New Client Booking Procedure
New clients will be offered available appointments with the opportunity to select the most suitable. A 50% deposit is required to schedule an initial appointment. This deposit is non-refundable, however is transferrable in the case of a first appointment needing to be rescheduled.
New clients will be asked to provide payment card details which are entered and then stored securely within practice management software. The booking deposit will then be processed and attached to the first appointment, with the appointment balance of 50% to be paid at the completion of the first appointment.
A welcome email with appointment confirmation and other relevant information will be sent.
Note: When a client’s card details are entered into our practice management software, they are securely stored and tokenised. Once captured, these details are not accessible to anyone within the clinic or at the practice management software provider. For security reasons, if card information needs to be updated, the card must be re-entered in full, as tokenised card data cannot be edited.
Fees and Payments
My agreed fee is $220 per session (one-hour duration) for individuals, $240 per session (one hour duration) for couples, and is payable at the time of consultation. For clients eligible for a Medicare rebate, payment of the full session fee is required before a Medicare rebate claim can be submitted.
Session fees are reviewed annually, and any changes will be communicated in writing 60 days prior to new session fees taking effect.
Session fees are paid at the conclusion of each treatment session. If for any reason, a session fee has not been paid at the conclusion of service, future sessions will be paused until outstanding invoices have been settled.
Medicare and Private Health Insurance
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 Treatment Plan 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. Please note the maximum number of sessions per referral is six, and rebates will not be given beyond the number stated on the referral.
Depending on your private health insurance provider and level of coverage, individual therapy may be covered by your private health insurance. Please note that private health insurance rebates are not available for clients already receiving a Medicare rebate.
Relationship therapy is not covered under Medicare; however some private health insurance policies cover relationship therapy.
Please check with your insurance company as to what you are eligible for. Clients wishing to claim a private health rebate will be provided a receipt for submission to the health fund. Please note that it is the client’s responsibility to submit health fund claims.
Clinical Supervision
As per registration standards for ensuring ethical practice and quality care, all psychologists are required to engage in supervision. On occasion, your psychologist may choose to discuss specific aspects of your therapeutic work together (e.g. treatment planning, concerns about risk) with another experienced psychologist to ensure that you are receiving the best clinical care possible. In this event, no identifying information is used (including names) to maintain your confidentiality and privacy.
Should you have any questions about your psychologist’s professional obligations or use of professional supervision you are encouraged to raise these with your psychologist. Please note that should you choose to withhold consent for your case to be taken to supervision, this may compromise the clinical care you receive and in certain circumstances may result in treatment termination.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)
Jessica Bell Psychology uses Heidi Health AI technology (“Heidi”) in limited ways to record session notes. This involves dictating a session summary at the conclusion of each session which is then saved into your clinical file. No identifiable information (including name) is used during the recording process and the recorded note is then permanently deleted from Heidi. No client information or session summaries are stored in Heidi.
Jessica Bell Psychology does not use AI technology or any other forms of technology to record client sessions unless previously discussed and agreed to via written consent.
Jessica Bell Psychology does not consent to any recording of sessions by clients unless discussed and agreed to via written consent.
Reports and Letters
Requests for reports or letters by clients or third parties will be responded to within 30 days of receiving requests in writing. Included in the response will be a quote for the cost of the letter or report, as well as a date for completion. Once agreed to, an invoice will be provided, and payment will be required prior to the release of completed documents. Jessica Bell Psychology does not provide documentation for use in court related matters.
Cancellation Policy
If you need to cancel or postpone your appointment, please give at least 48 business hours’ notice. For cancellations or reschedules made within 48 hours, a 50% fee of $110 will be charged. The full session fee of $220 is charged for all missed appointments or cancelations within 24 hours. Please note that every effort will be made to fill late cancelled appointments, in the event that an appointment can be filled, the cancellation fee will be waived. Cancellations or reschedules can be made via the online client portal or via email to hello@jbellpsychology.com.au.
Emergency
In an emergency, please go to the nearest hospital's emergency department or call 000. For further information, refer to the website for your local health district. You may also find it helpful to call Lifeline on 13 11 14 for out-of-hours phone support or any of the support services below.
· Suicide Call Back Service - 1300 659 467
· QLife - 1300 555 727
· MensLine - 1300 78 99 78
· Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Crisis Support - 13 YARN - 13 92 76
· 1800 RESPECT - 1800 737 732
Privacy Policy for the Management of Personal Information
The privacy policy of Jessica Bell Psychology documents the best-practice approach for the management of clients’ personal information. The psychological service provided is bound by the legal requirements of the Australian Privacy Principles set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
Collection of Personal Information
Personal information relevant and appropriate to the provision of thorough psychological services will be collected and recorded during your engagement with the service. Personal information is gathered and used for the purpose of providing psychological services, which includes assessing, diagnosing and treating a client’s presenting issue. The personal information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions and enables the psychologist to provide a relevant and informed psychological service.
