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Privacy Policy

Thelma Nascimento Therapy
ABN: 86 808 594 159
Effective date: June 2026

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Thelma Nascimento Therapy is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information and health information with care.

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This Privacy Policy explains how Thelma Nascimento Therapy collects, uses, stores, and discloses personal information through this website, booking systems, enquiry forms, intake forms, telehealth services, email communication, payment systems, and related services.

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Thelma Nascimento Therapy operates as a sole trader social work and counselling practice in Australia. This policy is intended to support compliance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, and relevant ethical and professional obligations.

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This Privacy Policy should be read together with any Collection Notice, Consent Form, Service Agreement, and other client documents provided before services commence.

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1. What personal information we collect

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The type of personal information we collect depends on how you interact with us.

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We may collect personal information such as:

  • your name;

  • preferred name;

  • phone number;

  • email address;

  • postal address;

  • date of birth;

  • emergency contact details;

  • appointment and booking information;

  • enquiry form responses;

  • intake form responses;

  • consent forms and service agreements;

  • information you provide during email, telephone, online, or telehealth communication;

  • payment and billing information;

  • information relevant to providing social work, counselling, parenting support, couples support, or therapeutic services;

  • website usage information, such as IP address, browser type, device information, cookies, analytics data, and interaction with website pages or advertisements.

 

If you become a client, we may also collect sensitive health information. This may include information about your physical health, mental health, emotional wellbeing, relationships, family circumstances, parenting concerns, pregnancy or perinatal experiences, current stressors, risk and safety concerns, previous support, and other information relevant to the service being provided.

 

Where parent or family-related support is provided, we may collect relevant information about children, partners, or family members where that information is necessary for understanding the presenting concerns and providing the service.

 

We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for the services we provide or for the operation of the practice.

 

2. How we collect information

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We usually collect personal information directly from you.

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This may occur when you:

  • visit this website;

  • complete a website enquiry form;

  • book an appointment online;

  • complete an intake form, consent form, or service agreement;

  • subscribe to a newsletter or download a resource;

  • communicate by email, phone, or other approved communication method;

  • attend an online session;

  • make a payment;

  • provide information during a session.

 

In some situations, and only where appropriate, we may collect information from third parties. This may include information from a referrer, GP, allied health professional, school, partner, emergency contact, or other person involved in your care, but only where you have provided consent or where collection is otherwise permitted or required by law.

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3. Why we collect, use, and hold your information

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

  • responding to enquiries;

  • managing appointments and bookings;

  • assessing whether the service is appropriate for your needs;

  • providing social work, counselling, parenting support, couples support, or therapeutic services;

  • maintaining client records;

  • communicating with you about appointments, services, forms, invoices, and practice updates;

  • processing payments and issuing invoices or receipts;

  • meeting legal, ethical, insurance, and professional obligations;

  • obtaining professional supervision or consultation where appropriate;

  • responding to complaints, disputes, subpoenas, court orders, or legal requirements;

  • managing risk, safety, and emergency situations;

  • improving website functionality and service delivery;

  • managing newsletters, resources, marketing, and advertising where you have consented or where permitted by law.

 

We do not sell your personal information.

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4. Sensitive and health information

 

Health information is sensitive information and is handled with a higher level of care.

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We collect sensitive information only where:

  • you have provided consent;

  • the information is reasonably necessary for providing services;

  • the information is required for risk, safety, ethical, or professional reasons;

  • or collection is otherwise permitted or required by law.

 

You can choose not to provide certain information. However, if you do not provide information that is relevant to your care, safety, or the service being requested, this may affect our ability to provide services safely or appropriately.

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5. Confidentiality and limits of confidentiality

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Information shared in sessions is treated as confidential.

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There are some situations where confidentiality may be limited. These may include:

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  • where you provide consent for information to be shared;

  • where disclosure is required or authorised by law;

  • where there is a serious risk of harm to you or another person;

  • where there are concerns about the safety, abuse, neglect, or harm of a child or young person;

  • where mandatory reporting or other legal obligations apply;

  • where records are subpoenaed, requested by a court, or otherwise legally required;

  • where information is discussed in professional supervision or consultation;

  • where disclosure is necessary to manage a complaint, insurance matter, legal matter, or professional obligation.

 

Where possible, appropriate, and safe, we will aim to discuss any disclosure with you before sharing information without your consent.

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6. Professional supervision and consultation

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As part of ethical and accountable social work practice, Thelma Nascimento Therapy may engage in professional supervision, peer consultation, or ethics consultation.

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When client matters are discussed for supervision or consultation, identifying details are removed where possible, unless there is a specific reason that identifiable information is necessary. Supervision and consultation are also subject to confidentiality obligations.

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7. Couples and family-related information

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Where couples support or parent/family-related support is provided, information may involve more than one person.

Privacy, confidentiality, record keeping, and access to records can be more complex when more than one person is involved in the service. These matters will be addressed more specifically in the Service Agreement and informed consent documents provided before services commence.

