Privacy Policy
Fiona Rogerson Perinatal and Trauma Counselling
Last updated September 2026
We are committed to protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of the personal and health information you share with us. We understand that the information you give us may be highly personal and sensitive.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information, and how you can access or correct it.
We handle personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).
Confidentiality within your counselling or psychological sessions is covered in more detail in the Counselling Agreement you complete before commencing with us.
Contacting us anonymously
You are welcome to make a general enquiry without giving us your name, or by using a pseudonym.
We will need your identifying details if you decide to book an appointment, so that we can provide services safely and meet our record-keeping obligations.
What information we collect
We collect information that is reasonably necessary to provide our services and operate the practice. Depending on your circumstances, this may include:
- your name, date of birth and contact details
- emergency contact details
- health and mental health information, including relevant medical, psychological and counselling history
- information about pregnancy, birth, fertility, parenting, relationships, trauma, loss and other experiences relevant to your care
- information you share during sessions, and the clinical notes, assessments and treatment plans arising from them
- referral letters and information from other health professionals
- Medicare or other funding information where relevant
- appointment, billing and payment information
- correspondence between you and the practice
where you have consented to AI-assisted note-taking, a temporary audio recording and transcript of your session.
We aim to collect only what is relevant and reasonably necessary for the service we are providing.
How we collect your information
Where possible, we collect information directly from you. This may occur when you make an enquiry, complete an intake or consent form, book an appointment, attend a session, complete a questionnaire, or communicate with us by telephone, email or SMS.
With your consent, we may also receive information from others involved in your care, such as your GP, psychologist, psychiatrist, hospital or maternity care provider, or through a referral.
In limited circumstances, information may be collected without your direct involvement where this is necessary to manage safety or meet a legal obligation.
Why we collect and use your information
Your information may be used to provide counselling and psychological services, plan and coordinate your care, maintain clinical records, communicate with you, manage appointments and referrals, respond to safety or risk concerns, process billing and Medicare claims, respond to complaints, and meet our professional, ethical and legal obligations.
We will not use your health information for purposes unrelated to your care without your consent, unless permitted or required by law.
Our website
You can browse most of our website without providing any personal information.
Enquiry and booking forms. Information you submit through a form on our website goes to our practice management system and is used to respond to your enquiry and, where relevant, begin the intake process. Please only include what you are comfortable sharing at that stage. You do not need to provide detailed clinical history in an online form.
Analytics and cookies. Our website uses cookies and analytics tools to understand how the site is used. This information is generally aggregated and does not identify you personally. It may include the pages you visit, time spent on the site, your device and browser type, your general geographic region and how you arrived at our site. Some of these providers store and process this data on servers located overseas, including in the United States. You can manage or disable cookies through your browser settings, though some parts of the site may not function as intended.
Links to other websites. Our website may link to other sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices and encourage you to review their policies.
Where your information is held
Client and clinical records are securely maintained in our practice management system.
Access is limited to authorised members of the practice according to their role. Administrative staff may access information necessary to manage enquiries, appointments, referrals, billing and communication, which does not mean unrestricted access to your clinical record. All employees and contractors are required to maintain confidentiality.
AI-assisted clinical notes
Some of our clinicians use AI-assisted note-taking built into our practice management system to support clinical documentation. Where this is used, the system creates an audio recording and a written transcript of your session.
You will be told before this is used and asked for your consent. You can decline or withdraw consent at any time, without any effect on your access to services. If you decline, your clinician will take notes manually.
Your clinician reviews, corrects and approves the final note and remains responsible for its accuracy. Once the note is complete, the audio recording and the transcript are deleted, and in any case no later than seven days after your session. Only the finalised note is kept in your clinical record. Your session data is not used to train AI models.
We do not permit clinicians or staff to enter identifiable client information into general-purpose AI platforms that have not been approved by the practice.
When we may share your information
We do not ordinarily share your personal or health information without your consent.
With your consent, we may communicate with other professionals involved in your care, such as your GP, psychologist, psychiatrist, maternity care provider, other treating professional or referrer.
Our clinicians participate in clinical supervision and professional consultation. Identifying information is minimised where possible, and supervisors are subject to their own professional confidentiality obligations.
Information may be disclosed without your consent where required or permitted by law. This may include a serious threat to life, health or safety, child protection obligations, or a subpoena, court order, warrant or other legal process. Where it is appropriate and legally possible, we will discuss this with you first.
Electronic communication
We may communicate with you by email or SMS for appointment management and administration, and we provide some services via telehealth.
Electronic communication carries inherent privacy and security risks. We take reasonable steps to use appropriate technology and to avoid including unnecessary sensitive information in emails and messages. We encourage you to consider the sensitivity of information you send to us this way.
Telehealth appointments are delivered through our practice management system rather than a separate video platform.
How we protect your information
We take reasonable steps to protect personal and health information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
These measures include secure practice systems, individual user accounts, access controls, device and password security, staff confidentiality requirements, and review of the privacy and security implications of third-party systems we use.
How long we keep your information
We retain information for periods reflecting our clinical, professional, legal, insurance and administrative obligations.
Clinical records are generally retained for at least seven years following the last clinical contact. Records relating to children and young people are retained until the person turns 25.
Where information is no longer required and there is no legitimate reason to retain it, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it.
Data breaches
If we become aware of a privacy or data security incident, we will take steps to contain and assess it and reduce the risk of harm.
Where a breach meets the requirements of Australia’s Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner as required.
Accessing and correcting your information
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you. In most circumstances we will provide it, unless there is a lawful reason to refuse or limit access. We may ask you to verify your identity first.
Where a record contains information about another person, including records relating to couples counselling, we may need to consider that person’s privacy before providing access.
You can also ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate, incomplete, out of date, irrelevant or misleading. Clinical records are not ordinarily rewritten where there is a difference of opinion about a clinician’s professional documentation, though a correction, clarification or notation may be added.
Privacy concerns or complaints
If you have a question or concern about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us. We take privacy concerns seriously and will investigate and respond.
Fiona Rogerson Perinatal and Trauma Counselling Email: admin@fionarogerson.com.au Phone: 0402017425.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our services, technology or privacy obligations. The most current version will be available on our website.