Privacy Policy

---

Her Alliance is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of the personal and sensitive information entrusted to us. This Privacy Policy explains how Her Alliance collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information across our therapy services, research activities, website and broader community work.

Her Alliance manages personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs). Our therapy practice is also guided by the ethical and professional requirements of the Australian Counselling Association (ACA).

THE SEPARATION BETWEEN THERAPY AND RESEARCH:

Her Alliance provides therapy services and also undertakes research and community-based work relating to women's health and wellbeing.  These are separate functions and the information collected through them is treated separately.

Information a client shares as part of therapy,  including intake information, clinical notes, health information, presenting concerns and conversations during therapy, will not be used as research data or included in Her Alliance research projects. Being a therapy client does not mean that you are a research participant. 

Participation in Her Alliance research is separate and voluntary and will be subject to the information, privacy and consent processes established for that particular project.

Likewise, information provided through a Her Alliance research project will be used for the purposes described to participants for that research and will not become part of a person's therapy record if they are, or later become, a therapy client. 

Where research findings are published or shared, Her Alliance will report information in accordance with the privacy, consent and reporting arrangements established for that project.

PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT:

The information Her Alliance collects depends on how you interact with us. General personal information may include your name, contact details, date of birth, correspondence, appointment information and other information you voluntarily provide.

THERAPY SERVICES:

To provide therapy safely and appropriately, Her Alliance may collect personal and sensitive information including:

• contact and identifying information;
• physical and psychological health information;
• relevant medical and health history;
• current medications and health services;
• presenting concerns and relevant personal circumstances;
• previous therapy or health services;
• emergency contact information;
• referral information; and
• information discussed during therapy that is relevant to your care.

Client records may include intake and consent documentation, appointment information, clinical notes, correspondence and other records reasonably necessary to provide and document therapy.

RESEARCH AND COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES:

Her Alliance may separately collect information through surveys, consultations, interviews, community engagement and other research activities. The information collected will depend upon the particular project. Participants will be provided with information about what is being collected, why it is being collected, how it will be used and any applicable consent, confidentiality or reporting arrangements.

HOW WE COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Where reasonable and practicable, Her Alliance collects personal information directly from you. This may occur when you contact us, use our website, complete an enquiry, booking, intake or consent form, attend therapy, correspond with us or voluntarily participate in research or community activities.

In some circumstances, information may be provided by another person or organisation, such as a GP or other health professional. Where appropriate, we will take reasonable steps to ensure you are aware that this information has been provided to us.

WHY WE COLLECT AND USE PERSONAL INFORMATION:

For therapy services, personal information is collected where reasonably necessary to understand your circumstances, provide therapy, maintain appropriate clinical records, manage appointments and payments, communicate with you and meet professional, ethical and legal obligations.

With your consent, information may also be used to communicate or coordinate with another health professional or service involved in your care.

For research and community activities, information is collected and used for the purposes described in the relevant project information. This may include understanding women's experiences, identifying patterns or priorities, informing reports, contributing to service and community planning, or developing evidence relating to women's health and wellbeing.

Her Alliance does not sell personal information.

IF YOU CHOOSE NOT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION:

You are not required to provide personal information because Her Alliance requests it.

However, some information is necessary for us to provide therapy safely and appropriately or to administer particular services. If you choose not to provide information that is reasonably required, we may not be able to provide that service or may need to discuss whether the service remains appropriate.

Participation in Her Alliance research is voluntary, any consequences of choosing not to answer particular questions or withdrawing from a research activity will be explained in the information provided for that project.

CONFIDENTIALITY AND DISCLOSURE OF THERAPY INFORMATION:

Information disclosed during therapy is treated as confidential.

Personal or sensitive information may be disclosed where:

1. you have provided consent for the disclosure;
2. disclosure is required or authorised by law, including in response to a valid legal requirement such as a subpoena;
3. disclosure is necessary in circumstances involving a serious threat to the life of you or another person, where permitted or required by law.

Where you consent to Her Alliance communicating with another professional or organisation, only information relevant to the agreed purpose will ordinarily be shared.

Referral to Her Alliance by a GP or another health professional does not automatically authorise Her Alliance to disclose your therapy information back to that practitioner.

The confidentiality of therapy and its limits are explained further as part of the therapy intake and informed-consent process.

STORAGE AND SECURITY:

Her Alliance takes reasonable steps to protect personal and sensitive information from misuse, interference, loss and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.

Therapy records are maintained using secure professional practice-management systems and are managed separately from research information and general business records.

Research information is stored and managed according to the requirements established for the relevant project.

Personal information is retained for the period required by applicable legal, professional and record-keeping obligations and securely destroyed or de-identified when it is no longer required.

DATA BREACHES:

If Her Alliance becomes aware of unauthorised access to, disclosure of, or loss of personal information, we will take reasonable steps to contain and assess the incident and minimise potential harm.

Where a data breach is likely to result in serious harm and notification is required under applicable privacy law, Her Alliance will take the required steps to notify affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

ACCESSING OR CORRECTING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION:

You may request access to personal information Her Alliance holds about you and may ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.

Access may be limited or refused in circumstances permitted by law. Where this occurs, we will explain the basis for the decision where required. We may also need to verify your identity before providing access to personal information. Requests for access or correction should be made in writing to Her Alliance using the contact details below.

WEBSITE AND THIRD-PARTY SERVICE PROVIDERS:

Her Alliance may use third-party providers for functions such as website hosting, appointment management, online forms, communications, payment processing and research administration.

Where these services handle personal information, Her Alliance takes reasonable steps to select and use services appropriate to the nature and sensitivity of the information being handled.

Our website may also contain links to external websites Her Alliance is not responsible for the privacy practices of those external organisations.

PRIVACY ENQUIRIES:

If you have a question, concern or complaint about the way Her Alliance has collected, used, stored or disclosed your personal information, please contact:

Her Alliance
Springfield Lakes, Queensland
Email: letstalk@heralliance.com.au 

We will take reasonable steps to consider and respond to privacy enquiries and complaints.

If you are not satisfied with the way your privacy concern has been handled, you may be able to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.

POLICY UPDATES:

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes to Her Alliance's services, research activities, practices or legal and professional obligations.

Last updated: July 2026