Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

The Uncommon Practice is a private psychology practice located in Wollongong, New South Wales, operated by Dr Lucy Hobby (Clinical Psychologist) and Madeline Franklin (Registered Psychologist). Both practitioners are registered with the Psychology Board of Australia under AHPRA.

In this policy, "we", "us" and "our" refers to The Uncommon Practice. "You" refers to any person who uses our services, contacts us, or visits our website.

2. What information we collect

Personal and contact information

• Name, date of birth, address, phone number, and email address

• Emergency contact details

• Medicare card details and health fund information where applicable

• GP and referring practitioner details

• AHPRA registration number (for referrers only)

Health and clinical information

• Reason for referral and presenting concerns

• Psychological history, mental health history, and relevant medical history

• Session notes, treatment plans, and clinical correspondence

• Assessment results, questionnaire responses, and outcome measures (including DAS-21, PHQ-9, PCL-5, ITQ, and others)

• Consent forms and practice agreements

Payment information

• Credit or debit card details (stored and processed securely via Stripe — we do not hold card details directly)

• Medicare and private health fund claim details

• Billing history and invoices

Website information

• Information submitted via our enquiry or contact forms

• General usage data collected via cookies or analytics tools (non-identifying)

3. How we collect your information

We collect information directly from you, including through:

• Our online enquiry and contact forms

• Your client intake forms and consent documents completed via our client portal (Zanda)

• Telephone, email, and in-person communication

• Referral letters and correspondence from your GP or other treating practitioners

• Standardised questionnaires and outcome measures completed as part of your care

4. Why we collect your information

We collect and use your personal information to:

• Provide psychological assessment and therapeutic services

• Communicate with you about your care, appointments, and invoices

• Process Medicare rebates and payments on your behalf

• Maintain accurate and complete clinical records as required by law and our professional obligations under AHPRA

• Liaise with your GP, referring practitioner, or other treating health professionals involved in your care, with your consent

• Meet our obligations under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW), and applicable AHPRA guidelines

We will not use your information for any purpose other than those described above without your consent, except where required or permitted by law.

5. Clinical supervision and AI-assisted note taking

Clinical supervision

As registered psychologists, both practitioners engage in regular clinical supervision as required by AHPRA and the Australian Psychological Society (APS) Code of Ethics. Your case may be discussed with a clinical supervisor as part of our professional obligation to provide safe, quality care. Supervisors are bound by the same confidentiality obligations as we are. Identifying information is kept to a minimum in supervision discussions.

AI-assisted session notes

We use Zanda's integrated AI tool (Busy AI) to assist with the creation of session notes. This tool transcribes and summarises session content to support accurate and efficient clinical documentation. By engaging in sessions with us, you are consenting to this use unless you advise us otherwise. If you have any concerns about this, please discuss them with your clinician before your session commences. You may withdraw this consent at any time without it affecting your care.

6. Sharing your information

We will only share your personal information with third parties in the following circumstances:

• With your consent — for example, when sending a report or correspondence to your GP or referring practitioner

• Where required by law — including mandatory reporting obligations under the Children and Young Persons (Care and Protection) Act 1998 (NSW) and obligations under the Family Law Act 1975 (Cth)

• To prevent serious harm — where we reasonably believe there is a serious and imminent risk to the life, health, or safety of you or another person

• To our service providers — including Zanda (client management platform), Stripe (payment processing), and Microsoft (email and administration) — all of whom are bound by confidentiality and data security obligations

We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing or commercial purposes.

7. Your clinical records

Your clinical records belong to you. Under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and applicable health records legislation, you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you

• Request correction of any information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date

• Request the transfer of your records to another treating practitioner

We are required to retain clinical records for a minimum of seven (7) years from the date of your last appointment, or until you turn 25 years of age if you were a minor when you first engaged our services — whichever is longer.

To request access to or correction of your records, please contact us in writing at admin@theuncommonpractice.com.au. We will respond within 30 days. In some circumstances, we may decline access where permitted by law, and will provide written reasons if this occurs.

8. How we protect your information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, loss, unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. These measures include:

• Use of Zanda, an Australian clinical management platform that meets current Australian privacy and data security requirements

• Encrypted data storage and secure transmission protocols

• Password-protected systems and practitioner-level access controls

• Secure payment processing via Stripe — we do not store your card details

• Confidential disposal of physical records when they are no longer required

Please be aware that no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we take all reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted over the internet.

9. Limits of confidentiality

Confidentiality is fundamental to the therapeutic relationship, and we take it seriously. However, there are circumstances in which we may be required or permitted to disclose information without your consent. These include:

• Where we have a mandatory obligation to report child abuse or neglect under relevant NSW legislation

• Where there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to you or another person

• Where we are compelled to do so by a court order or subpoena

• Where disclosure is required by law, including coronial inquiries

Where possible and appropriate, we will discuss any such disclosures with you before they are made.

10. Website and cookies

Our website may collect non-identifying information through cookies and analytics tools to help us understand how visitors use the site and improve its performance. This information does not identify you personally.

You may adjust your browser settings to decline cookies. Doing so will not affect your ability to access the site or enquire about our services.

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to read their privacy policies.

11. Making a complaint

If you believe we have handled your personal information in a way that does not comply with the Australian Privacy Principles or this policy, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance so we can resolve the matter directly.

To make a complaint, please write to us at admin@theuncommonpractice.com.au. We will acknowledge your complaint within five business days and respond substantively within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may lodge a complaint with:

• Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
  www.oaic.gov.au  ·  1300 363 992

• Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA)
  www.ahpra.gov.au  ·  1300 419 495

• Health Care Complaints Commission (NSW)
  www.hccc.nsw.gov.au  ·  1800 043 159

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice, legal obligations, or the services we offer. The most current version will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review it periodically.