Privacy Policy
North & Rise Psychology
Last Updated: 4 November 2026
1. Introduction
North & Rise Psychology is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of all personal and sensitive information entrusted to our practice.
We recognise that individuals seeking psychological services share personal and often sensitive information. We are committed to managing this information with professionalism, transparency, respect and care.
This Privacy Policy explains how North & Rise Psychology collects, uses, stores, protects, discloses and manages personal information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy legislation, including:
Privacy Act 1988 (Cth)
Australian Privacy Principles (APPs)
Health Records Act 2001 (Vic)
Health Privacy Principles (HPPs)
This policy applies to current and prospective clients, parents and guardians, website visitors, individuals making enquiries and other individuals whose personal information is collected by our practice.
2. Personal Information We Collect
North & Rise Psychology collects personal and sensitive information reasonably necessary to provide psychological services, assessments and related administrative support.
Depending on the nature of the services provided, this may include:
Full name, date of birth and contact details.
Residential address and emergency contact information.
Parent, caregiver or guardian details.
Medical, developmental, educational and psychological history.
Mental health information and relevant diagnoses.
Psychological assessment results and clinical observations.
Information obtained through standardised assessments and questionnaires.
Referral letters and relevant medical documentation.
Information provided by schools, teachers, caregivers and other professionals.
Medicare, NDIS and relevant funding information.
Appointment history, invoices and payment information.
Clinical notes, treatment plans and psychological reports.
Correspondence relating to psychological services.
We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for our professional activities or otherwise permitted by law.
3. How We Collect Information
Personal information may be collected through:
Our website and online enquiry forms.
Google Ads lead forms.
Telephone calls and email correspondence.
Client intake and consent forms.
Face-to-face and telehealth consultations.
Psychological assessments and clinical interviews.
Standardised assessment questionnaires.
Referrals from medical and allied health professionals.
Information provided by parents, guardians, schools or other authorised parties.
Our practice management and online booking systems.
Where appropriate, information may be collected from third parties with consent or other lawful authority.
4. How We Use Personal Information
North & Rise Psychology uses personal information for purposes directly related to providing psychological services and managing our practice.
These purposes may include:
Responding to enquiries and appointment requests.
Scheduling and managing appointments.
Providing psychological therapy and assessments.
Conducting cognitive, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments.
Preparing clinical notes, psychological reports and recommendations.
Communicating with clients, caregivers and authorised professionals.
Coordinating care with other health professionals.
Processing invoices, payments and eligible funding claims.
Maintaining accurate clinical and administrative records.
Meeting professional, ethical and legal obligations.
Improving the quality and administration of our services.
We do not sell personal or clinical information to third parties.
Confidential clinical records are not used to create advertising audiences or target individuals with advertisements based on their health information.
5. Confidentiality and Disclosure of Information
All personal and health information collected by North & Rise Psychology is treated as confidential.
Information will generally only be disclosed with appropriate consent or where disclosure is otherwise authorised or required by law.
Circumstances where information may be disclosed include:
Communication with referring medical practitioners.
Collaboration with other treating health professionals.
Communication with parents or legal guardians where legally appropriate.
Submission of information to Medicare, the NDIA or other relevant funding bodies.
Disclosure required by a court order or other legal obligation.
Circumstances involving serious threats to health or safety where disclosure is legally permitted.
Disclosure to authorised service providers assisting with practice administration.
Where possible and appropriate, clients will be informed about relevant disclosures.
Limits to confidentiality are explained during the informed consent process.
6. Storage and Security of Information
North & Rise Psychology takes reasonable steps to protect personal and sensitive health information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.
We use electronic systems to support the management of clinical records, appointments, payments and communications.
These include:
Zanda
Used for practice management, appointment scheduling, clinical documentation, client records and administrative processes.
Google Workspace and Gmail
Used for professional email communications, administrative correspondence and practice-related communications.
Stripe
Used for secure electronic payment processing and management of payment-related transactions.
Squarespace
Used for website hosting and the collection of online enquiries.
Google Ads and related Google services
Used for advertising, managing enquiries and measuring advertising performance where applicable.
Reasonable security measures may include password protection, access controls, restricted permissions, secure electronic systems and appropriate confidentiality procedures.
Access to personal and clinical information is limited to authorised individuals who require access for legitimate professional or administrative purposes.
While reasonable precautions are taken, no electronic system or method of transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
7. Clinical Record Retention
North & Rise Psychology retains clinical records in accordance with applicable Victorian legislation and professional record-keeping obligations.
Under the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), minimum retention periods generally require:
Adult clients: Clinical records are retained for at least seven years following the last occasion on which a health service was provided.
Clients who were children when receiving services: Records are retained until the individual reaches 25 years of age, or for seven years following the last occasion on which a health service was provided, whichever is later.
Records may be retained for longer where required by law, professional obligations or other legitimate purposes.
When records are no longer required and are eligible for disposal, appropriate steps are taken to securely destroy or de-identify the information.
8. Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
North & Rise Psychology uses AI-assisted functionality within its practice management system, Zanda, to support the refinement, organisation and professional presentation of clinical notes.
AI technology may assist with improving the clarity, structure, grammar and formatting of clinical documentation prepared by the treating psychologist.
