Narthanya Psychology
Consent agreement
This document is aimed at facilitating an informed agreement between you and your psychologist. Please read this information before beginning psychological services. Your psychologist will go over the main points in the first session, so if you have any questions or concerns you can bring them up then. However please feel free to start a conversation about this agreement at any point. A copy of this agreement will be signed by both the client and the psychologist prior to beginning service.
1. Nature and purpose
of the psychological service
Psychology services can vary widely, as how it will work depends on the personalities of both the psychologist and client, and also on the particular reasons you are seeing a psychologist. Your psychologist may use many different methods to deal with the problems that you hope to address, and will work with you to find the approach that works best for your situation.
The first few sessions will involve evaluating your needs. By the end of the evaluation, your psychologist will be able to offer you some first impressions of what your work together will look like, and will have formed a treatment plan to follow. If you have questions about the procedures, you and your psychologist should discuss them when they arise. Any decisions made about your treatment are shared between you and your psychologist.
As a client, psychological therapy requires a very active effort on your part. For therapy to be most successful, you will need to work on things we talk about both during our sessions and in between. You can cease therapy with your psychologist at any time. If you feel uncomfortable with what is happening in a session, you may request that the session cease at any time.
1.1. Safety and accessability
Narthanya Psychology is committed to respecting and incorporating cultural safety into practice. Even if we do not ask directly, we invite you to let your psychologist know about any cultural considerations that are important to you in the way services are provided, and who you would like involved in your care.
Please also inform us if you have specific access support needs, such as more accessible parking, the accompaniment of a support person, or resources provided in specific formats. Let your psychologist know if you have communication support needs such as interpreting, the use of assistive technology, resources provided in different languages, or any other supports that would assist your participation.
We’re here to work with you, and making it work for you is important to us.
2. Our psychologists
The psychologists at Narthanya Psychology are Brenton Harris and Jessica Decker. You can learn about our practise styles and histories on the about us page of this website.
We are both fully registered with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, and are members of the Australian Association of Psychologists Inc. We, as all psychologists, are thus bound by the Psychology Board Code of Conduct. We also practise and act in accordance with the Australian Psychological Society Code of Ethics and Ethical Guidelines.
3. Sessions
Psychological therapy sessions and supervision sessions are typically scheduled to take 50 minutes. Psychological assessments can take anywhere from two hours to several one hour sessions, depending on the nature of the assessment.
The frequency of sessions is something you are invited to discuss with your psychologist. Weekly sessions are generally recommended for the first phase of a treatment plan.
If you are running late to attend a session, please call or text your psychologist to let them know. In most cases the session can begin when you arrive and will still end at the scheduled time. If you would prefer to reschedule your session please note that a cancellation fee may apply.
3.1 Session fees
We offer a few options when it comes to paying for your sessions with us. Fees are payable at the time of the consultation. We accept card payments via a HICAPS payment processing terminal, as well as cash and direct deposit payments.
Like most psychologists we are guided by the Australian Association of Psychologists schedule of recommended fees. Our consultation fees vary depending on what appointment times you prefer and what kind of service you require. Our fees are reviewed in January each year, and you will be notified of any changes prior to the fee being applied.
Our up-to-date list of standard fees is published on the Fees and rebates page of this website.
The fee for a psychological assessment report can vary greatly. It depends on the nature of the assessment, the purpose of the report, and the time taken to conduct, analyse and prepare the assessment documentation. Your psychologist can give you an estimate of the total cost after chatting with you about what you need. Fees are payable prior to your receipt of the final report.
By signing this agreement and engaging our services you are agreeing to pay the applicable fees to your psychologist prior to the provision of the service, or immediately upon to the conclusion of the service provided. Please note that you are welcome to ask questions and discuss concerns about fees with your psychologist at any time.
3.2 Medicare rebates
Under the Medicare Benefits Schedule (Better Access), Medicare rebates are available to clients with an assessed mental disorder. Medicare rebates are accessed with a Mental Health Care/Treatment Plan (MHCP) and referral from a medical practitioner such as a GP, psychiatrist, or paediatrician. The rebate is limited to a maximum of 10 sessions per calendar year and is only available with a valid referral.
Your rebate can be processed immediately after the session fee is paid, via our HICAPS terminal, at the time of the consultation. You can also claim your rebate from Medicare yourself.
