Privacy Policy
Vista Advanced Psychological Therapy is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality and security of personal and health information.
This Privacy Policy explains how Vista collects, holds, uses and discloses personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, applicable health and professional requirements, and the professional obligations relevant to our clinicians.
Information Vista May Collect
Vista may collect personal and sensitive information that is reasonably necessary to provide our services and operate the practice.
This may include:
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your name, date of birth and contact details
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emergency or nominated contact information
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health, psychological and clinical information
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medical, mental health, medication and treatment history where relevant
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information about your circumstances, concerns, goals and relevant background
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referral information and correspondence from healthcare professionals
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Medicare, NDIS, WorkCover, private health insurance or other funding information where applicable
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appointment and communication records
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clinical notes, assessments, treatment plans, reports and correspondence
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billing, payment and account information
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documents or information provided by you or, where authorised or otherwise permitted by law, another person or organisation
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information reasonably necessary to manage safety, continuity of care and clinical services.
When you use our website or online systems, limited technical information may also be collected, such as internet protocol address, browser or device information and website usage data, to support functionality, security and administration.
How Vista Collects Information
Where practicable, Vista collects personal information directly from you. This may occur when you:
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contact or enquire with the practice
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complete a website or intake form
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make or attend an appointment
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communicate with us by telephone, email, text message or other approved systems
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provide documents or information to your clinician or the practice.
Where appropriate and permitted, information may also be received from other sources, including your GP, psychiatrist, specialist, other treating practitioner, referrer, authorised representative, parent or guardian where applicable, insurer, funding body, plan manager or other person or organisation involved in your care or funding arrangements.
How Vista May Use Your Information
Vista may use personal and health information where reasonably necessary to:
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provide clinical and therapeutic services
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assess and support your care
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develop and review treatment plans
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maintain appropriate clinical records
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communicate with you about appointments and services
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coordinate care with other professionals where appropriate
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manage referrals, funding, billing, payments and rebates
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support appropriate clinical supervision, professional consultation and multidisciplinary care
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manage quality, safety, risk, continuity of care and clinical governance
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administer and operate the practice
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comply with legal, regulatory and professional obligations.
Vista may use approved secure digital and artificial intelligence-assisted systems in connection with clinical documentation, information management and administrative processes. Where identifiable or confidential information is used with an artificial intelligence-assisted system, Vista will manage this in accordance with applicable privacy, confidentiality, professional and consent requirements.
Further information about artificial intelligence-assisted tools, clinical supervision, multidisciplinary care, communication, documentation and other clinical practice arrangements is available in Vista’s Practice & Booking Policies: https://www.vistatherapy.com.au/terms-conditions
Personal information will not be used for an unrelated purpose unless you have consented to that use or it is otherwise permitted or required by law.
Storage and Protection of Information
Vista takes reasonable steps to protect personal and health information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and unauthorised disclosure.
Information may be held in physical or electronic form and may be stored or processed using approved systems and service providers involved in areas such as clinical record management, appointment management, communications, website services, billing, document storage and other practice operations.
Access to personal and health information is limited according to appropriate clinical, professional and administrative requirements.
Further information about Vista’s clinical records and information-management practices is available in the Practice & Booking Policies.
Clinical Records
Vista maintains confidential clinical records to support safe, effective and continuous care.
Records may include relevant information about your presenting concerns, goals, assessment, formulation, treatment planning, interventions, progress, risk considerations, communications and summaries of appointments.
Clinical records are intended to provide an accurate and clinically relevant account of your care and are not ordinarily verbatim transcripts of therapy sessions.
Records are retained for the periods required by applicable legislation and professional standards.
Further information about clinical records, documentation and the use of digital or artificial intelligence-assisted tools is available in Vista’s Practice & Booking Policies.
Overseas Storage or Processing
Some technology or service providers used by Vista may store, process or transmit information using infrastructure located outside Australia.
Where overseas handling of personal information occurs, Vista will take reasonable steps to manage the information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy requirements.
The location of technology infrastructure and service providers may change over time. You may contact Vista if you would like further information about the current handling arrangements relevant to a particular system.
Disclosure of Information
Vista will not ordinarily disclose personal or health information outside the practice without your consent.
Information may, however, be disclosed where you have authorised the disclosure or where disclosure is otherwise required or permitted by law.