Clinical Oversight and Professional Responsibility
AI is used as a documentation support tool and does not replace professional clinical judgement.
All AI-refined clinical notes are reviewed by the responsible psychologist to ensure their accuracy, clinical relevance and consistency with the information obtained during consultations.
The treating psychologist retains full professional responsibility for all clinical records, assessments, diagnoses and treatment decisions.
Privacy and Confidentiality
Clinical information processed through Zanda's AI functionality is handled in accordance with applicable privacy and confidentiality obligations.
North & Rise Psychology takes reasonable steps to protect sensitive health information and assess the privacy and security arrangements of technology providers.
Transparency and Consent
Clients are informed about relevant uses of AI-assisted documentation as part of the practice's privacy and informed consent processes.
Where consent is required, it will be obtained before the relevant AI processing occurs.
Clients may contact North & Rise Psychology to request further information about how AI-assisted technology is used in the preparation of their clinical records.
9. Psychological Assessments and Reports
North & Rise Psychology provides psychological assessment services, including cognitive, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) assessments.
These assessments may involve collecting information through:
Clinical and developmental interviews.
Standardised psychological assessments.
Behavioural observations.
Parent, caregiver and teacher questionnaires.
Cognitive and adaptive functioning measures.
Relevant medical, educational and developmental records.
Assessment information is used to develop an understanding of an individual's strengths, challenges and support needs.
Psychological reports are confidential clinical documents and are only disclosed with appropriate consent or where otherwise authorised or required by law.
10. Privacy of Children and Adolescents
North & Rise Psychology provides psychological services to children and adolescents and recognises their individual privacy and confidentiality rights.
Consent and information-sharing arrangements are determined with consideration of the young person's age, maturity, decision-making capacity, applicable legislation and professional obligations.
Information may be shared with parents or legal guardians where appropriate and legally permitted.
Where relevant, the young person's views, preferences and confidentiality needs are considered when determining how information is collected, used and disclosed.
11. Website Enquiries and Google Advertising
North & Rise Psychology operates a website and may use Google Ads to promote psychological services and assessments.
When an individual submits an enquiry through our website or a Google Ads lead form, we may collect:
Name.
Email address.
Telephone number.
Type of psychological service being enquired about.
Other information voluntarily provided in the enquiry.
This information is used to respond to enquiries, provide information about our services and assist with appointment arrangements.
Submitting an enquiry does not establish a formal psychologist–client therapeutic relationship.
We encourage individuals not to submit detailed or highly sensitive health information through general website or advertising enquiry forms.
Information collected through these forms is handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
12. Cookies, Analytics and Website Technologies
Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality, understand visitor activity and evaluate advertising performance.
These technologies may be provided by Squarespace, Google or other authorised service providers.
Depending on the services and settings enabled, information collected may include:
Browser and device information.
Website pages visited.
General geographic information.
Referral sources.
Website interaction and advertising performance information.
IP addresses and related technical information.
Where required, appropriate privacy notices, consent mechanisms or other safeguards will be implemented.
Visitors may be able to manage cookies through their browser settings or applicable website privacy controls.
13. Third-Party Service Providers
North & Rise Psychology uses third-party providers to support the delivery and administration of its services.
These may include:
Zanda for practice management and clinical records.
Stripe for payment processing.
Google Workspace and Gmail for communications.
Google Ads for advertising and enquiry management.
Squarespace for website hosting and online forms.
Psychological assessment platforms and publishers.
AI-assisted technology providers for authorised documentation and administrative purposes.
These providers may process or store information in Australia or overseas, depending on the provider, service and configuration.
North & Rise Psychology takes reasonable steps to assess the privacy and security arrangements of providers handling personal or sensitive information.
Where information is disclosed overseas, applicable Australian privacy obligations will be considered and followed.
14. Accessing and Correcting Personal Information
Individuals may request access to personal information held about them or request corrections where information is inaccurate, incomplete, misleading or outdated.
Requests can be made by contacting North & Rise Psychology.
We may require appropriate identity verification before providing access to personal or clinical information.
Access may be subject to applicable legal exceptions, including circumstances where disclosure could create a serious risk to health or safety or affect the privacy of another individual.
Where access or correction cannot be provided, an explanation will be given in accordance with applicable law.
Any applicable fees for providing access will be reasonable and consistent with legal requirements.
15. Privacy Complaints and Concerns
If you have concerns about how your personal or health information has been collected, used, stored or disclosed, please contact North & Rise Psychology.
We take privacy concerns seriously and aim to respond fairly, respectfully and within a reasonable timeframe.
If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may contact an appropriate external authority.
Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
Website: www.oaic.gov.au
Health Complaints Commissioner Victoria
Website: www.hcc.vic.gov.au
16. Changes to This Privacy Policy
North & Rise Psychology may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legislation, professional obligations, technology or practice operations.
The current version will be published on our website with the date of the most recent update.
We encourage website visitors and clients to review this policy periodically.
17. Contact Information
For privacy-related enquiries, requests to access or correct personal information, or concerns regarding confidentiality, please contact:
North & Rise Psychology
Location: Essendon, Victoria
Email: hello@northandrise.com
Website: www.northandrise.com
North & Rise Psychology is committed to maintaining the confidentiality, security and respectful handling of personal information throughout all aspects of our services.