Policies

Payment Policy

Growing Kids Child Psychological Services is a private fee paying clinic.

THERAPY

Full payment is required at the time of your appointment. Payment may be made by EFTPOS, direct deposit or cash. If you have been issued an invoice due to non-attendance at a previous appointment, this invoice must be paid prior to commencing your next appointment.

ASSESSMENT

A $460 non-refundable deposit is required at the initial interview. A further $460 is due at the face to face assessment date. The remaining balance is due at the assessment feedback session where you will also receive the Psychological Assessment Report.

Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend your scheduled appointment you are responsible for notifying Growing Kids Child Psychological Services by phone or email.

The cancellation policy allows you to cancel or reschedule your appointment no charge, provided you give 24 hours notice.

Cancellation or rescheduling with less than 24 hours notice may incur a fee of up to 50% of your scheduled fee. Less than 2 hours notice may incur a fee of up to 100% of your scheduled fee. If special circumstances apply, please discuss this with Kirsty at the time of cancellation or rescheduling.

We understand that plans can change, and we want to ensure you have the flexibility you need. However, it is important to acknowledge that Kirsty's time is valuable and late cancellations may prohibit someone else from making use of that appointment. Thank you for your understanding!

Feedback and Complaints Policy

Growing Kids Child Psychological Services is committed to continuous improvement and welcomes feedback form clients. Kirsty recognises that sometimes, despite her best efforts, people may not be happy with the way she has performed a service. She welcomes your feedback in all forms.

SUBMITTING FEEDBACK TO GROWING KIDS CHILD PSYCHOLOGICAL SERVICES.

Feedback, complaints and compliments can be made by either:

1. Emailing Kirsty at growingkidspsych@outlook.com, or

2. Writing to Kirsty using the address: Growing Kids Child Psychological Services. PO Box 158, Lowood, QLD. 4311.

COMPLAINTS HANDLING PROCESS

Growing Kids Child Psychological Services complaints handling process is as follows:

1. The complaint will be acknowledged within 48 hours.

2. If investigation is required, a plan will be developed.

3. The investigation will gather information from the parties involved to resolve factual issues and consider options for complaint resolution.

4. A response to the complainant will be communicated by Kirsty.

5. Any systemic issues that arise as a result of the complaint should be considered and acted on.

Privacy and Confidentiality Policy

At Growing Kids Child Psychological Services, Kirsty prioritises the confidentiality and well-being of your child. Kirsty is committed to providing professional psychological support for children and adolescents, adhering strictly to the ethical standards set by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA). To tailor services effectively, Kirsty will collect necessary personal information about your child and family, including names, ages, dates of birth, addresses, and parent details for consent purposes. Your information will be handled with the care and respect.

Because this service is based on trust between Kirsty and your child, Kirsty will keep information shared by you, or your child, confidential except in certain circumstances in which an ethical and legal responsibility limits confidentiality. The circumstances where the law might require that the duty of confidentiality be breached include:

Where there is a current or prospective serious risk of injury, either physical or emotional, to any person including your child, yourself or another family member,
Where Kirsty is informed about a serious crime,
Where Kirsty is subpoenaed to produce documents or give evidence.

Additionally, in accordance with registration obligations and to continually develop her capabilities, Kirsty is required to engage in regular supervision with other psychologists and may discuss your child to receive feedback and guidance., Identifying details are never disclosed.

Growing Kids Child Psychological Services is committed to safeguarding the personal information that is provided. Kirsty conforms to the Federal Privacy Act (1988) and the Information Privacy Act 2009 (QLD) which govern the collection, storage and handling of personal information. Your child’s personal information is kept securely in the client management system, Zanda, which is a secure electronic system that complies with Australian privacy principals. Kirsty may also utilise off-shore cloud-based encrypted systems from time to time. For example, for the use of outcome measures that assist her to assess or monitor progress and difficulties, improving therapy process. Kirsty will only share personal information with a third party where she has sought your and/or your child’s permission to do so, or where she is required by law. Kirsty abides by third party reporting requirements such as Medicare (MBS) – this means a brief letter to your medical referrer may be required for access to Medicare rebates. All records are retained for at least 7 years following a person's 18th birthday.

Social Media Policy

If you have any questions about anything within this document, we encourage you to bring them up with Kirsty. As new technology develops and the Internet changes, there may be time when this policy requires updating.

TESTIMONIALS

Where possible, Kirsty will turn off settings on social media or online services that relate to service ratings or reviews. The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency specifically prohibits advertising a regulated health service in a way that uses testimonials or purported testimonials, including patient stories and experiences, success stories, or fake testimonials. Where the testimonial appears on a public or third party page that Kirsty does not control, she will not interact or engage with the post in any way.

FRIENDING

Kirsty does not accept friend or contact requests from current or former clients on any social networking site (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc). Adding clients as ‘friends’ or contacts on these sites can compromise the client's confidentiality and respective privacy. It may also blur the boundaries of the therapeutic relationship and is therefore contrary to the current Australian Psychological Society Code of Conduct for Psychologists.

LIKING

Growing Kids Child Psychological Services maintains a Facebook Page to share posts and clinic updates with other Facebook users. You are welcome to view and follow the Facebook Page and to read or share articles posted there. There is no expectation or request that you ‘like’ or ‘follow’ the page or any of the posts found there. Be aware that sharing of posts from social media may compromise your own privacy.

If you need to contact Kirsty between sessions, the best way to do so is by phone or email. Please do not use messaging on social media sites to contact Kirsty. These sites are not secure and Kirsty may not read these messages in a timely manner. Do not use wall postings, @replies, or other means of engaging with Kirsty in public online if we have an already established client/therapist relationship. Engaging with Kirsty this way could compromise your confidentiality, and ultimately lead to an inability to provide therapeutic services to you. It may also create the possibility that these exchanges become a part of your counselling records and will need to be documented and archived.

SEARCH ENGINES

It is NOT a regular part of Kirsty's practice to search for clients on Google or Facebook or any search engines.

Crisis Care

Growing Kids Child Psychological Services operates as a private fee-paying practice and does not provide crisis support between scheduled sessions. Emergency appointments are not accommodated, nor does the clinic function as a crisis center. If you feel you need additional appointments, feel free to discuss scheduling extra sessions with Kirsty. Should you find that no appointments are available, you can request be placed on the cancellation list for potential openings.

In cases of emergency, immediate action should be taken by contacting 000 or the emergency department at your local hospital. Please find alternative contacts below:

Additional Support Helplines:

- To connect with your local public mental health service, please call 1300 MH CALL (1300 64 22 55).
- For individuals under the age of 18, reach out to The Acute Response Team based at Children's Hospital Queensland at (07) 3068 2550, available 24 hours a day.
- Seek a referral to an appropriate service by contacting your local General Practitioner (GP).
- Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

- Kids Helpline (for those under 25): 1800 55 1800
- Parentline Queensland: 1300 30 1300
- Domestic Violence Information Line: 1800 811 811
- Lifeline: 13 11 14
- Mensline Australia: 1300 78 99 78
- Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467