Privacy Policy

Grounded Counselling Co. ('Grounded', 'I', 'me' or 'my') respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal and sensitive information you share with me.

As a counselling service, Grounded may collect and hold personal information and sensitive health information about clients. I understand that sharing personal information during counselling requires trust, and I take the privacy, confidentiality and security of that information seriously.

This Privacy Policy explains how Grounded Counselling Co. collects, stores, uses, protects and discloses personal information.

Grounded Counselling Co. operates in Western Australia and provides counselling services online.

1. Privacy laws

Grounded Counselling Co. handles personal information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

Health information is considered sensitive information under Australian privacy law and receives additional protection.

This Privacy Policy should be read together with Grounded Counselling Co.'s Client Consent and Informed Agreement and any other privacy notices provided when you book or commence counselling.

2. What information I may collect

The information I collect depends on your interactions with Grounded and the services you receive.

Personal information may include:

• your full name
• date of birth
• email address
• telephone number
• address or general location
• emergency contact details
• appointment and booking information
• payment and transaction information
• information provided through enquiries or correspondence
• information included in intake, consent or other client forms
• information necessary to manage your counselling relationship with Grounded.

As part of providing counselling services, I may also collect sensitive and health information, including information about:

• your physical or mental health
• emotional wellbeing
• personal circumstances
• relationships and family circumstances
• relevant medical history
• medications or treatment where relevant
• current or previous counselling or other health services
• reasons for seeking counselling
• experiences or events discussed during counselling sessions
• risk or safety concerns
• goals for counselling
• referrals and relevant communications with other health professionals, where applicable
• session notes and clinical records.

I aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary to provide my services and meet my professional, ethical and legal responsibilities.

3. How your information is collected

Where possible, I collect information directly from you.

This may occur when you:

• make an online booking
• complete an intake or consent form
• attend a counselling session
• communicate with me by telephone, email or other approved communication methods
• make a payment
• provide information through the Grounded website
• request information about my services
• provide information during the course of counselling.

In some circumstances, and where appropriate or authorised, information may also be received from another person or organisation, such as a referring practitioner, medical professional, emergency contact or another person involved in your care.

Where consent is required to collect sensitive information, I will seek that consent unless collection is otherwise permitted or required by law.

4. Why I collect and use your information

Grounded collects, holds and uses personal information primarily so that I can provide safe, appropriate and professional counselling services.

Your information may be used to:

• provide counselling services
• assess whether Grounded is an appropriate service for your needs
• understand your circumstances and counselling goals
• maintain appropriate client and clinical records
• manage appointments and bookings
• communicate with you about your appointments or counselling
• send relevant forms, appointment links or administrative information
• process payments and refunds
• manage cancellations and rescheduling
• maintain continuity of care
• respond appropriately to safety or wellbeing concerns
• communicate with another health professional where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law
• meet professional, ethical, insurance and legal obligations
• respond to complaints, disputes or legal matters
• manage Grounded Counselling Co.'s administrative and business operations.

I do not sell client information.

I do not use information disclosed during counselling for unrelated advertising or marketing purposes.

5. Counselling records and session notes

I maintain appropriate records of counselling services provided through Grounded.

These records may include intake information, consent forms, appointment history, correspondence, relevant clinical information and counselling notes.

Counselling records are created to support continuity and quality of care and to meet my professional and legal responsibilities.

Access to counselling records is restricted to authorised persons and service providers where access is necessary for the operation of Grounded or is otherwise authorised or required by law.

Grounded currently intends to retain client records for 10 years following the end of the counselling relationship, unless a different retention period is required or permitted by applicable law, professional obligations, insurance requirements or other circumstances.

When information is no longer required to be retained, reasonable steps will be taken to securely destroy or permanently de-identify it.

6. How your information is stored and protected

Grounded uses electronic systems to operate the practice and maintain client information.

Depending on the service being used, these may include:

• secure practice management software, including Halaxy
• Google Workspace services for business email, calendar and appointment administration
• secure cloud-based storage or administrative systems
• Stripe for payment processing
• video conferencing or telehealth technology used to conduct online counselling.

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

Security measures may include password protection, access controls, secure accounts, appropriate authentication measures and reputable third-party service providers.

No electronic system or method of communication can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If I become aware of a data breach, I will assess and respond to it in accordance with applicable privacy and data breach notification requirements.

7. Online counselling and video sessions

Grounded Counselling Co. provides counselling online.

Online counselling involves the use of internet-based technology, and while reasonable steps are taken to protect privacy and confidentiality, electronic communications can carry risks that are outside my complete control.

You are encouraged to attend online counselling from a private location where you feel comfortable speaking confidentially and to use a secure internet connection and device where possible.

Where a video platform or third-party service is used, that provider may process limited information necessary to provide the service in accordance with its own privacy practices.

8. Appointment bookings

Grounded uses online systems, including Google services, to manage appointments.

When you make a booking, information such as your name, email address, appointment type, booking responses and appointment details may be collected and processed for the purpose of arranging and providing your counselling session.

You may also receive automated booking confirmations, reminders, cancellation notices or video-session information.

Information provided while booking should be limited to what is reasonably necessary. More detailed and sensitive information can be discussed through appropriate client forms or during your counselling session.

9. Payments and Stripe

Grounded uses Stripe to process online payments.

