Turner Clinics Information & Privacy Statement

About the Turner Clinics

The Turner Clinics serve as a vital link between the Monash School of Psychological Sciences and the community, bridging academic research with targeted mental health services. Our clinics foster community engagement and offer support across four main specialty areas: the Healthy Sleep Clinic, Trauma Clinic, Neuropsychology Clinic and the Child, Youth, Family Clinic. Managed by registered clinical psychologists and clinical neuropsychologists, the Turner Clinics are also instrumental in training provisionally registered psychologists who are pursuing postgraduate studies, ensuring high-quality clinical education. If you are seeing a provisionally registered psychologist, this will be communicated to you before your service engagement.

Service engagement

This Privacy Statement covers the delivery of our services through in-person interactions and online engagements, including telehealth platforms such as telephone and video consultations.

Fees structure

Our fee structure will be discussed with you prior to the first appointment. Concessional fees may be available for people with significant financial hardship and students. If you are experiencing financial difficulties, please discuss this with your clinician. Assessment reports will only be released after full payment has been made.

Appointments and cancellation policy

It is your responsibility to attend your scheduled appointment on time. Sessions will end at the scheduled time regardless of your arrival or start time. Please notify us at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled session if you need to reschedule. If appointments are missed or not cancelled at least 24 hours in advance, the regular session fee will be charged.

Referrals and rebates from Medicare

If you plan to claim a rebate under the Better Access Scheme, you will need to obtain a Mental Health Care Plan from your GP. You must also provide a GP referral letter at your first session and again at your seventh session to claim the rebate. It is your responsibility to provide a copy of the GP referral letter associated with the Mental Health Care Plan. Likewise, it is your responsibility to obtain referrals from other agencies and specialists as applicable. Please note that Mental Health Care Plans cannot be used for sessions with provisional psychologists.

Information privacy

The Turner Clinics is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with relevant privacy legislation. Your information will be collected only with your informed consent and will be treated as strictly confidential. It will be used solely to support your care and treatment, and accessed only by your psychologist and authorised personnel of the practice, as necessary. Your information will not be disclosed to third parties without your explicit consent, except where required by law.

Personal information is information that identifies you, like your name, Medicare number, address, date of birth, and the services provided to you.

The collection and storage of your information complies with the Privacy and Data Protection Act 2014 (Vic), the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic), and Data Protection and Privacy at Monash. If you have any questions about how Monash University collects and handles your personal information, please contact our Freedom of Information office at FOI@monash.edu. More information is available online through The Office of The Australian Information Commissioner website at: https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/your-privacy-rights/.

The Public Record Office Victoria (PROV), specifies that certain health and counselling records can be destroyed 12 years after the last attendance of a client, provided the client has reached 30 years of age. In certain circumstances, your clinician is legally obligated to disclose personal information without your written permission. These circumstances include:

• If your clinician forms a reasonable belief that there is a serious and imminent threat to an individual's life, health, or safety, and disclosing your information is necessary to lessen or prevent this. This may include risks of harm to yourself or others.
• If your case notes are subpoenaed by the Courts.
• If your clinician forms a reasonable belief that a child needs protection from physical injury, sexual abuse, or neglect.
• If any adult has a reasonable belief that a sexual offence has been committed by an adult against a child under 16, they are obligated to report that information to police. Failure to disclose the information to police is a criminal offence.
• If you are seen under a referral (e.g., Medicare, Worksafe) and we are required to write a report to the referring practitioner or agency. Your clinician will attempt to discuss the management of these matters with you where possible and as appropriate.

Elements of your assessment, treatment, and progress may be discussed with other clinicians at Turner Clinics for the purposes of clinical consultation, case discussion, and clinical supervision. These discussions are conducted in a confidential and professional manner, and your privacy will be respected at all times.

Collection of personal information

Your personal information is collected and used to inform assessments, treatment recommendations, and any clinical services and interventions provided. This collection is essential for conducting psychological assessments and treatments. Retaining this information allows us to document session details, ensuring we deliver relevant and informed services.

The clinic collects and holds personal information such as your name, contact details, next of kin and emergency contacts, clinical case notes, and any formal reports. With your informed and signed consent, information may be obtained from or shared with family members, your general practitioner, or other members of your support team.

Your personal information will not be used for any other purpose without your written permission. It is securely stored either electronically or in locked files.

If you do not wish for your personal information to be collected as outlined in this Privacy Policy, the Turner Clinics may not be able to provide psychological services to you.

Please read our Data Protection and Privacy Collection Statement.

Video recording of sessions

As part of clinical training, you may be asked whether you agree to your personal and/or de-identified information being used for other purposes (e.g. case presentations, training videos). Your clinician will discuss the proposed use with you and seek your separate, explicit consent. Your information will not be used for any purpose not outlined in this consent form without your permission.

Access to personal information

You have the right to access your personal information held by the clinic, subject to certain legal exceptions. To do so, please submit your request in writing, which will be reviewed by the Monash University Freedom of Information Office. If you have any concerns about the information in your clinical file, you are encouraged to discuss them with your clinician.

How to contact the Office of the Commissioner for Privacy and Data Protection:

Level 6, 121 Exhibition Street, Melbourne VIC 3001
Phone: 1300 666 444
Postal address: PO Box 24014, Melbourne

Engagement via telehealth

We use the Zoom conferencing platform for telehealth sessions, which meets data protection and privacy requirements for clinical purposes. Sessions conducted by provisional psychologists will be recorded to support clinical supervision between your provisional psychologist and their registered supervisor.

Cognitive, educational, and neuropsychological assessments conducted via telehealth are subject to legal requirements associated with test licensing. By signing this consent form, you agree not to record, copy, or retain any test materials, and not to search for test answers online.

Clinic contact

You can reach the Turner Clinics from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, via telephone, email, or fax. Please note that individual clinics and services operate on specific days.

Telephone: 03 9902 4480
Email: Turner.Clinics@monash.edu
Fax: 03 9905 0605

Please be aware that email communication is not encrypted. If you prefer to opt out of email communications, kindly inform your clinician.

Feedback and questions

If you have any feedback, wish to make a complaint, or have questions about the service or your privacy, please speak with your clinician, or contact Associate Professor James Courtney, Director of Turner Clinics, during clinic hours at 03 9902 4480, or via email at james.courtney@monash.edu

If you are not satisfied with our response regarding our service, you are encouraged to contact the Health Services Commissioner (Victoria's Health Ombudsman) at 8601 5222. To lodge a formal complaint about the use, disclosure, or access to your personal information, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner by phone at 1300 363 992, online at https://www.oaic.gov.au/privacy/privacy-complaints/lodge-a-privacy-complaint-with-us, or by post to:

Office of the Australian Information Commissioner
GPO Box 5288
Sydney, NSW 2001