PRIVACY POLICY
This document describes the policy of Men & Relationships Counselling for the
management of client information. The counselling services provided are bound by the legal requirements of the National Privacy Principles from the Privacy Amendment (Private Sector) Act 2000.
CLIENT INFORMATION
Client files are held either in a secure electronic environment or in a secure filing
cabinet. This information is accessible only to your practitioner. (Contact
information is also accessible to practice administration.) The information held
includes personal information such as name, contact details and other information
that is relevant to the counselling service being provided.
The information is collected as part of the assessment, diagnosis and treatment
and is seen only by your practitioner. The information is retained in order to
document what occurs during sessions and to assist in providing a relevant and
informed service.
ACCESS TO CLIENT INFORMATION
At any stage you may request to see the information about you that is kept on file. Your practitioner may discuss the content with you and / or give you a copy
for your own records.
Any request by a client for access to information held about them should be
lodged directly with your practitioner. These requests will he responded to within
seven days and if necessary an appointment will be made for clarification purposes.
CONCERNS
If you have a concern about the management of your personal information, please
inform your practitioner or contact the office on 0449 991 561.
On request, you can obtain a copy of the National Privacy Principles, which describe your rights and how your information should be handled. Ultimately, if you wish to lodge a formal complaint about the use of, or access to, your personal information, you can do so with the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner on 1300 363 992 or GPO Box 5218 Sydney NSW 1042.
SOCIAL MEDIA POLICY
As new technology develops and the Internet changes, there may be times when
this policy needs updating. You will be notified in writing of any policy changes.
FACEBOOK
MRC has a Facebook Page to allow people to share blog posts written by the
Director, and share practice updates with other Facebook users. You are welcome
to view the Facebook business page and read or share articles posted there.
However, please note that past or present clients will NOT be accepted as
followers of this page. Having clients as Facebook friends creates a greater
likelihood of compromised client confidentiality. It is best practice to be explicit to
all who may view the list of followers to know that they will not find client names
on that list.
Note that you should be able to subscribe to the page via RSS without becoming a
Fan and without creating a visible, public link to the Page. You are more than
welcome to do this.
FOLLOWING
A blog on the Men and Relationships Counselling website is currently published by
the Director with posts relating to psychological health for men, women,
relationships and a variety of subjects about counselling and psychotherapy.
There is no expectation that as a client of MRC you will want to follow the blog.
However, you are welcome to use your own discretion in choosing to do so. The blog content may generate significant meaning, curiosity or resonance with your own life experience. It is not an opportunity to make contact with your MRC practitioner or Director.
Please take any relevant knowledge or questions and share it in your own therapy
hour. If you choose to provide comment on the blog, as a client of MRC please take
your own privacy seriously.
INTERACTING
Please do not use messaging on Social Networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook,
or LinkedIn to contact the Director or your MRC practitioner.
These sites are not secure and messages may not be read in a timely fashion. Please do not use Wall postings, @replies, or other means of engaging with your MRC practitioner in public online. Engaging this way could compromise your confidentiality. It may also create the possibility that these exchanges become a part of your legal medical record and will need to be documented and archived in your notes.
If you need to contact the Director or your MRC practitioner between sessions,
please discuss the best way to do so with them in your therapy hour.
BUSINESS REVIEW SITES
You may find MRC on sites such as Google Local, Bing, or other directories, which list businesses.
Some of these sites include forums in which users rate their providers and add reviews. Many of these sites comb search engines for business listings and automatically add listings regardless of whether the business has added itself to the site.
If you should find the MRC listing on any of these sites, please know that this
listing is NOT a request for a testimonial, rating, or endorsement from you as a
client.
Of course, you have a right to express yourself on any site you wish. But due to
confidentiality, responding to any review on any of these sites whether it is positive or negative is not possible.
Please take your own privacy as seriously as MRC practitioners take their commitment of confidentiality to you.
Be aware that if you are using these sites to communicate indirectly with your practitioner about your feelings about your work together, there is a good
possibility that they may never see it.
Please bring your feelings and reactions to your work directly into the therapy
process. This can be an important part of therapy. None of this is meant to keep
you from sharing that you are in therapy with wherever and with whomever you like.
You are more than welcome to tell anyone you wish that you are working with an
MRC therapist or how you feel about the treatment provided to you, in any forum
of your choosing.
However, if you do choose to write something on a business review site, please keep in mind that you may be sharing personally revealing information in a public forum. You may want to consider creating a pseudonym that is not linked to your regular email address or friend networks for your own privacy and protection.
CONCLUSION
Thank you for taking the time to review the MRC Privacy Policy and Guidelines.
If you have questions or concerns about any of these policies and procedures or regarding potential interactions on the Internet, do bring them to the attention of the MRC director or your therapist in order to discuss them.
For any questions or concerns regarding your privacy, please email info@menandrelationships.com.au.
Last updated: April 2024
