1. Our commitment to your privacy

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Good Thinking Hypnotherapy is committed to protecting your privacy and handling your personal information with care, respect and confidentiality.

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This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, disclose and protect your personal information when you enquire about, book or receive services from Good Thinking Hypnotherapy.

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We recognise that information shared during therapy can be deeply personal and sensitive. We take reasonable steps to ensure that your information is handled securely and used only for appropriate purposes.

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We aim to handle personal information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, where applicable.

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2. What information do we collect?

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The information we collect depends on your interactions with Good Thinking Hypnotherapy and the services you receive.

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It may include:

• Personal and contact information: your name, date of birth, address, telephone number and email address.

• Health and wellbeing information: information about your physical health, mental health, emotional wellbeing, personal history, presenting concerns and therapeutic goals.

• Clinical information: intake forms, assessment information, session notes, written transcripts, AI-assisted clinical summaries, therapeutic plans and records of your progress.

• Appointment and administrative information: booking details, correspondence, payment and invoice records, and information relevant to managing your appointments.

• Other relevant information: information you choose to provide or that is reasonably necessary to support your care.
   

Health information is sensitive information under Australian privacy law. We take particular care when collecting and handling it.
 

3. How do we collect your information?
 

We generally collect information directly from you through:
 

• Intake and consent forms.

• Therapy sessions and consultations.

• Telephone calls, emails, text messages and other correspondence.

• Online booking and practice-management systems.

• Information you provide when making an enquiry or requesting services.

• Feedback or other communications you choose to provide.
   

In some circumstances, we may receive relevant information from another person or health professional, such as a referrer, where you have consented or where collection is otherwise permitted by law.
 

We take reasonable steps to ensure you understand what information is being collected and why.
 

4. Why do we collect and use your information?
 

We collect and use your information for purposes related to providing and managing your care, including:
 

• Understanding your concerns, circumstances and therapeutic goals.

• Providing clinical hypnotherapy and strategic psychotherapy.

• Preparing for and documenting therapy sessions.

• Developing and reviewing therapeutic strategies and plans.

• Preparing clinical notes, transcripts and summaries.

• Managing appointments, payments and administrative requirements.

• Communicating with you about your care.

• Supporting professional supervision and reflective practice.

• Coordinating care with another health professional where appropriate and with your consent.

• Meeting applicable legal, ethical, professional and record-keeping obligations.

• Responding to enquiries, feedback or complaints.

• Sending practice updates or marketing communications where permitted and, where required, with your consent.
   

If you choose not to provide information reasonably necessary for your care, this may limit my ability to assess your needs or provide certain services. I will discuss any relevant limitations with you.
 

5. AI-assisted session recording, transcription and clinical documentation
 

Good Thinking Hypnotherapy uses PracSuite AI to assist with recording, transcribing and summarising therapy sessions for clinical documentation.

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How the process works

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With your explicit consent, a therapy session may be temporarily audio-recorded so that the conversation can be transcribed and used to assist in preparing clinical notes or summaries.

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The practitioner remains responsible for reviewing and finalising clinical documentation. AI-generated content is used as an aid to documentation and does not replace the practitioner's clinical judgement.
 

Audio recordings
 

PracSuite's published information states that session audio is processed within its secure Australian cloud environment and that recordings are destroyed after transcription. Audio recordings are not retained as audio files by the practice.
 

Transcripts and clinical notes
 

Written transcripts may be retained in PracSuite according to the practice's transcript-retention settings. Clinical notes and summaries may be retained as part of your client record in accordance with the practice's record-keeping procedures and applicable legal and professional requirements.

Transcripts and clinical notes may contain sensitive personal and health information. They are treated as confidential and protected in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
 

How PracSuite AI processes information
 

PracSuite's privacy information states that its AI functionality may use external AI providers, including Anthropic, Amazon Web Services and OpenAI, to process transcripts and patient history.
 

PracSuite also identifies certain third-party service providers and potential overseas disclosures in its Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
 

Although audio transcription is described by PracSuite as occurring within its Australian cloud environment, other aspects of the service may involve third-party processing or overseas data handling.
 

For further information, please refer to:

• PracSuite AI — Privacy, Consent and Information for Patients: https://help.pracsuite.com/en/articles/10084091-pracsuite-ai-privacy-consent-and-information-for-patients

• PracSuite Privacy Policy: https://www.pracsuite.com/privacy
   

Your choice about recording
 

You will be informed about the recording and transcription process and asked for your explicit consent before a session is recorded.
 

You may decline recording or withdraw your consent to future recordings. If you do not consent, we can discuss alternative arrangements for your therapy and clinical documentation.
 

Your consent to therapy does not, by itself, constitute consent to session recording.
 

6. Professional supervision
 

Professional supervision supports reflective practice, professional development and the quality of care provided.
 

As part of my professional practice, I may discuss aspects of my clinical work with my professional supervisor.
 

Where possible, I will use de-identified information so that you are not identifiable. If I propose to share information that identifies you, I will seek your consent before doing so, except where disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.
 

Your supervisor is expected to respect the confidentiality of information discussed in supervision.
 

7. Sharing information with other health professionals
 

Where consultation or collaboration with another medical or health professional may be helpful to your care, I will discuss this with you and seek your consent before sharing your identifiable information.
 

Where relevant, I will explain:
 

• Who the information will be shared with.

• What information is proposed to be shared.

• Why the information may be helpful to your care.
   

You may decline consent to information sharing. We can discuss the implications of that decision and any alternative arrangements.
 

Information may be disclosed without your consent where disclosure is required or authorised by law or another applicable legal exception applies.
 