The personal information we collect, and store includes:
• Your name, address, date of birth, contact details, gender, pronouns
• Information about your mental and physical health condition(s), relevant medical history, social and family history, risk factors, relevant medication(s), and previous mental health treatment
• Medicare number and referring GP information for rebate claiming purposes
• Your payment card details for the payment of services provided.
This information is collected through various sources which include direct conversation in person or over the phone, mental health care plan referrals and letters, client information and consent forms, electronic communication (emails and SMS), and in some cases where expressed consent has been provided, third parties (e.g. family members, carers, other health professionals).
This information and stored securely and kept on your file for a minimum of 7 years in accordance with psychological record management regulations. Files of clients are held on the clinic’s practice management software Zanda Health, with backup copies stored on a secure hard drive at 15 Lindsay Street, Perth 6000.
In the event that a client decides not to provide certain personal information, the psychologist will discuss the impacts this may have on the services provided, and in certain cases services may not be continued.
Requests for Access and Correction to Client Information
At any stage a client may request to see and correct the personal information about them kept on file. The psychologist may discuss the contents with them and/or give them a copy, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). If satisfied that personal information is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete, reasonable steps will be taken in the circumstances to ensure that this information is corrected. All requests by clients for access to or correction of personal information held about them should be lodged with (practitioner name). These requests will be responded to in writing within 21 days, and an appointment will be made if necessary for clarification purposes.
You may access the information in your file on request, subject to the exceptions in the Privacy Act 1988 (https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A03712/latest/text).
Confidentiality and Privacy
All personal information gathered by the psychologist during the provision of psychological service will remain confidential and secure except when:
1. A court subpoena or other disclosure is required or authorised by law
2. Your consent cannot be gained due to a requirement to get you emergency services during a medical crisis
3. If there is unauthorised access to data held by the clinic some limited information may need to be shared with the Office of the Information Ombudsman.
4. Failure to disclose the information would place you or another person at risk of harm
5. 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 discuss information with another person, e.g., parent or employer
6. You have provided your consent to share your information for a specific reason and purpose.
7. 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.
8. Clinical supervision with another professional is required to provide better services. If this occurs, identifying details will remain confidential.
If, during treatment, the psychologist becomes aware of a risk to someone’s life, health, or well-being, the psychologist is required to report the matter to the appropriate agencies.
If information about a client is required from another person, such as a parent or partner, this will be discussed with the client beforehand, and informed permission will be sought. Please note that we will not engage with clients in public or online in a way that will identify you as a client. This is to protect privacy and due to the requirements to uphold professional boundaries. Please personally contact your psychologist to engage with them rather than approach them on social media or in public forums.
A client's personal information is not disclosed to overseas recipients unless the client consents or such disclosure is otherwise required by law. Clients' personal information will not be used, sold, rented or disclosed for any other purpose.
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.
Email and SMS Communication
This practice offers clients the opportunity to communicate by email and sms for some limited purposes. Any electronic communication between you and the practice will be added to your client record and kept in accordance with record management regulations. Please note that email is not appropriate for urgent or emergency situations, nor is it a substitute for face-to-face or telephone/telehealth consultations.
Should you wise to use electronic means to communicate with our practice, it is important that you are aware of the following risks:
· This practice cannot guarantee that an email will be read or responded to. For example, security software can filter emails before it reaches us and the intended recipient may go on personal leave unexpectedly.
· Email can be circulated, forwarded, and stored in paper and electronic files.
· Backup copies of the email may exist even after the sender or recipient has deleted their copy.
· Email senders can easily misaddress an email, or unintended recipients can receive an email.
· Email can be intercepted, altered, forwarded, or used without authorisation or detection.
· Administration staff may also receive your emails before forwarding them to your healthcare provider.
Jessica Bell Psychology will use reasonable means to protect the security and confidentiality of email information sent and received. However, because of the risks outlined above, we cannot guarantee the security and privacy of email communication, and we will not be liable for the inadvertent disclosure of confidential information.
· We will encrypt any documents we need to send you and forward the password to access this file by another communication method (phone or text message).
· We will verify your email prior to sending any confidential information.
· When emailing you, we will:
o Put any identifying information in the body of the email, not in the subject line.
o Include the general topic of the message in the email's subject line, for example, 'advice' or 'appointment'.
Concerns and Complaints
If clients have a concern about the management of their personal information, they may inform Jessica Bell. Upon request they can obtain a copy of the Australian Privacy Principles, which describe their rights and how their personal information should be handled.
Ultimately, if clients wish to lodge a formal complaint about the use of, disclosure of, or access to, their personal information, they may do so with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by phone on 1300 363 992, online at http://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/making-a-privacy-complaint or by post to: Office of the Australian Information Commissioner, GPO Box 5218, Sydney, NSW 2001.