Privacy and personal information.

Last updated: 8 June 2026

Génevieve Psychology respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information and health information we collect, hold, use and disclose.

This Privacy Policy explains how we manage information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, applicable health privacy obligations, and professional obligations relevant to psychological practice in Australia.

This policy applies to information collected through this website, the contact form, email, telephone, in-person appointments, telehealth appointments, referrals, assessment processes and other communications with the practice.

1. Who we are

Génevieve Psychology provides psychology services from Forrest Road Medical Centre in Padbury, Western Australia.

The principal practitioner is Génevieve Dicks, a registered psychologist.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact the practice using the details provided on the Contact page.

2. What information we collect

We only collect information that is reasonably necessary for responding to enquiries, providing psychology services, managing appointments, meeting professional obligations and operating the practice.

Personal information

Personal information may include your name, date of birth, contact details, address, parent or guardian details, emergency contact details, Medicare or billing information, referral details, appointment preferences and communication history with the practice.

Health information

As a psychology practice, we may collect sensitive health information. This may include your reason for seeking support, relevant mental health, developmental, behavioural, educational or medical history, assessment information, session notes, treatment plans, reports, questionnaires, rating scales and information provided by parents, guardians, schools, GPs, paediatricians, psychiatrists, allied health providers or other referrers.

Information about children and young people

Where services are provided to children or adolescents, we may collect information from the child or young person, parents or guardians, schools, GPs, paediatricians, allied health providers or other relevant professionals.

Information about children and young people is handled with particular care. Consent, confidentiality and information sharing are managed according to the young person's age, maturity, capacity, family circumstances, legal requirements and professional obligations.

Website and analytics information

When you visit this website, limited technical information may be collected, such as pages visited, approximate location based on browser or device information, device type, browser type, referral source, time spent on pages and interactions with forms, links or buttons.

This information is used to understand how visitors use the website and to improve the website experience. We do not use website analytics to collect clinical details entered into enquiry messages.

3. How we collect information

We may collect personal information directly from you when you submit a website enquiry form, contact us by email or telephone, attend an appointment, complete intake forms, complete consent forms, complete questionnaires, participate in therapy or assessment, make a payment, or request a report or correspondence.

We may also collect information from other people or organisations where it is relevant and appropriate, including parents or guardians, GPs, paediatricians, psychiatrists, schools, allied health practitioners, Medicare, private health insurers, legal guardians, authorised representatives or other parties where you have provided consent or where collection is otherwise permitted or required by law.

Where practical and appropriate, we collect information directly from the person receiving the service.

4. Why we collect, use and hold information

We collect, use and hold personal information and health information for purposes including:

• responding to enquiries;
• assessing whether the practice is suitable for your needs;
• booking and managing appointments;
• providing psychological therapy;
• providing assessment services;
• preparing reports, letters or treatment summaries;
• communicating with clients, parents, guardians and referrers;
• liaising with schools or other professionals, where consent has been provided or where legally permitted;
• managing billing, payments, Medicare, private health or administrative requirements;
• maintaining accurate clinical records;
• meeting legal, ethical, professional and regulatory obligations;
• managing risk and safety concerns; and
• improving practice administration and website functionality.

5. Consent

By contacting the practice, submitting an enquiry form, attending an appointment, completing forms, or otherwise providing information to us, you consent to the collection and handling of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.

For psychology services, further informed consent may be discussed and documented as part of intake, assessment or treatment planning.

Consent may relate to the nature and purpose of services, collection and storage of information, communication with parents, guardians, referrers, schools or other professionals, limits of confidentiality, preparation and release of reports, use of telehealth or electronic communication, supervision, consultation and professional record-keeping obligations.

You may withdraw consent to certain uses or disclosures where permitted by law. However, this may affect our ability to provide services.

6. Confidentiality and limits of confidentiality

Psychological services are confidential. We do not disclose personal information or health information without consent unless there is a lawful, professional or ethical basis to do so.

There are limits to confidentiality. Information may need to be used or disclosed where:

• there is a serious risk to your safety or the safety of another person;
• there are child safety or child protection concerns;
• disclosure is required or authorised by law;
• records are subpoenaed or otherwise required by a court, tribunal or legal process;
• disclosure is necessary to obtain urgent medical or emergency assistance;
• disclosure is necessary to prevent or lessen a serious threat to life, health or safety;
• a regulatory body, insurer or professional body lawfully requires information; or
• the practice needs to obtain professional advice, legal advice, supervision or consultation, and disclosure is permitted or consented to as required.

Where information needs to be disclosed, we aim to disclose only what is reasonably necessary in the circumstances.

7. Working with children, adolescents and families

When working with children and adolescents, privacy and confidentiality are managed carefully.

Depending on the age, maturity and circumstances of the child or young person, information may be shared with parents or guardians where appropriate for care, safety, consent, treatment planning or practical administration.

For adolescents, confidentiality is important to building trust. We will explain how confidentiality works, what information may be shared with parents or guardians, and the circumstances where information may need to be disclosed for safety, legal or professional reasons.

Where parents, guardians, schools or other professionals are involved, we will clarify consent and information-sharing expectations as part of the service.