8. Other circumstances in which information may be disclosed
 

Your personal information will not ordinarily be disclosed to another person without an appropriate basis for doing so.
 

Disclosure may occur where:

• You have consented to the disclosure.

• Disclosure is required or authorised by law.

• A court order or other lawful requirement applies.

• A permitted legal exception applies, including certain circumstances involving a serious threat to an individual's life, health or safety.
   

Where disclosure is permitted without consent, only information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose will be disclosed, having regard to the circumstances and applicable obligations.
 

9. Electronicsystems and service providers
 

Good Thinking Hypnotherapy uses electronic systems to manage appointments, client information, clinical documentation and communications.
 

These may include practice-management software, online booking systems, email, video-conferencing platforms, secure storage services and AI-assisted documentation tools.
 

Information may be processed or stored by third-party providers to deliver these services. Those providers may handle information on behalf of the practice in accordance with their own contractual and privacy arrangements.
 

We take reasonable steps to select appropriate services and protect information against misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
 

Where information may be disclosed to overseas recipients, we will address this in accordance with applicable privacy obligations.
 

10. Website and online communications
 

When you visit our website or communicate with us online, certain technical information may be collected by the website host or other service providers. This may include information such as your browser, device information and website usage data.

Cookies and similar technologies may be used to support website functionality or analyse website usage, depending on the services enabled.
 

When you follow a link to an external website, that website's own privacy policy and practices apply.
 

Please be mindful that email, text messages and other electronic communications may not always be completely secure. You may contact me if you would prefer to discuss an alternative method of communication for sensitive information.
 

11. Marketing and communications
 

Your contact details may be used to communicate with you about appointments, invoices, relevant practice information and your care.

Where permitted, we may also send practice news, educational resources or marketing communications.
 

You can opt out of marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe option where available or contacting the practice.
 

Opting out of marketing communications will not affect essential communications about appointments, payments or your ongoing care.
 

12. How we store and protect your information
 

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

These measures may include:

• Using password-protected electronic systems.

• Restricting access to client records.

• Using reputable service providers and secure systems.

• Taking reasonable steps to protect information during electronic transmission and storage.

• Reviewing and managing access to information as appropriate.

• Taking reasonable steps to securely dispose of information when it is no longer required and retention is not otherwise required by law or professional obligations.
   

Access to your client records, transcripts and clinical notes within the practice is restricted to me, subject to the processing of information by authorised service providers and any applicable legal obligations.
 

No electronic storage or transmission method can be guaranteed to be completely secure. We take reasonable steps to reduce privacy risks.
 

13. How long do we retain your information?
 

Client records are retained for a minimum of seven years in accordance with the practice's existing record-retention policy, subject to applicable legal and professional requirements.
 

Records may include intake forms, consent records, clinical notes, written transcripts, AI-assisted summaries, correspondence and administrative information.
 

Audio recordings processed through PracSuite AI are deleted after transcription in accordance with PracSuite's stated process. Written transcripts and clinical records are subject to separate retention arrangements.
 

Where information is no longer required and is not subject to a legal or professional retention obligation, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy it or permanently de-identify it.
 

Different retention periods may apply where required by law or professional obligations, including where a client is a minor. The applicable retention requirements should be considered when determining how long records are kept.
 

14. Accessing and correcting your information
 

You may request access to personal information held about you and ask for inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information to be corrected, subject to applicable legal exceptions.
 

To make a request, contact Good Thinking Hypnotherapy using the details below.

To protect your privacy, we may ask you to verify your identity before providing access.

We will respond within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable privacy requirements. Access will generally be provided without charge, although any permitted charges will be explained to you beforehand.
 

In certain circumstances, access may be limited or refused where permitted by law. If this occurs, we will explain the reasons where appropriate and advise you of any available options.
 

15. Privacy for clients under 18
 

Good Thinking Hypnotherapy recognises that additional considerations may apply when providing services to children and young people.
 

Where a client is under 18, appropriate consent arrangements will be determined according to the young person's circumstances, their capacity to understand the proposed service, applicable law and relevant professional obligations.
 

Parent or guardian involvement may be required. Where parent or guardian consent is obtained, the young person's understanding and participation will also be considered.

Information shared by a young person during therapy will be handled confidentially, subject to applicable legal and professional obligations and the limits of confidentiality explained to the young person and their parent or guardian as appropriate.
 

A parent or guardian's involvement does not automatically mean that every detail of a young person's sessions will be shared with them. Any disclosure will be considered in light of the young person's circumstances, applicable law and relevant safety considerations.
 

16. Privacy concerns and complaints
 

If you have a question or concern about how your personal information has been collected, used, stored or disclosed, please contact Good Thinking Hypnotherapy.

We will consider your concern, make reasonable enquiries and respond within a reasonable period. Where appropriate, we will work with you to resolve the issue.
 

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to raise your concern with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), subject to its processes and jurisdiction.
 

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
Website: https://www.oaic.gov.au
Telephone: 1300 363 992
 

17. Changes to this Privacy Policy
 

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in our services, technology, professional practices or legal obligations.
 

The current version will be published on the Good Thinking Hypnotherapy website. We encourage you to review it periodically.
 

18. Contact us
 

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to request access to your information, or want to raise a privacy concern, please contact:
 

Good Thinking Hypnotherapy

Address: 2/59 Main North Road, Medindie Gardens SA 5081
Email: hello@goodthinkinghypnotherapy.com.au
Telephone: 08 8269 2961

Website: https://www.goodthinkinghypnotherapy.com.au
 

We welcome questions about your privacy and how your information is handled.