Policies
How this practice works, in writing.
Confidentiality, privacy, fees and cancellations — set out plainly so there are no surprises. You will also be asked a set of intake questions before your first appointment.
Terms of Service
What is provided, what is out of scope, fees, records, and the limits of counselling.
Privacy Policy
What is collected, how it is stored, and the narrow circumstances in which it can be disclosed.
Cancellation Policy
The 48-hour rule, the fees that apply, and how to move an appointment.
Confidentiality, in short
What you say in session stays in session. Information is only disclosed with your written permission, under subpoena from a court, or where there is a serious and immediate risk to someone's safety. If a disclosure ever becomes necessary, you will be told what is being shared and with whom wherever it is safe and lawful to do so.
Counselling here is not a crisis or after-hours service, and it does not include diagnoses, clinical assessments, medication or insurance and claims reports. In an emergency call 000, or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Confidentiality, in short
What you say in session stays in session. There are four narrow exceptions: a serious and imminent risk to your safety or someone else's, a subpoena or court order, a mandatory reporting obligation concerning a child at risk, and your own written consent to share information with a GP or another practitioner. If any of these arise, Anne will tell you what is being disclosed and to whom wherever it is safe to do so. Full detail sits in the privacy policy.
Records and privacy
Session notes are brief, factual and stored encrypted. They are kept for seven years after the last appointment, or until a client who was under 18 turns 25, as Australian practice requires. You can ask to see your own records at any time. Nothing is sold, shared with advertisers, or used to train anything.
Cancellations
48 hours' notice to change or cancel. Inside that window a 50 per cent fee applies; same-day changes and missed appointments are charged in full, because the time cannot be offered to anyone else. Genuine emergencies are handled as emergencies. The reasoning and the exceptions are on the cancellation policy page.
Scope of practice
This practice provides counselling and psychotherapy for adults aged 16 and over and for couples. It does not diagnose, does not provide psychometric or ADHD assessments, does not prescribe, and does not complete insurance, NDIS or medico-legal reports. Where you need any of those, Anne will say so and refer you on. See information for GPs and referrers.
Concerns and complaints
Raise it with Anne first — directly, in session or by email. Most concerns are a misunderstanding about the process and are resolved in one conversation. If you would rather escalate, the Australian Counselling Association handles complaints about registered counsellors independently, and you are entitled to do that without discussing it here first.
Terms of service
The terms of service cover the website itself: what the content is for, what it is not, limits of liability, and the fact that reading a page does not create a therapeutic relationship. Nothing on this site is a substitute for individual professional advice.