Privacy Policy

Wiser Self Psychology is the solo practice of Dr Russell Downham, clinical psychologist (ABN 84 741 104 885). I'm bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles, the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW), and the Psychology Board of Australia's code of conduct. This policy explains how I collect, use, store and share your personal information.

Effective date: 13 October 2026

1. What information I collect

Enquiries: your name, email, phone number, suburb and postcode, whether you're seeking individual or couples therapy, and anything you choose to tell me about what's going on.
Clients: contact details, date of birth, Medicare details and GP referral (for rebates), emergency contact, payment details (handled by Stripe, see section 4), session notes, assessment results, correspondence, and any reports or letters about your care.
Website visitors: my website, hosted by Wix, may collect standard technical information such as your browser type and pages visited, through cookies. This isn't used to identify you.

You can make an initial enquiry using a first name only. Once we begin therapy, I need your full identity for clinical, legal and Medicare reasons.

2. How I collect it

Mostly from you directly: through the enquiry form, the client portal, email, and our sessions. Sometimes from others with your consent, such as your GP's referral.

3. Why I collect and use it

To respond to your enquiry, assess whether my practice suits your needs, provide psychological treatment, process payments and Medicare rebates, communicate with your GP or other providers where you've agreed, and meet my legal and professional obligations.

4. Services I use to run the practice

I'm a solo practice, so I rely on a small number of trusted providers. Each has its own privacy and security obligations.

Zanda (practice management and client portal): stores client records, bookings and notes. Australian accounts are hosted in data centres in Australia.
Heidi (AI medical scribe, only with your consent): helps me draft session notes. It doesn't make an audio recording, doesn't link the data to your identity, and states that data stays in Australia. I delete its output once I've integrated the summary into my clinical notes.
Zoom for Healthcare (video sessions): sessions are never recorded, (unless by discussion with you during that session, and with consent of everyone in the session).
Stripe (payments): stores your card or bank details securely. I never see or store your full card number.
Wix (website and enquiry form): receives the information you submit through the form.
Google Workspace (email): handles email between us, including enquiry notifications.

5. Disclosure to others

I don't sell, rent or share your information for marketing. I only disclose it:

with your consent (for example, to your GP);
to Medicare, to process your rebate;
where the law requires it, such as a subpoena or court order; or
where I reasonably believe it's necessary to lessen or prevent a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety.

Couples therapy.

In couples therapy, my client is the two of you as a couple, so I work with a no-secrets policy:

Anything either partner tells me, including in the individual sessions during the assessment phase or by email, may be shared with the other partner if I believe it's relevant to the therapy.
I won't keep a secret with one partner that undermines the work with both of you. If something important comes up, I'll usually encourage you to share it yourself, and help you think through how.
The exception is safety: I won't share information where doing so could put anyone at risk, for example in situations involving family violence.
Each partner can access their own information, but records of joint sessions contain information about both of you, so I'll generally need both partners' consent before releasing them.

6. Overseas storage

At the time of writing, Zanda and Heidi store data in Australia. Some providers I use, including Wix, Stripe, Zoom and Google Workspace, may store or process information overseas, including in the United States. I choose providers with strong security standards and take reasonable steps to ensure they handle your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

7. Security and retention

I keep your information in password-protected, encrypted systems with two-factor authentication where available, and I don't keep paper records. Under NSW law, health records for adults are kept for at least seven years after our last contact, then securely destroyed. Enquiries that don't lead to therapy are deleted when no longer needed.

8. Accessing and correcting your information

You can ask to see the information I hold about you, or ask me to correct it, by emailing me. I'll respond within 30 days. In rare cases the law allows me to limit access, such as where it could pose a serious risk to someone; if so, I'll explain why.

9. Questions and complaints

If you have a question or concern about privacy, please email me first at russell.downham@wiserselfpsychology.com.au and I'll respond within 30 days. If you're not satisfied, you can contact:

the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner: oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992
the NSW Information and Privacy Commission: ipc.nsw.gov.au, 1800 472 679

10. Changes to this policy

I may update this policy from time to time. The current version is always on this page, with its effective date.

General information

Information on this website is general and isn't a substitute for individual professional advice. If you need urgent help, call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or 000 in an emergency.