Macquarie Psychology

Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Your Responsibilities 

Confirming Appointments: We endeavour to confirm appointments via SMS and/or email. However, it remains your responsibility to be aware of the scheduled appointments. Reminders are a courtesy only. If you cancel an appointment at short notice or miss an appointment, cancellation fees apply. See Cancellation/No-show Policy here

Time and Punctuality: A consultation (except assessments) will usually last 50-60 minutes. If you are late, the consultation will usually still finish at the scheduled time.

Fees: Fees vary depending on the service provided and are payable on the day of the appointment. A late payment fee applies to non-payment on the day.  See Schedule of Fees here.

Personal Liability: If your NDIS Plan, Medicare, Workcover or the Third Party Agency declines to pay for your service, YOU are liable for all charges. We reserve the right to use debt collection services for failure to pay.

Changes to this Agreement: Changes to this agreement can be made in writing and only when all parties agree.

If you have any questions after reading this, please discuss them with your therapist.

Privacy Policy

As part of providing a psychological service to you, your therapist needs to collect and record personal information relevant to your situation, such as your name, contact information, medical history, mental health history and progress in psychological therapy. This collection of personal data is a necessary part of your psychological assessment and treatment. Personal information is held in the PracSuite client records management system. PracSuite information is stored in an enterprise-grade data centre within Australia. Data is encrypted at rest and in transit, and our systems undergo regular security scans to ensure a consistent and high level of security compliance. Reception staff at Macquarie Psychology only have access to the client and referral information required to provide reception, client booking and administrative services. All employees and psychologists are bound by a Confidentiality Agreement.

Your therapist is required to store your personal information for 7 years after ceasing engagement with them, and up to age 25 years for a young person under the age of 18.

Disclosure of Personal Information

All personal information gathered by the therapist during the provision of the psychological service will remain confidential, except when:

 – it is subpoenaed by a court; or
 – failure to disclose the information would, in the reasonable belief of the therapist, 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 lawyer; or
                 – discuss the material with another person, e.g. a family member, employer or health provider.

If you claim rebates from funding bodies, health and allied practitioners may be required to provide summary reports to referring doctors, specialists and/or agencies regarding your progress. 

When the client is a child

Working with young people presents certain issues and legislation that therapists must adhere to. A young person is defined as “someone under the age of 18years old”. A client-parent (or parents) is “the person who engages the therapist to provide a service for a young person”.

Many parents want to be involved in the therapy session with their child, which is recommended in most cases. However, the level of parental involvement advisable is dependent on a range of factors, including the age of your child, the type of problem, and the reasons for the child seeking therapy. Children between the ages of 12 to 17 years may be seen as “Responsible Minors” and have the right to confidentiality. While we have a duty of care to disclose any significant risk to your child’s safety, we are also ethically and legally bound to respect your child’s confidentiality and may not be able to discuss your child’s personal information. You may discuss any concerns regarding your child’s confidentiality with your child’s therapist.

Terms of Service and Privacy Policy update 24 August 2023.