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8. Website, cookies, analytics, and advertising

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This website may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, understand website traffic, improve user experience, measure advertising effectiveness, and support marketing activities.

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We may use services such as:

  • Wix website tools;

  • Google Analytics;

  • Google Ads;

  • Meta/Facebook advertising tools;

  • email marketing or newsletter tools;

  • other website or analytics tools connected to the operation of the website.

 

These tools may collect information about how visitors interact with the website, such as pages visited, approximate location, device type, browser type, referral source, and interactions with advertisements.

You can adjust your browser settings to block or refuse cookies. Some website features may not work properly if cookies are disabled.

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9. Newsletters, resources, and marketing

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If you subscribe to a newsletter, download a free resource, or consent to receive marketing communication, we may use your name and email address to send you relevant resources, updates, or information about services.

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You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the email or by contacting us directly.

Information collected for newsletters or resources is not the same as information collected for therapy or counselling services. If you become a client, your clinical information will be handled separately and with additional care.

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10. Third-party service providers

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We use trusted third-party providers to operate parts of the website, bookings, payments, telehealth, communication, records, analytics, and marketing.

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These may include:

  • Wix for website hosting, website forms, and online bookings;

  • Wix for client records, intake forms, bookings, invoices, and/or clinical notes;

  • Zoom for online sessions;

  • Google Workspace for email, calendar, document management, and business administration;

  • Stripe and/or PayPal for payment processing;

  • Google Analytics, Google Ads, Meta/Facebook Ads, and similar tools for analytics and advertising;

  • professional advisers such as accountants, lawyers, insurers, supervisors, or consultants where needed.

 

These providers may have access to personal information only to the extent necessary to provide their services to the practice.

 

11. Overseas disclosure and storage

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Some third-party providers used by Thelma Nascimento Therapy may store, process, or access personal information outside Australia. This may include website, email, analytics, advertising, payment, telehealth, or cloud-based service providers.

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The countries in which information may be stored or processed depend on the providers used and their infrastructure. These may include Australia and other countries where those providers operate.

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Before publishing this policy, Thelma Nascimento Therapy will review its selected systems and, where practicable, identify the countries where personal information is likely to be disclosed or stored.

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12. Storage and security

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

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Information may be stored electronically using password-protected systems, secure cloud-based platforms, practice management software, email systems, and payment platforms. If any paper records are used, they will be stored securely.

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Reasonable security measures may include:

  • password protection;

  • multi-factor authentication where available;

  • secure storage systems;

  • restricted access;

  • device security;

  • regular software updates;

  • secure backups where appropriate;

  • care when transmitting sensitive information electronically.

 

No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. However, reasonable steps are taken to reduce privacy and security risks.

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13. Client records and retention

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Client records are created and kept as part of professional, ethical, legal, and insurance obligations.

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Records may include intake forms, consent forms, service agreements, case notes, correspondence, invoices, risk assessments, referrals, and other information relevant to the service provided.

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Adult client records are generally retained for at least seven years after the last client contact, unless a longer retention period is required or appropriate. If information about children or young people is included in records, longer retention periods may apply.

 

Records will be securely destroyed or de-identified when they are no longer required, unless there is a legal, ethical, professional, insurance, or legitimate business reason to retain them.

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14. Accessing and correcting your information

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You may request access to personal information we hold about you. You may also request correction of information if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date.

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To protect privacy and confidentiality, we may need to verify your identity before releasing information.

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In some circumstances, access may be limited, delayed, or refused where permitted by law, including where access may affect the privacy or safety of another person, relate to legal proceedings, or raise serious professional, ethical, or safety concerns.

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If access or correction is refused, we will provide reasons where appropriate and permitted.

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15. Data breaches

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

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If the breach is likely to result in serious harm, we may be required to notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner in accordance with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.

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16. Links to other websites

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This website may include links to third-party websites or resources. Thelma Nascimento Therapy is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of external websites.

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17. Use of artificial intelligence tools

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Thelma Nascimento Therapy does not intentionally enter identifiable client clinical information into public artificial intelligence tools.

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If any technology or software using artificial intelligence is introduced in the future in a way that affects client information, this Privacy Policy and relevant consent processes will be reviewed and updated.

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18. Changes to this Privacy Policy

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This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in law, professional obligations, systems, platforms, or practice procedures.

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The most current version will be available on this website.

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19. Complaints and questions

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If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information has been handled, please contact:

Thelma Nascimento Therapy


Email: contact@thelmanascimentotherapy.com.au
Phone: 0426 622 436

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We take privacy concerns seriously and will respond within a reasonable time.

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

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Phone: 1300 363 992
Email: enquiries@oaic.gov.au

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20. Acknowledgement

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This Privacy Policy was adapted with reference to the AASW Privacy Policy Template for private practice and other professional privacy guidance. It has been tailored for Thelma Nascimento Therapy and should be reviewed regularly.

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