PRIVACY POLICY
Above the Waves Counselling
Last updated: 5 September 2026
1. Our commitment to privacy
Above the Waves Counselling respects your privacy and understands the importance of protecting personal and sensitive information, particularly information shared in the course of counselling.
This Privacy Policy explains how Above the Waves Counselling collects, uses, stores and discloses personal information in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.
Above the Waves Counselling is operated by Jennifer Wolff and provides counselling, couples counselling, professional supervision and related services.
2. Information we may collect
The information we collect depends on the nature of your contact with us and the services you receive.
This may include your:
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name, date of birth and contact details
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appointment and scheduling information
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emergency contact details
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billing and payment information
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private health fund information where relevant
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correspondence with Above the Waves Counselling
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referral information
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counselling history and other information relevant to providing counselling
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health and mental health information
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counselling records and session notes
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information you choose to share about your relationships, family, personal circumstances, beliefs or life experiences
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professional information if you receive clinical supervision
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information submitted through our website or enquiry forms.
Health information and some other information collected during counselling are considered sensitive information under Australian privacy law and are handled with particular care.
3. How information is collected
Where practicable, we collect personal information directly from you.
Information may be collected when you:
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contact us by phone, email or through the website
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make or attend an appointment
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complete intake or consent documentation
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participate in counselling or professional supervision
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provide information for billing or private health insurance purposes.
In some circumstances, information may be received from another person or organisation, such as a referring health professional, family member or other service provider. This will generally occur with your consent or where collection is otherwise permitted or required by law.
You are welcome to make a general enquiry without providing more personal information than is necessary. However, if you decide to receive counselling or supervision, we will usually need identifying and other relevant information in order to provide the service appropriately.
4. Why we collect and use information
Personal information may be used to:
provide counselling or professional supervision; assess whether our services are appropriate for your needs; communicate with you about appointments or your care; maintain appropriate counselling and professional records; process payments and provide invoices; assist with private health fund claims where requested; manage enquiries and complaints; administer and operate the practice; and meet professional, ethical and legal obligations.
We do not sell your personal information.
We do not use information you have shared in counselling for marketing purposes.
5. Confidentiality and disclosure
Information shared during counselling is treated as confidential.
There are circumstances in which information may need to be disclosed. These may include where:
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you have given consent
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disclosure is necessary for another professional or service involved in your care and you have authorised this
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disclosure is required or authorised by law
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there is a serious concern regarding the life, health or safety of a person and disclosure is permitted by law
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information is required by a court order, subpoena or other lawful process
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disclosure is reasonably necessary to obtain professional, legal or insurance advice relating to the practice.
Where appropriate and possible, these circumstances will be discussed with you.
The limits of confidentiality are also explained as part of the counselling consent process.
6. Service providers
Above the Waves Counselling may use reputable third-party providers to assist with the operation of the practice. These may include providers of:
website hosting, appointment and practice-management systems, secure record storage, email and communications, video conferencing, payment processing, accounting, information technology and professional services.
Only information reasonably necessary for the provider to perform its function is shared.
Where you ask us to provide documentation for a private health insurance claim, relevant information may also be provided to your insurer with your authority.
7. Website information, cookies and analytics
Our website is hosted using Wix.
When you visit the website, certain technical information may be collected automatically, such as your IP address, browser or device information, pages visited and general website usage information.
The website may also use cookies and similar technologies to help the website function, understand website usage and improve the visitor experience.
Information submitted through the website contact form is used to respond to your enquiry. Because website forms and ordinary email are not intended for detailed clinical communication, we encourage you not to include unnecessary sensitive health information in an initial online enquiry.
8. Overseas processing and storage
Some technology providers used by Above the Waves Counselling may process or store information outside Australia.
Our website provider, Wix, advises that site-visitor information may be stored or processed in locations including the United States, Ireland, South Korea, Taiwan and Israel, as well as through other international service providers used in delivering its services.
Where personal information is disclosed to an overseas recipient, Above the Waves Counselling will take reasonable steps required under Australian privacy law to protect that information.
[Before publishing: we should add any overseas countries associated with your counselling record, booking or telehealth systems once you tell me which systems you use.]
9. Storage and security
Above the Waves Counselling takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
This includes using appropriate physical and electronic safeguards, access controls and secure systems for storing counselling and administrative records.
Personal information is retained for as long as required for professional, clinical, legal and administrative purposes. When information is no longer required to be retained, reasonable steps are taken to securely destroy or de-identify it where appropriate.
No electronic communication or storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. If you have concerns about sending sensitive information electronically, please discuss this with us.
10. Data breaches
Above the Waves Counselling has procedures for responding to suspected privacy or data breaches.
Where a breach meets the requirements of the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme, affected individuals and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner will be notified as required by law.
11. Accessing or correcting your information
You may request access to personal information held about you or ask for information to be corrected if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date.
We may ask you to verify your identity before providing access.
There are limited circumstances under Australian privacy law in which access may be refused or restricted. If this applies, we will explain the reason where we are permitted to do so.
Requests can be made by contacting:
Jennifer Wolff
Above the Waves Counselling
Email: Jennifer@abovethewavescounselling.com.au
12. Privacy concerns or complaints
If you have a concern about how your personal information has been handled, please contact Jennifer Wolff using the email address above.
We will take your concern seriously and aim to respond within a reasonable period, generally within 30 days.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).
The OAIC generally requires people to raise their concern with the organisation first and allow it a reasonable opportunity to respond before lodging a complaint.
13. Changes to this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in the practice, technology or legal requirements.
The current version will always be available on the Above the Waves Counselling website.