Confidentiality and ethical boundaries

Confidentiality: 

Confidentiality in a counselling setting means that anything discussed in sessions is protected by a legal obligation of the practitioner, to keep that information private and confidential. This means the practitioner is ethically and legally bound by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency confidentiality policy, and Australian Privacy Laws. There are necessary exceptions to these confidentiality boundaries, which are as follows:  

 - If safety or illegal issues arise during sessions or communications between Bee Curious Psychology and yourself that involve, a child or young person, yourself or someone else then it may be necessary that other parties and/or professionals become involved in order to assist with these concerns. Safety is not negotiable in Bee Curious Psychology. 

 -  Regular supervision sessions are held between Bee Curious Psychology practitioner and a Senior Psychologist. This is for many reasons which include but are not restricted to: professional improvement, legal and ethical obligations and Industry requirements.  

 -  If Bee Curious Psychology is issued with a subpoena there is an obligation by law to provide any documents, communications or information the subpoena specifies. 

 -  If you are under the age of 15 years the adult carer/guardian is encouraged to have some involvement in the therapeutic process however this is assessed and discussed on a case by case basis and documented in clinical notes.

 
Formal records of any communications (phone calls, email conversations) and counselling sessions are maintained as required by Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. There is opportunity to use Artificial Intelligence for note taking during sessions. This involves the AI platform, Heidi, to record notes and they are then deleted once I have copied these to the data platform used for client files. No-one can have access to the storing and content of Bee Curious Psychology documentation unless they come under one of the above exceptions. If it is considered necessary to discuss information to another party about private and confidential information, signed, written consent will be discussed and requested.  
 
 
 
Fee Scheduling: 

Bee Curious Psychology is a privately run practice, all payments for services must be made on the day of service. The fee scheduling is as follows: 

    -   $200 per session (50 minutes) 
    - Any additional services requested will be discussed and quoted for each specific request.  

Bee Curious Psychology offers Medicare rebate with a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan (MHTP). The MHTP is completed by your GP before any sessions are commenced. Bee Curious Psychology requires a copy of this to assist with any Medicare rebates.  

If you cancel an appointment with less than 24 hours’ notice a fee of $100 will be invoiced and required to be paid prior to the next scheduled session. 

You can pay via direct deposit with the following details: 
Alison Carter 
BSB: 062 - 692 
Acct number: 78594490 

Detailed Medical History:
 

Anaphylaxis?  
Seizures? 
Diabetes? 
Any other medical condition I should be aware of? 
 
Agreement: 

Bee Curious Psychology is not able to provide any after hours or crisis service. In the case of risk or extreme distress, you should contact your nearest hospital emergency department or call 000. Some other safety contacts (for someone at risk, or people supporting someone at risk) include:  

 - Lifeline which operates a 24-hour telephone crisis counselling service on 13 11 14, lifeline.org.au  
- The Suicide Call-back Service 1300 659 467, suicidecallbackservice.com.au 
- The NSW Mental Health Line 1800 011 511  
 
Before you proceed with any sessions Bee Curious Psychology requires you to understand and sign this confidentiality and consent agreement. If you do not understand, you have questions about or feel unsure about any information in this form, please discuss with Bee Curious Psychology practitioner as soon as practical. 

•         Client Name: __  

•       Client Signature: ______ 

•        Date: ____

​

Under 15 years of age require a parent or guardian signature as well as above client signature.  

• Parent or guardian Name: _ __________ 

• Parent or guardian signature: _____________ 

• Date: _________________