3.3. Private health insurance
We accept all private health insurers, so if you are a member of a health fund you may be entitled to a rebate for psychological services. Most health insurers provide rebates for psychological assessment and treatment, however whether this applies to you will depend on your level of cover. The amount you are entitled to will vary depending on your insurer and coverage. Please contact your insurer to find out what your entitlements are for psychological care.
Our HICAPS payment processing terminal supports most private health funds, so just bring your membership card along to get your rebate automatically deducted from the session fee. You can also claim your rebate from the funder yourself.
3.4 Claiming from multiple funders
If you have both private health insurance and a referral under a MHCP, you can choose which funding you would like to apply to any given session.
Please note that you may only claim from either Medicare or private health insurance for each session. Private health funds will not contribute towards the ‘gap’ between the Medicare rebate and the session fee, or vice versa. Your invoice will have an item code specific to either Medicare or private health and they are not cross-compatible.
3.5 Other funders and rebates
Depending on your situation there may be other funders who can cover some or all of the cost of your sessions with us. We work with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA), WorkCover, the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), the Transport Accident Commission (TAC), PHN, FESSN, and the National Redress Scheme, to name a few.
Accessing support through these services is dependent on your circumstances, so please check with the funder first.
4. Cancellation policy
If for any reason you will be unable to attend your session, we request that you contact your psychologist (via phone, text or email) to reschedule at least 48 hours in advance. This gives other clients the opportunity to make use of the vacant spot. If notice is not given a cancellation fee may apply.
If you do not show for a scheduled session, your psychologist will attempt to contact you to check in and to see if you would like to reschedule.
If you cancel or do not show to your session without providing advance notice, a cancellation fee of $100 will apply, at the discretion of your psychologist.
5. Personal information
A client’s personal information is collected and recorded for the purpose of providing psychological services, which generally includes assessing, diagnosing and treating a client’s presenting issues. Relevant personal information will be recorded in your confidential client file in order to provide you with appropriate and informed psychological service. We will only ever use this information for the express purpose for which it was collected.
If you do not wish for your personal information to be collected, your psychologist may not be in a position to provide effective psychological service.
5.1 Information security
We are committed to keeping your information private and secure.
Each client has a confidential client file. A confidential client file contains the personal and contact details collected on the intake form, a log of sessions, and the notes and plans recorded by your psychologist during and immediately following each session. If applicable, it will also contain correspondence to and from you, your referrer (e.g. the referral letter from your GP), and others involved in your care (with consent).
Confidential client files can be in hard-copy, digital, or both. Hard-copy client files are stored in a locked filing cabinet in the psychologist’s office. Digital client files are stored on an encrypted hard-drive and kept isolated from the network. Your confidential client file is only ever accessed by your particular psychologist.
In the event that unauthorised access, disclosure, or loss of a client’s personal information occurs, the psychologist will activate a data breach plan and use all reasonable endeavours to minimise any risk of consequential serious harm.
At any stage a client may request access to the personal information about them kept on file. The psychologist may review and discuss the contents with them, provide a summary report, or provide a copy of the notes. This is subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988.
5.2. After ending services
Once you have completed or ended accessing psychological services and are no longer an active client, your confidential client file and all records related to your service will be archived. Your psychologist is legally required to retain client records for a prescribed period of time. For adult clients, records must be held for seven years from the last date of service. For children and minors, records must be held until they are 25 years of age.
If you re-engage with your psychologist within seven years of your last session, we can reactivate your archived client file. After the seven year archive period, all hard-copy and digital records are securely destroyed.
5.3. Third-party vendors
Some information relating to your service is transmitted and/or stored online via third-party vendors. All digital information is protected by multi-factor security measures, including data encryption, password or PIN authentication, two-factor verification, and SSL. We ensure the privacy and data security policies of all third-party vendors are compliant with our legal and ethical requirements.
Our third-party vendors are:
- Halaxy: Practice management software (Storage of booking details and contact information). Halaxy’s Privacy policy.
- MedicalObjects: Clinical messaging system (Secure transmission of health information with referring GPs). MedicalObjects’ Privacy policy.
- Google: Front-end website functionality (Web traffic data logging, use of Cookies on user devices). Email backup service (Storage of some emails sent and received). Google’s Privacy and Terms.
- Intuit: Quickbooks accounting software (Recording of session fees and payments). Intuit’s Privacy policy.
