About this policy
Scentia Psychology Pty Ltd (ABN 81 655 087 273) provides psychological consulting, assessment, training and support services to organisations and their people. We take the privacy of the people we work with seriously, and much of what we hold is health information, which the law treats as especially sensitive.
This policy explains how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information. We are bound by the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, and, as a health service provider in New South Wales, by the Health Records and Information Privacy Act 2002 (NSW). Our psychologists are also bound by the Psychology Board of Australia’s Code of Conduct and the confidentiality obligations of their profession.
In this policy, “we”, “us” and “our” mean Scentia Psychology. “You” means anyone whose personal information we handle — including people who use our services, people referred to us by an employer, job candidates we assess, training participants, and visitors to our website.
What personal information we collect
We collect only what we need to provide the service you or your organisation has engaged us for. Depending on the service, this may include:
- Contact and identity details — name, date of birth, phone, email, address, employer, role and work location
- Health information — mental health history, symptoms, assessment results, diagnoses, treatment notes, and information from other health practitioners
- Assessment information — psychometric test responses and results, interview notes, and reports prepared for selection, risk or fitness-for-work assessments
- Information from others — such as a referral from your employer, a GP or another treating practitioner, with the details they provide
- Training and survey information — workshop attendance, feedback and survey responses
- Business contact information — details of the people we deal with at client organisations
- Payment information — billing details for services you pay for personally
- Website information — technical data such as pages visited and approximate location, collected through analytics tools (see below)
Health information and some assessment information are “sensitive information” under the Privacy Act. We collect it only with your consent, or where the law allows us to.
How we collect it
Where we can, we collect personal information directly from you — in sessions, by phone or email, through intake and consent forms, and during assessments.
Sometimes we receive it from others: an employer referring you to an embedded clinician, executive support or an assessment; a recruitment provider when you apply for a role we are assessing for; or another health practitioner with your consent. When this happens, we will let you know what we hold and where it came from, unless doing so would be unlawful or unsafe.
You can choose not to give us some information, but we may then be unable to provide a service safely or at all.
Why we use and disclose it
We use your personal information to:
- provide, plan and review psychological services, assessments and training
- prepare reports you have agreed to, such as selection, risk or fitness-for-work reports
- communicate with you and coordinate appointments
- consult with other health practitioners involved in your care, with your consent
- invoice and manage our accounts
- improve and evaluate our services, using de-identified information wherever possible
- meet our legal, professional and insurance obligations
We do not sell personal information, and we do not use health information for marketing.
We disclose personal information only for the purpose we collected it, with your consent, or where the law requires or allows it. This includes where there is a serious threat to someone’s life, health or safety; where we are required by a court order, subpoena or law (including mandatory reporting); or to our professional indemnity insurer or legal advisers if a claim arises.
When your employer engages us
Much of our work is paid for by an employer, but what you tell a Scentia psychologist in a support session stays confidential. Your employer does not receive your session content, notes or diagnosis.
| Service | What your employer receives |
|---|---|
| Embedded clinician, executive support, EAP-style sessions | De-identified, grouped usage figures (for example, number of sessions and broad themes). Nothing that identifies you, unless you ask us to share something |
| Training and workshops | Attendance, and de-identified feedback and survey results |
| Pre-employment, selection and risk assessments | The assessment report and recommendation. We explain this before you start, and ask for your written consent |
| Fitness-for-work assessments | A report on your capacity to work and any recommended adjustments. We explain what will be shared and ask for your consent before the assessment |
| Consulting on a workplace matter | Our advice to the organisation. Where it concerns an identifiable person, we share only what is necessary |
The exceptions are the legal ones listed above — most importantly, a serious and imminent risk to your safety or someone else’s.
Our website and online forms
Our website uses Google Analytics to understand how visitors use the site. It records information such as pages visited, time on site, device type and approximate location, using cookies. We use this in aggregate and do not use it to identify you. You can block cookies in your browser, or opt out using Google’s browser add-on.
We use security and performance tools on the website that may record technical information such as IP addresses, to protect the site from attack.
Our website also hosts a small number of private forms that are not publicly listed. Contractors use them to send us monthly service utilisation data. These forms collect usage figures, not information that identifies individual clients.
If you contact us through the website or by email, we use your details only to respond to you and provide any service you request.
Storage, security and retention
All client records are held in our secure, access-controlled practice management system. Our staff access personal information only to the extent necessary to provide our services. We protect our systems with strong passwords and multi-factor authentication where available.
If a data breach is likely to cause serious harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
We keep health records for at least 7 years after your last contact with us, or, if you were under 18 at the time, until you turn 25 — whichever is later, as NSW law requires. After that, records are securely destroyed or permanently de-identified.
Overseas disclosure
All client records are held in our practice management system, which stores client records in Australia. Some other software we use, such as email and website analytics, may store or process data overseas — for example in the United States. Where that happens, we choose providers with strong security and privacy protections and take reasonable steps to ensure they handle information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.
Accessing and correcting your information
You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, and ask us to correct anything that is inaccurate, out of date or incomplete. Contact us using the details below. We will respond within 30 days.
We may ask you to confirm your identity first. In limited cases the law lets us refuse or limit access — for example, where giving access would pose a serious threat to someone’s life or health, or would unreasonably affect another person’s privacy. If so, we will explain why in writing, and where appropriate we can provide access through another practitioner. We may charge a reasonable fee to cover the cost of providing copies, but not for making the request.
Where it is lawful and practical, you can deal with us anonymously or using a pseudonym — for example, when asking general questions. Most clinical and assessment services need us to know who you are.
Questions and complaints
If you have a question about privacy, or think we have mishandled your information, please contact us first. We will acknowledge your complaint within 7 days and aim to resolve it within 30 days.
- Post: Scentia Psychology, Suite 211, RPA Medical Centre, 100 Carillon Avenue, Newtown NSW 2042
- Phone: (02) 9517 1764
- Email: enquiries@scentiapsych.com.au
If you are not satisfied with our response, you can contact:
- Office of the Australian Information Commissioner — oaic.gov.au, 1300 363 992
- NSW Information and Privacy Commission (for health information) — ipc.nsw.gov.au, 1800 472 679
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as our services, systems or the law change. The current version is always on our website, and the date below shows when it was last updated.
Last updated: 2nd November 2026