8. Disclosure to other parties

With your consent, or where otherwise permitted or required, we may disclose relevant information to:

• parents or guardians;
• GPs;
• paediatricians;
• psychiatrists;
• schools;
• allied health practitioners;
• Medicare, Services Australia or private health insurers;
• legal representatives, courts or tribunals, where legally required;
• professional supervisors or consultants, where permitted and with consent where required;
• administrative, IT, accounting, payment, email, website or practice management service providers; and
• regulators or professional bodies, where required.

We do not sell personal information.

We do not use client information for testimonials or advertising of clinical outcomes.

9. Website enquiry form

The website enquiry form is intended for general appointment and service enquiries. It is not intended for emergencies, crisis support, urgent clinical advice or detailed clinical history.

Please avoid including highly sensitive information in the initial website form unless it is necessary for your enquiry.

The contact form may collect your name, email address, phone number, enquiry type, preferred appointment type, message content, consent confirmation and crisis acknowledgement.

Information submitted through the form is used to respond to your enquiry and assess whether the practice may be suitable for your needs.

10. Email, telephone and electronic communication

Email and electronic communication can carry privacy and security risks. While we take reasonable steps to protect information, electronic communication may not be completely secure.

By communicating with us by email or online form, you acknowledge these risks.

We may use email, SMS or telephone for administrative purposes, including appointment communication, intake forms, reminders, invoices or practice updates. Clinical information is only shared electronically where appropriate and with reasonable safeguards.

11. Telehealth

Where telehealth services are provided, we may use secure video, telephone or online communication platforms.

Before telehealth appointments, we may ask you to confirm your location, privacy of the setting, emergency contact details, suitability of telehealth for the appointment and any safety concerns.

Telehealth may not be appropriate for all situations. If telehealth is not suitable, we may recommend in-person care, GP review, crisis support or another service.

12. Storage and security of information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal information and health information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

These steps may include password-protected systems, restricted access to client records, secure practice management systems, secure storage of clinical records, secure disposal of information when no longer required, device and account security controls, confidentiality procedures, privacy-aware administrative processes and careful handling of reports, referrals and correspondence.

No system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We regularly review our privacy and security practices to reduce risk.

13. Data breaches

If a data breach occurs, we will take steps to contain, assess and manage the breach.

Where a breach is likely to result in serious harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

Where other reporting obligations apply, including obligations relating to Medicare, My Health Record or other systems, we will comply with those requirements.

14. Overseas disclosure and third-party providers

Some systems used to operate the website or practice may involve third-party providers, including website hosting, form processing, email, analytics, payment processing, telehealth, accounting or practice management systems.

Depending on the provider, information may be stored or processed in Australia or overseas.

Where we use third-party providers, we take reasonable steps to select reputable providers and protect personal information. We do not authorise third-party providers to use client information for their own unrelated purposes.

15. Google Analytics and cookies

This website may use cookies and analytics tools, including Google Analytics, to understand website traffic and improve the website.

Analytics information may include pages visited, device type, browser type, approximate location, referral source and website interactions.

We do not intentionally send clinical information, contact form message content or health details to Google Analytics.

You can disable cookies or adjust tracking settings through your browser. Some website features may not work as intended if cookies are disabled.

16. Direct marketing

We do not use health information for direct marketing without consent.

If the practice introduces newsletters, updates or educational resources in the future, you will be able to unsubscribe from marketing communications.

Administrative messages, such as appointment-related communication, intake forms, invoices or service updates, are not marketing communications.

17. Accessing your information

You may request access to personal information or health information we hold about you.

Access may be provided unless there is a lawful reason to refuse or limit access. For example, access may be refused or limited where providing access would pose a serious threat to life, health or safety, unreasonably affect another person's privacy, breach legal obligations or prejudice legal proceedings.

Requests should be made in writing using the contact details on the Contact page. We may need to verify your identity before providing access.

A reasonable administrative fee may apply for providing copies of records or reports, where permitted by law. We will inform you of any applicable fee before proceeding.

18. Correcting your information

We take reasonable steps to ensure the information we hold is accurate, complete and up to date.

If you believe information we hold is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date or misleading, you may request correction.

If we do not agree to amend a clinical record in the way requested, we may add a note to the record recording your concern or requested correction, where appropriate.

19. Retention and disposal of records

We retain clinical and administrative records for as long as required by law, professional obligations, insurance requirements and good clinical practice.

When information is no longer required, and where we are legally permitted to do so, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.

Clinical records are not deleted on request where we are required or permitted to retain them for legal, professional, insurance, safety or record-keeping reasons.

20. Anonymity and pseudonymity

Where lawful and practical, you may make a general enquiry without identifying yourself or by using a pseudonym.

However, psychology services generally require accurate identifying information so that we can provide safe and appropriate care, maintain clinical records, manage risk, communicate with referrers and meet legal and professional obligations.

21. Complaints and privacy concerns

If you have a privacy concern or wish to make a complaint about how your information has been handled, please contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue.

Please provide details of your concern and any outcome you are seeking. We will aim to acknowledge your complaint within a reasonable timeframe and respond after reviewing the issue.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

22. Urgent support and emergencies

The website contact form and practice email are not monitored for emergencies or crisis support.

If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 000.

For crisis support, you can contact:

• Lifeline: 13 11 14
• Mental Health Emergency Response Line, Perth metro: 1300 555 788
• Mental Health Emergency Response Line, Peel: 1800 676 822

You can also present to your nearest hospital emergency department or contact your GP for urgent mental health support.

23. Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the practice, website, legal obligations, technology or professional requirements.

The current version will be published on this website with the date it was last updated.