Policy and Confidentiality
Privacy Policy
Firm Foundations Counselling
Last updated: September 2026
Firm Foundations Counselling respects your privacy and is committed to handling your personal and health information carefully, respectfully and securely.
This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, stored and disclosed when you make an enquiry, engage in counselling services or otherwise communicate with Firm Foundations Counselling.
Firm Foundations Counselling handles personal information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy requirements and professional ethical obligations. Counselling services are provided in accordance with the Australian Counselling Association (ACA) Code of Ethics and Practice.
Information I may collect
When you enquire about or engage in counselling, I may collect personal and sensitive information that is reasonably necessary to provide counselling services.
This may include:
your name, date of birth and contact details
emergency contact details
information about your health and wellbeing
your counselling history and current concerns
relevant medical or mental health information
information about significant relationships, family circumstances and life experiences
information you choose to share during counselling
counselling goals and treatment information
appointment and attendance information
clinical notes and counselling records
correspondence between us
billing and payment information
information provided by another health professional or service, where you have consented to this or where collection is otherwise permitted by law.
You are not required to provide information that is not relevant to your counselling. However, in some circumstances, not having particular information may affect my ability to provide an appropriate or safe service.
How information is collected
Personal information may be collected when you:
make an enquiry through the Firm Foundations Counselling website
contact me by telephone, email or another agreed communication method
complete an intake or consent form
book or attend a counselling appointment
participate in a telehealth session
provide information during counselling
authorise another person or organisation to provide information to me.
Where reasonably possible, personal information will be collected directly from you.
How your information is used
Your information may be used to:
respond to enquiries
determine whether Firm Foundations Counselling is an appropriate service for you
provide counselling services
plan and review counselling
manage appointments
communicate with you about your care
maintain appropriate clinical and administrative records
process payments and manage accounts
meet professional, ethical and legal obligations
manage safety or risk concerns where necessary.
Your information will not be used for purposes unrelated to your counselling without your consent unless this is permitted or required by law.
Confidentiality
What you discuss in counselling is treated as confidential.
Confidentiality is an important part of creating a safe and respectful counselling relationship. Information you provide will not ordinarily be shared with another person or organisation without your consent.
There are, however, limits to confidentiality.
Information may need to be disclosed where:
you have given consent for information to be shared
disclosure is required or authorised by law
there is a serious concern regarding your safety or the safety of another person
there are other exceptional ethical or legal circumstances that justify disclosure.
Where it is practicable and safe to do so, I will endeavour to discuss the need for disclosure with you before information is shared.
Where information does need to be disclosed, I will aim to disclose only the information reasonably necessary for the particular purpose.
Professional supervision
Professional supervision is an important part of ethical counselling practice.
I participate in professional supervision to support safe, ethical and effective counselling practice. As part of supervision, aspects of client work may be discussed with a qualified professional supervisor.
Only information relevant to the purpose of supervision will be discussed, and identifying information will be avoided wherever reasonably possible.
Professional supervisors are also required to maintain confidentiality.
Counselling records
Appropriate clinical and administrative records are maintained as part of providing counselling services.
These may include intake information, consent documentation, appointment information, brief clinical notes, correspondence and other information relevant to your counselling.
Records are handled and stored securely and access is limited to authorised persons.
Reasonable steps are taken to protect personal information from loss, misuse, interference, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Online and telehealth counselling
Firm Foundations Counselling may provide counselling via telehealth or other electronic communication.
Reasonable steps are taken to protect your privacy when providing counselling online. However, no electronic communication or internet-based service can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Clients are encouraged to participate in online counselling from a private location and to use a secure device and internet connection where possible.
Email and electronic communication
Email and SMS may be used for administrative purposes such as arranging or confirming appointments.
Electronic communications can carry privacy risks. For this reason, detailed or highly sensitive counselling information should generally be discussed during counselling sessions rather than by ordinary email or SMS.
Please consider your own privacy when choosing how you communicate with Firm Foundations Counselling.
Disclosure to other professionals or services
There may be times when it would be helpful to communicate with another professional involved in your care, such as your GP, psychologist, psychiatrist or another service provider.
Except where disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law, information will only be exchanged with another person or service with your consent.
You may be asked to complete an Authority to Release or Exchange Information specifying what information may be shared, with whom and for what purpose.
Accessing or correcting your information
You may request access to personal information held about you or ask for information that is inaccurate or out of date to be corrected.
Requests will be handled in accordance with applicable privacy and legal requirements.
There may be limited circumstances in which access to particular information cannot be provided. If this applies, the reasons and any available options will be explained where appropriate.
Retention and disposal of records
Counselling records are retained for the period required by applicable professional, ethical and legal requirements.
When information is no longer required to be retained, reasonable steps will be taken to securely destroy or de-identify it where appropriate.
Website enquiries
Information submitted through the Firm Foundations Counselling website should be limited to what is reasonably necessary to make an initial enquiry.
The website enquiry form is not intended for emergencies or crisis support, and clients are encouraged not to include highly sensitive or detailed clinical information in an initial website enquiry.
Website and third-party services
The Firm Foundations Counselling website and practice may use third-party services to support functions such as website hosting, appointment management, electronic forms, communication and practice administration.
Where third-party services are used, reasonable steps are taken to select services appropriate for handling the information involved and to protect client privacy.
Third-party providers may have their own privacy policies and data-handling practices.
Emergencies
Firm Foundations Counselling is not an emergency or crisis service, and website enquiries, emails and other messages may not be monitored continuously.
If you or another person is in immediate danger, call 000 or seek assistance from an appropriate emergency or crisis service.
Privacy concerns
If you have a question or concern about how your personal information has been handled, please contact Firm Foundations Counselling in the first instance.
I will endeavour to respond to privacy concerns respectfully and within a reasonable timeframe.
You may also have the right to raise a privacy complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or another relevant regulatory body.
Contact
Firm Foundations Counselling
Jo Barrie – Counsellor
Email: firmfoundationscounselling@gmail.com
Website: firmfoundationscounselling.com.au