Privacy
I, Susi West, am committed to providing quality services to you and this policy outlines my/our ongoing obligations to you in respect to how I manage your Personal Information.
I have adopted the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act). The NPPs govern the way in which I collect, use, disclose, store, secure and dispose of your Personal
Information.
A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles may be obtained from the website of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at Home – Home (oaic.gov.au)

What is Personal Information and why do I collect it?
Personal Information is information that identifies an individual. Examples of Personal Information I collect include: your name, your address, your email and your phone number.
This Personal Information may be obtained in many ways including assessments, correspondence, telephone, email, via my/our website, Google forms, podcast interviews, from your website, from media and publications, from other publicly available sources, from cookies and from third parties. I don’t guarantee website links or the policies of authorised third parties.
I collect your Personal Information for the primary purpose of providing my therapy and/or other services to you. I may also use your Personal Information for secondary purposes which are closely related to the
primary purpose. For example, I may use it to provide information to you as my client and for marketing purposes.
If you are subscribed to my mailing list, you may unsubscribe at any time by contacting me in writing or by clicking on the unsubscribe bottom at the bottom of my communication.
When I collect Personal Information I will, where appropriate and where possible, explain to you why I am collecting the information and how I plan to use it.

Sensitive Information
Sensitive information is defined in the Privacy Act to include information about such things as an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership of a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership of a trade union or other professional body, criminal record or
health information.

Sensitive information will be used by me for the following purposes only:

  • For the primary purpose for which it was obtained
  • For a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose
  • With your consent; or where required or authorised by law

Third Parties
Where reasonable and practicable to do so, I will collect your Personal Information only from you. However, in some circumstances I may be provided with information by third parties such as EAP counselling organisations, or insurance companies if you choose to use either of these parties. In such a case I will take reasonable steps to ensure that you are made aware of the information provided to me by the third party.

Disclosure of Personal Information
Your Personal Information may be disclosed in a number of circumstances including the following:

  • Third parties where you consent to the use or disclosure; and
  • Where required or authorised by law

Security of Personal Information
Your Personal Information is stored in a manner that reasonably protects it from misuse, loss and from unauthorized access, changes or disclosure.
When your Personal Information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was obtained, I will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your Personal Information. However, most of the
Personal Information is or will be stored in client files which will be kept by me for at least 7 years.

Access to your Personal Information
You may access the Personal Information I hold about you and to update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to access your Personal Information, please contact me in writing.
I, Susi West, will not charge any fee for your access request, but may/will charge an administrative fee for providing a copy of your Personal Information.
In order to protect your Personal Information I may require identification from you before releasing the requested information.

Maintaining the Quality of your Personal Information
It is important to us that your Personal Information is up to date. I will take reasonable steps to make sure that your Personal Information is accurate, complete and up-to-date. If you find that the information I have is not up to date or is inaccurate, please advise me as soon as practicable so I can update our records and ensure that I can continue to provide quality services to you.

COVID-19 Pandemic
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, your vaccination status may be requested to attend in person therapy. This information is treated in the same manner as your other Personal Information.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be required by the state or country that you reside in to check in via QR code. You can read more about how your data is used when you sign up to use your state or country’s COVID -19 apps.

Policy Updates
This Privacy Policy may change from time to time and is available on website.

Privacy Policy Complaints and Enquiries
If you have any queries or complaints about my Privacy Policy please contact me.