This may include:
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communicating with a GP, psychiatrist, specialist or other healthcare professional involved in your care, with your consent or where otherwise lawfully permitted
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complying with mandatory reporting obligations
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responding to a valid subpoena, court order or other lawful requirement
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where disclosure is reasonably necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to the life, health or safety of you or another person
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other circumstances where disclosure is required or authorised by law.
Where disclosure is necessary, Vista will seek to limit the information disclosed to what is relevant and appropriate to the purpose or legal requirement.
Further information about confidentiality, clinical supervision and multidisciplinary consultation is available in Vista’s Practice & Booking Policies.
Data Breaches
Vista takes reasonable steps to prevent unauthorised access to or disclosure of personal information.
If a data breach occurs, Vista will assess and respond to the incident in accordance with applicable privacy legislation, including notification requirements where they apply.
Access to & Correction of Your Information
You may request access to personal information Vista holds about you and request correction where you believe information is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
Requests should be made directly to Vista and will be managed in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), applicable privacy requirements and the professional obligations relevant to your clinician.
In some circumstances, access may be restricted or provided in another form where permitted or required by law.
A reasonable administrative charge may apply where permitted for costs associated with locating, preparing or providing access to records. You will be advised of any applicable charge before the request is completed.
Where appropriate, your clinician may offer to discuss clinical information with you so that terminology, formulation or other information can be understood in the appropriate clinical context.
Access Fees & Professional Time
There is no fee for making a request to access your personal information.
Where providing access requires administrative work, such as locating, retrieving, collating, reproducing or securely providing records, Vista may charge a reasonable administrative fee based on the actual work required.
Where a clinician is reasonably required to review the clinical record, prepare a clinical summary, redact information where legally appropriate, or undertake other professional work necessary to provide access, professional time may also be charged at the clinician’s applicable rate or on a reasonable pro-rata basis.
Any fee charged for providing access will be reasonable and not excessive. Where practicable, you will be advised of the likely cost before the work is undertaken.
Requests for reports, letters, medico-legal documentation or other professional work are separate from a request to access existing records and may attract additional professional fees.
Further information about report preparation, documentation charges and other professional fees is available in Vista’s Practice & Booking Policies:
Requests for Reports or Legal Documentation
Occasionally clients may request written reports or documentation for legal, insurance, workplace, or compensation matters.
The preparation of formal reports requires careful clinical consideration and may not always be appropriate within a treating therapeutic relationship. Requests for reports are considered on a case-by-case basis and may involve additional consent processes, administrative requirements, and professional fees.
Where a report is appropriate, preparation time will be discussed with you in advance.
Where this occurs, Vista Advanced Psychological Therapy will respond in accordance with applicable laws and professional obligations. Where possible, we aim to notify clients of such requests before information is released, unless we are legally prevented from doing so.
Only the information required to comply with the legal request will be provided.
Privacy Concerns & Complaints
If you have a concern or complaint about how Vista has collected, used, stored, accessed or disclosed your personal information, we encourage you to contact us so that the matter can be reviewed and responded to appropriately.
Privacy concerns or complaints should be directed to:
Karl Jacks, Director
Vista Advanced Psychological Therapy
Email: reception@vistatherapy.com.au
Telephone: (07) 2115 6745
If your concern or complaint relates to Karl Jacks, it may instead be directed to:
Claire Jacks, Director
Please contact Vista and ask for the matter to be directed confidentially to Claire.
Making a privacy complaint will not adversely affect your access to appropriate care.
If you are not satisfied with Vista’s response, you may have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner.
Practice & Booking Policies
Separate policies governing matters including appointments, deposits, cancellations, payments, communication between appointments, reports and documentation, online therapy, artificial intelligence-assisted tools, clinical supervision, multidisciplinary care, safety and other practice arrangements are available in Vista’s: Practice & Booking Policies (https://www.vistatherapy.com.au/terms-conditions)
Changes to This Policy
Vista Advanced Psychological Therapy may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal or regulatory requirements, professional standards, technology, services or practice procedures.
The current version will be available on the Vista website and will apply from the date of publication unless otherwise stated.
Contact
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal information is handled, please contact:
Vista Advanced Psychological Therapy
Email: reception@vistatherapy.com.au
Telephone: (07) 2115 6745
Last updated: August 2026