Statement of Provision of Service

This document provides information relating to the psychological services supplied by TFD Services, the limits of confidentiality, as well as our policy for the management of client information.

Relevant Legislation

The psychological services provided by me are bound by the legal requirements of the:

• Australian Practitioners Health Regulation Agency (APHRA)
• National Privacy Principles from the Privacy Act (1988)
• Health Privacy Principles from the Health Records Act 2001
• Australian Psychological Society (APS) Code of Ethics

Management of Clients’ Personal Information

As part of providing psychological services to you which may include (but is not limited to) counselling, psychological assessment, motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioural therapy, Time Line Therapy^®, problem-solving, skills training; personal information will be collected and recorded that is relevant to your current situation. 

Purpose of collecting and holding information

This information is a necessary part of the psychological assessment, diagnosis and/ or treatment that is conducted and may include information, data and results from questionnaires, interviews, referrals from third parties or other sources, and/ or the consultation session itself; and may incorporate written information as well as audio and visual images from digital recordings.  The information is viewed by authorised employees of TFD Services, and is retained in order to document what happens during sessions, and to enable us to provide a relevant and informed psychological service to you. You do not have to give all your personal information, however this may also mean that psychological services may not be able to be provided to you or may not be as effective in outcome.

Client Information

Client files are held in a secure filing cabinet, which is accessible only to authorised employees.  The information on each file includes personal information such as name, address, contact phone numbers, and any other information which is relevant to the psychological service/s being provided.

Confidentiality

All personal information gathered during the provision of the psychological service will remain confidential and secure, except where:
It is subpoenaed by a court, or
Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at serious and imminent risk; or
Your prior approval has been obtained to:
provide a written report to another professional or agency. eg. to provide feedback to the GP who prepared a GP Mental Health Care Plan to refer you to the psychologist under the Better Access to Allied Health Services Initiative; or
discuss the material with another person, eg. a parent or employer.
There are other situations when disclosure of your personal information is permissible without your consent; or in situations when disclosure of your personal information is otherwise required or authorised by law to prevent, investigate or prosecute a crime or offence, e.g. suspected child, elder, dependent adult abuse.  In these circumstances, only the necessary information will be conveyed.

Suicide Risk Policy

Please note that if a client makes a suicidal threat to kill or severely harm him or herself and/or it is believed that the client is at risk for committing suicide, we must act decisively as follows:

• First, a discussion with the client to distinguish ideation versus actual intent of the threat.
• Discussion and assessment of other risk factors for suicide completion e.g., coping skills, level of impulsivity, family members or friends that have committed suicide, suicide plan, means, presence of weapons or medications etc.
• If it should be evident that the client has suicidal ideation but not intent, a “no suicide” contract can be created. This contract outlines the procedures for what the client should do in the event of a crisis, and includes a follow-up appointment.
• In addition, we may also need to review the client’s methods of coping with distress (e.g., soliciting support from supportive family members or friends) and see how this could be helpful.
• If a client appears to be at high risk to carry out a suicide, or informs of a plan with the intent to follow through, then there is no choice but to take legal action to protect the client’s life.
• In this case the police or a mental health professional designated to evaluate a client’s need for involuntary hospitalization would be contacted. Doing so would obviously jeopardize the client’s confidentiality; however, in this case it is ethical and legal, as it is more important to protect the client from harm.
• If the client who threatens to commit suicide is a minor, then his or her parents or legal guardian must be also notified of the threat.

Applied Treatment Strategy and Aims

Our therapeutic approach typically consists of the following process:

Assessment

1. Clients are encouraged to complete a self-reporting questionnaire as well as a situational type questionnaire designed to provide information about stressors (severity to be rated on a scale from 0-10), thus defining currently held belief patterns and their likely causes and undesired consequences that need to be addressed over the course of therapy (e.g. lack of motivation, lack of confidence, negative thoughts, anxiety, depressive thoughts, etc.).
2. Based on the collection of the above information, a client interview during the initial consultation is designed to further define the goals of therapy and thus establish a level of measurability that allows for an assessment of session effectiveness over the duration of therapy (see also ‘Session Effectiveness Assessment’ further below)      

Information

Prior to the initial consultation my clients will have received information about:

1. A privacy statement named ‘Statement for the Provision of Psychological Services’ (i.e. this document ) which provides information relating to my fees, Informed Consent, the limits of confidentiality, as well as describing my policy for the management of my clients’ information and other relevant policies.
2. Information outlining my contact details, appointment times, email response times, session costs including terms and conditions, emergency phone numbers as well as web links to a host of emergency counselling organisations, treatment plan overview. 

Intervention

Assessment Interview, Problem definition, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Behavioural Strategies.

Once the clients’ problem focus has been determined through the assessment process, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and Time Line Therapy^® techniques are used to teach clients solution focused skills to manage and overcome their psychological problems through recognising and challenging their undesired negative thoughts and beliefs.   

Concerns

If you have a concern about the management of your personal information or the services provided to you, please contact TFD Services immediately to discuss your concerns.  Ultimately, if you wish to lodge a formal complaint about the use of, or access to your personal information, or the services provided to you at TFD Services you may contact APHRA directly at www.aphra.gov.au.

Fees

The type and cost of our Standard consultation sessions are outlined below.

Fees are payable at time of consultation by credit card. Invoice can be provided upon request and payment is strictly 2 days. After 7 days of non-payment a 10% administration fee will be added to the invoice. You will be re-issued the invoice with the additional fee.

We appreciate prompt payment for the service you have received. If you have any concerns regarding payment, we ask that you contact us and discuss the situation. We are more than keen to assist where possible.

Cancellation Policy

If, for some reason you need to cancel or postpone the appointment, please provide notice by Close of Business (3pm) the business day prior to the appointment otherwise you may be charged the cost for the session. Cancellations on day of appointment will incur a 50% fee. Nonattendance without notification will incur full rate to be charged. With initial appointments, as they are paid upon booking, if you cancel that appointment with appropriate notice and do not want to reschedule, a full refund will be provided to your nominated bank account.