone: +61 488 596 256
• Postal Address: 62 Sutton Rd , Maryborough, VIC, Australia, Victoria

If you are not satisfied with our response, you can lodge a formal complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at www.oaic.gov.au.