Privacy policy | Resilience

We are committed to protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your personal and health information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and share your information in accordance with the Privacy Act 2020 and the Health Information Privacy Code 2020 (HIPC).

What information we collect

We may collect personal and health information about you, including:

Your name, date of birth and contact details
Information relevant to your psychological care, including mental and physical health history
Information provided in referral letters or reports (with your consent)
Appointment, billing and ACC-related information
Information you provide through our website forms, email or phone

How we collect your information

We collect information:

When you make an enquiry or book an appointment
During assessment and therapy sessions
When you complete forms or provide information via our website
From referrers or other health professionals, with your consent
When you contact us by phone or email

Why we collect your information

We collect and use your information in order to:

Provide psychological assessment and therapy services
Manage appointments, billing and ACC claims
Communicate with you about your care
Meet legal, professional and regulatory obligations

We only collect information that is necessary for these purposes.

Who we may share your information with

Your information is treated as confidential. We may share your information only when:

You have given consent (for example, with your GP, referrer, insurer, school or other providers)
It is required for ACC claims and reporting
It is required or permitted by law, including where there is a serious risk to your safety or the safety of others

We do not sell or trade your personal information.

How we store and protect your information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal and health information from loss, misuse and unauthorised access. This includes:

Secure electronic practice management systems
Restricted access to authorised staff and clinicians only
Secure handling and storage of any paper records

Health information is retained for at least 10 years from the date of last contact, as required by law, and then securely destroyed or anonymised.

Your rights: access and correction

You have the right to:

Request access to the personal or health information we hold about you
Request correction of information if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete

To request access or correction, please contact us at: admin@resiliencepsychology.co.nz

We will respond to requests in accordance with the timeframes set out in the Privacy Act 2020 and HIPC.

Privacy concerns and complaints

If you have any concerns about how we have handled your information, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer: Dr Kirsten Wooff
Email: kirsten@resiliencepsychology.co.nz
Phone: 09 390 0040

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to make a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (New Zealand) at www.privacy.org.nz.

Cookies and website analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to:

Enable basic website functionality
Understand how visitors use our website so we can improve it

Some cookies may be set by third-party services such as website analytics tools.

You can choose to disable cookies through your browser settings, however this may affect how the website functions.

By continuing to use our website, you consent to the use of cookies in accordance with this policy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in legal requirements or our practices. The most current version will always be available on our website.

Complaints

Any person may make a complaint. You have the right to make a complaint and to have your concerns heard. Complaints and feedback help to improve our service to not only you, but others accessing our services as well.

Your complaint will be handled with fairness and efficiency. We will maintain impartiality, confidentiality and transparency when we manage any complaints.

Efficiency

To enable the timely consideration of a complaint, specific details of the incident, conduct or behaviour giving rise to the complaint should be provided.

We are committed to respond to any complaints within two business days of receipt. We are committed to resolve any complaints within 21 days where possible. If a complaint takes longer than this to resolve, we will communicate this with you and let you know of our progress as we work to resolve the issue.

How To Make a Complaint

Step 1

In the first instance, if you are making a complaint about your psychologist, consider bringing the issue up directly with your psychologist. This may help to resolve your concerns and clarify any misunderstandings or to allow any grievances to be heard.

If you are wanting to make a complaint about any aspect of our intake process or administration service, please see step 2 below.

Step 2

If you do not feel comfortable raising the issue with your psychologist, are not satisfied with the response you receive, or are wanting to make a complaint about our administration services, you can lodge a complaint to our Director, Dr Kirsten Wooff.

Complaints can be made over the phone or via email. We encourage complaints, where possible, to be submitted in writing via email.

You can contact Dr Wooff via our main administration:

Email: admin@resiliencepsychology.co.nz

Telephone: (03) 390 0040

Step 3

If you are not satisfied with our handling of your complaint internally, or our internal process presents a conflict of interest, you are entitled to pursue an external method of review. Details for this process can be found here: https://psychologistsboard.org.nz/for-the-public/raising-a-concern-about-a-psychologist/

You can call the New Zealand Psychologist's Board on 0800 471 4580 at any stage to discuss your concerns informally or to make a formal written complaint or notification where there are fitness or competence concerns.

While we are committed to resolving complaints within 21 days whenever possible, external reviews will have their own timeframes.

Complaints Policy