6. Confidentiality
As psychologists, client confidentiality is one of our utmost concerns. A psychology session is held in confidence, and trust is the foundation of this process. As such, everything discussed in session, and even the fact that you are (or have been) a client, is kept strictly confidential. This includes from other health practitioners, schools, employers, and members of your household or family, unless you have previously given us express consent. If information about you is required from another person, this will be discussed with you at the first opportunity, and your written permission will be sought.
We will not share your information without your consent unless we are legally required to do so. In the event we are obligated to provide your information to a third party, we will share the minimum required. We will seek to keep you informed if we are ever required to disclose any of your information. Your information will not be used, sold, shared or disclosed for any other purpose.
We all live in a community, and it may happen that you come across your psychologist in other circumstances, either in public or online. If this does occur, know that your psychologist will not initiate contact with you, and will never engage with you in a way that will identify you as a client. Please contact your psychologist personally to engage with them rather than approach them on social media or in public forums. This is to protect your privacy, and is also a requirement in terms of upholding professional boundaries.
6.1. Exceptions to confidentiality
There are some exceptions to confidentiality. Your personal information may need to be shared when:
- A court subpoena or other disclosure is required or authorised by law.
- Your consent cannot be gained due to a requirement to get you emergency services during a crisis.
- There is unauthorised access to data held by the practice; some limited information may need to be shared with the Office of the Information Ombudsman.
- Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at risk of harm.
- Given your prior approval, or consent of a parent or guardian who is legally authorised to act on your behalf, to provide a written report to another professional or agency, or to discuss information with another person.
- You have provided your consent to share your information for a specific reason and purpose.
- You would reasonably expect your personal information to be disclosed to another professional or agency, and disclosure is directly related to the primary purpose for which it was collected, such as to inform your GP of treatment and progress, to claim Medicare rebates on your behalf, etc.
- Clinical consultation with another professional is required to ensure high-quality care. Where this occurs, aspects of treatment are discussed in a de-identified way to maintain as much confidentiality as possible.
In providing psychological services we are dedicated to supporting your ongoing wellbeing, and have a duty to prioritise your interests. If your psychologist forms a reasonable belief that you, or someone close to you, are at immediate risk of harm, from yourself or from others, we have a duty of care to ensure your safety by making appropriate notifications. When these concerns are identified we will always attempt to speak with you about this first and explore options with you.
7. Emergency
In an emergency, please go to the nearest hospital’s emergency department or call 000 (triple zero).
Call Lifeline on 13 11 14 to access crisis support over the phone. Lifeline is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is staffed by trained volunteer crisis counsellors.
1300 MH CALL (1300 642 255) is a confidential mental health telephone triage service that provides the first point of contact to public mental health services. 1300 MH CALL is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and will link to the caller’s nearest Queensland Public Mental Health service. Professional mental health clinicians can provide support, advice and referrals in a mental health emergency or crisis.
13 YARN (13 92 76) provides 24/7 support for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Suicide Call Back Service is on 1300 659 467, please call if you are having thoughts of suicide.
8. Concerns, feedback and complaints
We actively welcome feedback about the services provided.
If you have concerns about your psychological treatment, your psychologist’s conduct or behaviour, or the management of your personal information, you are first invited to inform and discuss with your psychologist. We are committed and obligated to address concerns with unbiased and collaborative problem solving.
If you would prefer not to discuss your concerns with your psychologist directly, an option is to contact the practise and request the discussion take place with another psychologist.
In cases where the above options do not result in a satisfactory outcome, you are able to lodge a formal complaint.
Complaints about the use of, disclosure of, or access to your personal information can be made with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Complaints about the professional conduct or behaviour of a psychologist can be made with the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency or the Office of the Health Ombudsman.
9. Withdrawing consent
Please note that you are entitled to withdraw consent at any time.
Where consent has previously been given to share information (as listed under 6.1. Exceptions to confidentiality), this may mean confirming with your psychologist that they no longer have your permission to do so. Your psychologist will discuss possible outcomes or consequences of this with you.
If you choose to withdraw consent in a manner which impacts the ability of your psychologist to effectively provide you with ongoing psychological services, the provision of psychological services may then need to end.
Please be aware that your psychologist’s legal obligations regarding data retention (as noted in section 5.2. After ending services) continue to apply even where consent is later withdrawn.