Privacy Policy

At Think Psychologists, protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal information is central to the care we provide. This page explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your information.

A guide for participants, families and carers

At Think Psychologists, your privacy matters to us. We know that coming to a our service means sharing personal things about yourself or your family — and that takes trust. This page explains, in plain language, how we collect, use, protect and share your information, and the rights you have along the way — whether you’re an adult accessing support for yourself, or a parent or carer supporting a child or young person.

We are a registered NDIS provider, and everything described here reflects our obligations under the NDIS Practice Standards, the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and Australian Privacy Principles, the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), and Victorian child safety legislation.

Our promise to you

We are committed to:

• Collecting only the information we genuinely need to provide safe, effective support
• Keeping your information secure, whether on paper or in our digital systems
• Being open with you about what we collect, why, and who can see it
• Respecting your right to make decisions about your own information — and, for children
  and young people, respecting their growing independence as they mature
• Treating every participant and family member with dignity — in how we speak with you,
  the spaces we use, and the choices we offer
• Respecting your cultural values, beliefs, identity and ways of making decisions, including
  the role of family and community where that matters to you

What information we collect, and why

To support you well, we may collect information such as your name, date of birth and contact details; health, developmental and disability information; reports from other professionals (such as schools, GPs, paediatricians or other therapists); NDIS plan details; and family, carer or nominee contact information where relevant.

We only collect what we need to understand your goals and needs, plan and deliver your supports, keep you safe, meet our legal and professional obligations, and manage billing (including NDIS claims).

Wherever possible, we collect information directly from you, in a private and comfortable setting. If we need information from someone else — like a school, your GP or another health service — we will ask for your consent first, and we’ll only request what is relevant.

Consent: how it works in our service

Adult participants. If you’re an adult, decisions about your information are yours to make. We’ll explain clearly what you’re consenting to, in a way that works for you, and you can ask questions, change your mind, or withdraw consent at any time. If you’d like support to make decisions — from a family member, friend, advocate or support person — we welcome that, and we’ll always speak to you, not just about you. If you have a guardian or nominee with legal authority to make certain decisions, we’ll work respectfully with them while keeping you involved as much as possible.

Children and young people. For participants under 18, we generally seek consent from a parent or legal guardian. Children have privacy rights too, and these grow as they do. We explain privacy to children in ways they can understand, listen to their preferences, and involve them in decisions about their information wherever it’s appropriate for their age and development. Some older young people may have the maturity to make certain privacy decisions for themselves (sometimes called being a “mature minor”). Where this applies, we’ll talk it through with the young person and, wherever possible, with the family — balancing the young person’s independence with family involvement.

Photos, videos and recordings. We will never photograph or record you or your child without explicit consent. We’ll always explain exactly what a photo or recording would be used for, and you can say no — or change your mind later — without it affecting your services in any way.

Who can see your information

Within Think Psychologists, only team members directly involved in your care — or who need access for their role — can see your file. Our practitioners may discuss your care in clinical supervision, which is a normal part of safe professional practice, and is done with care and confidentiality.

We will only share your information outside our service when:

• You (or your guardian or nominee, where appropriate) have given us consent — for example, to send a report to your GP, a school or another provider
• We are required or authorised by law — for example, mandatory reporting obligations to keep children safe, or a court order
• There is a serious and immediate risk to someone’s safety

We will always tell you what we plan to share and with whom, except in the rare situations where the law prevents this or safety requires us to act immediately.

Information sharing with family and supporters

Everyone’s situation is different. Adult participants choose who in their life can be given information about their supports, and you can update those choices at any time. For children and young people, we’ll talk with families about what stays between a young person and their practitioner and what is shared with parents or carers — shaped by the young person’s age and maturity, your family’s culture and circumstances, and always with safety as the first priority.

Dignity in everything we do

Privacy isn’t only about information — it’s about how you experience our service. You can expect that:

• All conversations and sessions happen in private spaces, never within earshot of others
• Your personal space and comfort are respected, and any physical contact (for example, during occupational therapy) only happens with consent and a clear explanation
• We use your chosen name and pronouns, and communicate in ways that suit your age, abilities and preferences
• We accommodate cultural and religious considerations, including requests for same-gender practitioners where possible
• Telehealth sessions take place on secure, encrypted platforms, and we’ll help you set up a private space at home

How we keep your information secure

Your records are stored in our secure practice management system, protected by passwords, role-based access, encryption and multi-factor authentication. Any paper documents are kept in locked storage and disposed of securely. We keep health records for the periods required by Victorian law, and dispose of them safely when those periods end.

If a privacy breach ever occurred, we would act immediately to contain it, assess any risk to you, notify you promptly and honestly, and report to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission and other authorities where required.

Your rights

Every participant — and, for children, their parents or guardians — has the right to:

• Know how your information is collected, used and shared
• Access your information, with our help to understand it, in a format that works for you
• Correct anything that is inaccurate or out of date
• Limit how your information is used or who it is shared with
• Withdraw consent at any time, and have us explain what that means for your services
• Complain if you feel your privacy hasn’t been respected — without any impact on the care you receive

To access or correct your records, just ask any member of our team. We’ll respond promptly and support you through the process.

If something doesn’t feel right

We genuinely want to hear from you if you have a concern about privacy or how you or your family member have been treated. You can raise a concern in person, by phone, in writing or anonymously, and you’re welcome to bring an advocate, support person or interpreter. We’ll acknowledge your complaint within 2 business days and aim to resolve it within 20 business days, keeping you updated along the way.

You can also contact external bodies at any time:

• NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission: 1800 035 544 or www.ndiscommission.gov.au
• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: 1300 363 992 or www.oaic.gov.au
• Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria): 1300 582 113 or hcc.vic.gov.au

Questions?

If you’d like to know more about how we handle your information, or to request a copy of our full Privacy and Dignity Policy, please contact our admin team on 1300 740 057.