Privacy & Client Information

Psychologists work with a variety of issues using evidenced-based treatments. During your first appointment, a thorough history will be taken, and then information will be provided to you about recommended treatments for your situation.

 

Individual sessions initially run for approximately 50 minutes, but may be gradually reduced to 30 minutes depending on need. For example, it may be more beneficial for some individuals (such as children) to have shorter sessions. At the end of each session, you will often be given tasks to do before the next session. It is important to attempt these tasks to the best of your ability because research has shown that completing such tasks can improve an individual’s recovery. (For more details, see these research articles on depression and anxiety.) Some people require many sessions to gain meaningful benefit from therapy, while others may only require a few sessions to achieve their goals. The frequency of sessions is flexible, depending on individual needs.

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If you are an NDIS participant, the amount of funding you have been allocated under the Capacity Building Supports group category (Improved Daily Living Skills) will have a bearing on the number of sessions that are available to you under that funding.

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If you have been referred under Medicare, you are usually entitled to an initial six sessions that attract a Medicare rebate from the Federal Government. Currently, this can be extended to up to 10 sessions in a calendar year, but you will need to visit your referring doctor for a new referral after each six sessions or so. There is an exception to this for those with an eating disorder who are able to claim Medicare rebates for up to 40 sessions in a calendar year.

 

 

Confidentiality

 

Your privacy is important. No information about you will be given out to anyone unless you give permission for this to happen. However, there are some exceptions:

 

• If you provide any information that leads us to suspect that any individual (including yourself) is at risk of significant physical or emotional harm.

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• If there is a legal obligation.

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• If you have been referred by a doctor under Medicare, a brief report must be written to the doctor every six sessions or so. If there are specific issues that come up during your sessions that you do not want your doctor to know, please tell me this.

 

It is understood that clients are consenting to the collection of certain personal information when they provide details during sessions. Client files are maintained in a secure environment. Our files are now completely digital (paper files are no longer maintained). Generally speaking, clients over 16 years of age have a right to view information contained within their files. However, there are certain provisions built into the Privacy Act 1988 which may prevent this from happening in every situation. Persons under 16 years of age may also view their file, or parts thereof, after consideration and assessment of their maturity to be exposed to contained information.

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Use of AI Scribing

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We use NovoNote, an artificial intelligence (AI) tool designed to assist with taking notes during your sessions so that your psychologist can focus on you. Below is an explanatory statement about our use of this technology.

 

Purpose of the AI note-taker: The use of an automated note-taker was adopted to enable us to focus more on communication and client care during sessions, rather than being distracted by note-taking. By changing the way we take notes, we also aim to provide more accurate and detailed documentation of our sessions.

 

Your Consent: Before using NovoNote with you, we will ask for your consent. Once you give your consent at that time, the use of NovoNote will occur for ongoing sessions. You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. It is requested that if you do withdraw your consent, please do so in writing by sending a brief e-mail to admin@drjamiemarshall.com.au .

 

About NovoNote: NovoNote is produced by NovoPsych, an Australian company founded in 2012. NovoNote is a secure and encrypted platform that converts the audio from our consultations into clinical summaries.
 

Compliance and Security: NovoNote complies with the Australian Privacy Principles and is compliant with AHPRA and HIPAA standards. It adheres to industry encryption and security protocols. Importantly, the audio recordings from sessions are never saved; instead, they are transformed into a transcript of the session and then discarded. NovoNote stores data on a secure server in Australia, and NovoNote's data processors never train AI models using your data.

 

What is Saved: As a healthcare provider, we keep notes of our contact with you to help us serve you better. NovoNote helps by transcribing the session and then providing a summary of that session. The transcript of the session is deleted and does not make up part of your client file, while the summary is saved into our practice management system.

 

Questions: Please do not hesitate to ask if you have any questions or concerns about this process. For further information on NovoNote’s security measures and protocols, please see their website: novopsych.com.au/novonote-security/

 

We are committed to providing you with the highest standard of care through these advanced technological practices.

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Cancellations

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Please provide at least 48 hours notice of any cancellation. This will allow us the opportunity to offer that appointment to someone else because there is usually strong demand to access these psychological services. If you fail to give enough notice of a cancellation or fail to attend without giving any notice, you may be placed at the end of the waiting list so that services can be offered to others. Clients who fail to attend an appointment without giving any or adequate notice may be charged for that session (but we understand that sometimes circumstances do not allow this).

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Summary

 

It can be difficult to speak to me during the day on the phone without a scheduled appointment due to the concentrated amount of time often spent with clients who have scheduled appointments. The best way to contact me is by e-mail and I will respond as soon as possible. Keep in mind that we do not provide an emergency or “on call” service. For mental health emergencies, please phone 000, or present at the emergency department of your nearest hospital.

 

Remember that the more effort you put into participating during your sessions, and the greater your willingness to complete tasks in between sessions, the more likely you are to find the sessions beneficial. I look forward to the opportunity of being able to assist you. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.