Privacy Policy

Lucent Psychology (ABN 14 513 681 681) (“we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to protecting your privacy. We handle personal information and sensitive health information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, and the Psychology Board of Australia’s Code of Conduct (2025).

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, how it is stored, and the limited circumstances in which it may be disclosed to support your care.

Types of personal and sensitive information collected

The personal information we collect may include:

name, address, phone number, and email
date of birth
emergency contact details
details of your GP, referrer or treating health professionals
Medicare and/or private health insurance details
payment and billing information
information you provide in consultations
clinical notes, assessments, reports, and relevant history
information provided by third parties involved in your care (e.g. GP, psychiatrist, employer)
other personal or sensitive information needed to provide psychological services

Sensitive information includes health information, mental health information, cultural information, and other protected categories under the Privacy Act 1988.

If you provide information about another person (e.g. a child), you must ensure they are aware of this Privacy Policy and consent to their information being provided.

Disclosure of personal information

Your information will remain confidential except where:

required or authorised by law (e.g. subpoena, child protection)
there is a serious risk to your life, health, or safety, or to that of another person
you provide written consent to share information with another professional or organisation
disclosure is required under Medicare (e.g., reports to your referring GP under a Mental Health Treatment Plan or Eating Disorder Management Plan)
de-identified information is discussed in professional supervision
limited administrative access is required by our Practice Manager for billing and scheduling purposes
necessary for continuity of care if your psychologist becomes unable to practise, in line with the 2025 Code of Conduct

We never sell or share personal information for marketing.

How we collect personal information

We collect personal and sensitive information when:

you complete intake or consent forms
you attend sessions with a psychologist
you communicate with us via phone, SMS, Zoho Mail, or telehealth
your referrer or treating professional sends us relevant information
your psychologist records notes as part of treatment
you provide information through our website
your parent/guardian provides information on your behalf

If we collect information about you from another source and you may be unaware of it, we will take reasonable steps to notify you unless it is unsafe or unlawful to do so.

Why we collect, use and disclose personal information

We use your information to:

establish and maintain your therapeutic relationship
provide psychological assessment and treatment
liaise with your GP or referrer as required
manage appointments, billing, and rebates
maintain accurate clinical records
respond to your enquiries
communicate important practice updates or service information
ensure continuity of care if your psychologist becomes unable to practise

Your information will not be used for any purpose outside this Privacy Policy without your consent, unless required by law.

We may share personal information with third-party service providers who assist with practice operations (e.g., practice software support). These parties are required to maintain confidentiality consistent with our standards.

Direct marketing

From time to time, we may send you general information about practice services or updates.

We will never disclose your personal information to external parties for marketing, and we will never use sensitive information for marketing purposes.

You may opt out of communications at any time.

How we store and protect personal information

We use secure, privacy-compliant digital systems, including:

Halaxy – practice management, secure messaging, Medicare claiming, telehealth
Heidi Health – optional AI-assisted drafting of notes (de-identified; separate consent required)
Zoom – encrypted telehealth sessions
Zoho Mail – administrative email communication
Google Drive – secure storage of practice documents and continuity-planning materials

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

Paper files (where used) are stored securely and destroyed when no longer required.

Internet transmission is not always secure; we cannot guarantee the security of information sent electronically.

We retain clinical records for 7 years after your last contact, or until age 25 if you were under 18 during treatment, as required by law.

How you can access your personal information

You may request access to, or correction of, your personal information at any time by contacting us.

Access may be refused in limited circumstances under the Privacy Act 1988 (e.g., where release would pose a risk to someone’s safety or breach another person’s privacy).

If access is refused, we will explain why and provide options for complaint pathways.

We may request proof of identity before releasing information and may charge a reasonable fee for retrieval of archived records.

We will respond promptly to concerns or complaints about how we manage personal information.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies to enhance user experience and track browsing patterns.

You may disable cookies through your browser, although some features may not function correctly.

For more information: www.youronlinechoices.com.au

We may collect anonymous statistical data about website usage (e.g., pages accessed, time and date) to improve website performance.

How to contact us or make a complaint

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, need to update your information, or wish to make a complaint, please contact:

Lucent Psychology
20 Loftus Street
Wollongong NSW 2500
(02) 4202 6445
admin@lucentpsychology.com.au

We will take reasonable steps to resolve your concerns.

More information about Australia’s privacy laws and the Australian Privacy Principles is available from the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.oaic.gov.au. If we cannot resolve any privacy issue that you raise with us, you can contact that Office by phone on 1300 363 992, online at http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-a-privacy-complaint or by post to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW 2001.