Client Rights and Responsibilities Policy

Purpose

At Ballarat Women's Psychology, we are committed to providing a safe, respectful, ethical, and collaborative environment for all clients. This policy outlines your rights as a client, as well as the responsibilities we ask you to uphold to help ensure the best possible therapeutic experience.

We believe that successful psychological care is built on mutual respect, open communication, and shared responsibility.

Your Rights

As a client of Ballarat Women's Psychology, you have the right to:

Receive Respectful Care

Be treated with dignity, respect, kindness, and compassion.
Receive care that is free from discrimination, harassment, bullying, or victimisation.
Receive culturally safe and inclusive services.

Receive Professional Care

Receive evidence-based psychological services delivered by appropriately qualified and registered psychologists.
Receive services that meet professional, ethical, and legal standards.
Be informed about the nature, purpose, risks, and expected benefits of psychological treatment.

Make Informed Decisions

Ask questions about your care at any time.
Participate in decisions regarding your treatment goals and interventions.
Decline or withdraw consent for treatment, except where legal obligations require otherwise.
Seek a second opinion or transfer your care to another practitioner.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Have your personal and health information managed confidentially in accordance with applicable privacy legislation.
Be informed about the limits of confidentiality.
Request access to your health information in accordance with relevant legislation.

Safe and Supportive Care

Receive care in a safe and professional environment.
Be supported to participate in treatment at a pace that feels appropriate for you.
Raise concerns or provide feedback without fear that it will negatively affect your care.

Your Responsibilities

To help us provide safe and effective care, we ask that clients:

Provide Accurate Information

Provide accurate personal, medical, and contact information.
Inform us of any changes to your contact details, emergency contact, Medicare information, or funding arrangements.
Provide relevant information that may impact your treatment.

Attend Appointments

Attend appointments on time.
Notify us as soon as possible if you need to cancel or reschedule.
Comply with our Cancellation and Non-Attendance Policy.

Participate in Treatment

Engage openly and honestly with your psychologist.
Ask questions if anything is unclear.
Participate in agreed treatment goals where appropriate.

While your psychologist will support you throughout therapy, meaningful progress often depends on active participation both during and between appointments.

Respect Others

We ask all clients to treat our practitioners, administration staff, and other clients with courtesy and respect.

Ballarat Women's Psychology has a zero-tolerance approach to:

Aggressive behaviour
Threatening or abusive language
Harassment
Discrimination
Violence
Damage to property

Where behaviour places the safety or wellbeing of staff or others at risk, services may be suspended or discontinued.

Financial Responsibilities

Clients are responsible for:

Paying appointment fees at the time of service unless alternative approved funding arrangements apply.
Paying cancellation fees where applicable.
Reviewing current fee information prior to appointments.
Maintaining up-to-date payment details where required.

Communication

Communication between appointments is limited to administrative matters such as appointment scheduling, cancellations, and billing enquiries.

Clinical concerns should be discussed during scheduled appointments.

Ballarat Women's Psychology is not a crisis service.

If you require urgent assistance, please contact:

Emergency Services (000)
Lifeline – 13 11 14
Your GP
Your nearest hospital emergency department

Feedback and Complaints

We value feedback and welcome suggestions that help us improve our services.

If you have concerns about your care, we encourage you to discuss them with your psychologist or contact our Practice Manager.

If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to make a complaint through the Health Complaints Commissioner (Victoria) or the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA).

Please refer to our Complaints and Feedback Policy for further information.

Our Commitment

In return, Ballarat Women's Psychology is committed to:

Providing compassionate, evidence-based psychological care.
Protecting your privacy and confidentiality.
Communicating openly and respectfully.
Maintaining professional standards and ethical practice.
Supporting your wellbeing through collaborative and person-centred care.
Continuously reviewing and improving the quality of our services.