When you make a payment, Stripe may collect and process information required to complete the transaction, including payment card and transaction information.

Grounded does not need to independently store your full credit or debit card details simply to process a standard Stripe transaction.

Stripe processes personal information in accordance with its own privacy and security practices.

Grounded may retain information about the transaction itself, including the amount paid, date, appointment associated with the payment, payment status and any refund or cancellation information, for administrative, accounting and legal purposes.

10. Halaxy and client information

Grounded may use Halaxy as a practice management system to securely manage client and health information, forms, records and other practice administration.

Information stored in Halaxy may include personal details, health information, counselling records, forms and other information necessary for the provision of services.

Halaxy states that Australian user data is stored in Australia, although some of its service providers or integrated services may operate or process information outside Australia.

Use of Halaxy is also subject to Halaxy's own privacy practices and terms.

11. Email communications

Grounded uses a professional Google Workspace email account for business communications.

Email may be used to send:

• appointment-related information
• forms or administrative documents
• responses to your enquiries
• information relevant to your counselling relationship.

While reasonable security measures are used, ordinary email is not considered completely secure.

For this reason, I encourage clients not to send highly sensitive or detailed counselling information by email unless necessary.

Email is also not monitored as an emergency or crisis support service.

12. When your information may be disclosed

Information shared during counselling is treated as confidential.

I will not ordinarily disclose your personal or health information to another person without your consent.

There are, however, circumstances where information may be disclosed where permitted, authorised or required by law. These may include:

• where you have provided consent for information to be shared
• where disclosure is reasonably necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of you or another person, where permitted by law
• where I am required or authorised by law to disclose information
• where applicable mandatory reporting obligations arise
• where records or information are required under a valid subpoena, court order or other lawful process
• where disclosure is necessary to establish, exercise or defend a legal claim
• where information is required by an insurer, regulator or professional body and disclosure is legally permitted
• where third-party service providers require limited access to information in order to provide secure technology, administrative, payment or practice-management services.

Where practicable and appropriate, I will discuss a disclosure with you before it occurs.

13. Professional supervision

Professional supervision is an important part of ethical counselling practice.

I may discuss aspects of my counselling work with an appropriately qualified professional supervisor for the purpose of professional development, ethical practice and maintaining the quality of the services I provide.

Where possible, information discussed in supervision will be limited or de-identified so that unnecessary identifying information is not disclosed.

Professional supervisors are expected to maintain appropriate confidentiality.

14. Couples counselling

Where Grounded provides couples counselling, information may be collected about both members of the couple and about the relationship between them.

Both clients have privacy rights in relation to their own personal information.

The way information, confidentiality, record keeping and information shared individually with the counsellor are handled in couples counselling will be discussed as part of the counselling consent process.

15. Overseas storage and disclosure

Some technology providers used by Grounded are global organisations.

As a result, certain personal information may be stored, processed or accessed outside Australia by service providers or their subcontractors.

For example, some services associated with Google and Stripe may process information outside Australia, including in the United States and other countries in which those providers or their service providers operate.

Halaxy states that its Australian practice data is stored in Australia, although some of its service providers and optional integrations may operate overseas.

Where Grounded uses a third-party provider, I take reasonable steps to choose reputable services and to consider their privacy and security practices.

16. Website information

When you visit the Grounded Counselling Co. website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by the website or hosting provider.

This may include information such as:

• IP address
• browser type
• device information
• pages visited
• date and time of access
• general website usage information.

Cookies or similar technologies may also be used where necessary for the operation, security or functionality of the website.

Grounded does not sell website visitor information.

Please avoid providing detailed health or counselling information through general website enquiries where a more secure method of communication is available.

17. Anonymity and pseudonyms

Australian privacy law recognises that there may be circumstances in which a person can interact with an organisation anonymously or using a pseudonym.

You may make some general enquiries about Grounded without providing your full identity.

However, it may not be practical for Grounded to provide ongoing counselling services anonymously or under a pseudonym because identifying and contact information may be necessary for client safety, clinical records, informed consent, payment, emergency procedures and professional or legal requirements.

18. Accessing your personal information

You may request access to personal information Grounded holds about you.

Requests should be made in writing to tilly@groundedcounsellingco.com.au.

I may need to verify your identity before providing access.

I will respond to access requests within a reasonable period.

There may be limited circumstances under Australian privacy law where access can be refused or restricted. If this applies, I will provide an explanation where required and appropriate.

19. Correcting your information

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

If you believe information held about you is incorrect, incomplete or out of date, please contact tilly@groundedcounsellingco.com.au.

I will take reasonable steps to consider and, where appropriate, correct the information.

20. Privacy concerns and complaints

If you have a question, concern or complaint about how your personal information has been handled, I encourage you to contact Grounded first so that I have an opportunity to address your concern.

Please contact tilly@groundedcounsellingco.com.au.

I will acknowledge and consider privacy complaints and aim to respond within a reasonable period.

If you are not satisfied with my response, you may be entitled to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

Information about privacy rights and complaints is available from the OAIC at www.oaic.gov.au (opens in a new tab).

21. Changes to this Privacy Policy

Grounded Counselling Co. may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the practice, technology, service providers, professional requirements or applicable laws.

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

Contact

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how Grounded manages your personal information, please contact Grounded Counselling Co. by email at tilly@groundedcounsellingco.com.au.

Last updated: 13 September 2026