Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal information I collect when you visit this website, make an enquiry, attend counselling, or receive any other service through Empatherapies, and what I do with that information. It also explains your rights, and how to contact me if you have a question or a concern about your privacy.

I take your privacy seriously. Counselling involves trust, and that trust depends on knowing your information is handled with care, kept confidential, and only used in ways you understand and agree to.

1. Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to Empatherapies Counselling and Consultancy (referred to throughout as “Empatherapies”, “the practice”, or “I”). The principal of the practice and the person responsible for handling your information is Sabine Schroeder, counsellor and psychotherapist, based in Buderim, Queensland.

Empatherapies complies with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) set out in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Health Records and Information Privacy obligations that apply to allied health practitioners in Australia, and the privacy and confidentiality requirements of my professional registration body.

2. The information I collect

The information I collect varies depending on how you interact with the practice. Broadly, it falls into the following categories:

Contact and identifying information

When you make an enquiry, book a session, or join the mailing list, I collect your name, email address, phone number, and (if you choose to share it) some context about what you’re seeking support with.

Health and sensitive information

If you become a client of the practice, I collect information that is necessary to provide safe and effective therapy. This may include your medical and mental health history, current medications, history of presenting concerns, family and relationship history, risk-related information, and notes from our sessions. Under the Privacy Act, this is classified as sensitive information and is afforded a higher level of protection.

Payment information

If you pay for a session online or by bank transfer, I receive information necessary to process the payment. I do not store credit card details on the website or in any system I control — payments are processed by third-party providers who hold this information directly.

Website information

When you visit empatherapies.com, my hosting provider and analytics tools may automatically collect technical information such as your IP address, browser type, referring page, and pages viewed. This is used to maintain the website and to understand which content is helpful to readers. It does not personally identify you.

3. How I collect your information

I collect personal information directly from you wherever possible — through the contact form on this website, by phone, by email, in our sessions, and through any forms you complete as part of intake or ongoing care. I will only collect information from a third party (for example, a referring GP, another health practitioner, or a family member) with your explicit consent, or where I am legally required to do so.

I will always tell you why I am collecting your information at the time it is collected, and you are entitled to ask questions about that purpose at any time.

4. How I use your information

The information I hold is used for the following purposes only:

• To provide counselling, psychotherapy, supervision, and any other service you have engaged me for
• To respond to your enquiries and to communicate with you about your care
• To meet my legal, ethical, and professional obligations as a registered counsellor in Australia
• To process payments and maintain accurate financial records as required by Australian tax law
• To send you newsletters or resources you have specifically subscribed to (you can unsubscribe at any time)

I will not use your information for any purpose you have not been told about or agreed to.

5. Who I share your information with

Counselling is confidential. I will not disclose your personal information to anyone outside the practice without your explicit written consent, except in the limited circumstances described below.

With your consent

If you ask me to share information with another health professional (such as your GP, psychiatrist, or another therapist), or with someone in your support network, I will do so only after you have given clear written permission, and only to the extent agreed.

Where the law requires it

There are limited circumstances in which I may be legally required to share your information, even without your consent. These include:

• When there is a serious and imminent risk to your safety or the safety of another person
• Mandatory reporting obligations relating to the suspected abuse or neglect of a child
• A subpoena or court order requiring disclosure
• Other circumstances specifically permitted under the Privacy Act 1988

I will, wherever possible, discuss any such disclosure with you before it happens.

Service providers I use

The practice uses a small number of trusted third-party services to operate. Where personal information passes through these services, it remains protected by my obligations under this policy and by their own privacy frameworks. The current providers are:

• Calendly — for online appointment booking
• Fluent Forms — for enquiries you submit through the website contact form
• MailerLite — for newsletter delivery (only if you have subscribed)
• Zoom or equivalent — for online sessions, where applicable
• SiteGround — website hosting and email

I review these providers periodically to ensure they continue to meet appropriate privacy and security standards.

6. How I store and protect your information

Your information is stored securely. Electronic records are kept in password-protected systems with restricted access. Paper records, where they exist, are kept in a locked location. Only I have access to client clinical records.

Online sessions are conducted using secure, encrypted video platforms. While I take all reasonable steps to ensure these are private, no internet-based service can guarantee absolute security. If you have concerns about online sessions, please raise them with me before we begin.

7. How long I keep your information

As a counsellor in Australia, I am required to retain client clinical records for a minimum period set by my professional body and by Queensland health records legislation — typically seven years from the date of your last appointment, or seven years from your eighteenth birthday if you were a minor at the time of treatment.

After this period, records are securely destroyed. Marketing-related information (such as your subscription to a newsletter) is kept only while your subscription is active and is deleted when you unsubscribe.

8. Your rights

You have the right to:

• Access your information — you can ask to see the personal information I hold about you
• Correct your information — if anything I hold about you is inaccurate or out of date, you can ask me to correct it
• Withdraw consent — if you have previously consented to a use of your information, you can withdraw that consent at any time
• Lodge a complaint — if you believe your privacy has been mishandled, you can raise it with me directly, and if it is not resolved, you can refer it to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au

There may be limited circumstances in which I cannot grant a request to access or amend information — for example, where doing so would breach the privacy of another person or where the information forms part of a clinical record I am required to preserve. If that is the case, I will explain the reason in writing.

9. Cookies and analytics

This website uses a small number of cookies — small data files stored in your browser — to help the site function and to understand how visitors use it. The website also uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous, aggregated information about traffic. None of this information personally identifies you. You can disable cookies in your browser settings at any time, although doing so may affect how some parts of the site behave.

10. Changes to this policy

I may update this policy from time to time, particularly where the law changes or where I introduce new tools or services. The “Last updated” date at the bottom of this page will reflect the most recent revision. Significant changes will be communicated to active clients directly.

11. How to contact me about your privacy

If you have any question, concern, or complaint about this policy or the way your information has been handled, please contact me directly:

I will respond to all privacy enquiries within a reasonable timeframe, and always within thirty days.

Last updated: June 2026.