Privacy Policy - LifelinePMB

LifeLine Pietermaritzburg Online Privacy Policy

In this privacy policy you will find information relating to the visits to and the use of LifeLine Pietermaritzburg website and offices. LifeLine Pietermaritzburg is aware of and sensitive to privacy issues on the internet and acknowledges the importance of protecting all information we receive from you. This privacy policy applies to data provided by you and collected by LifeLine Pietermaritzburg through its website as well as both online and offline services. We will use the provided information in the course of our dealings with you to process requests and briefings and to provide a more personalised internet and face to face experience. LifeLine Pietermaritzburg will ensure that all your personal information is treated in accordance with the applicable data privacy legislation’s.

Consent

CONFIDENTIALITY: All information disclosed within sessions and the written records pertaining to those sessions are handled in a confidential manner and may not be revealed to anyone without your written permission, except where disclosure is required by law.

WHEN DISCLOSURE IS REQUIRED, OR MAY BE REQUIRED BY LAW: Some of the circumstances where disclosure is required or may be required by law are: where there is a reasonable suspicion of child, dependent, or elder abuse or neglect; where a client presents a danger to self, to others, to property, or is gravely disabled; or when a client’s family members communicate that the client presents a danger to others.

EMERGENCY: If there is an emergency during your counselling, or in the future after termination, where LifeLine becomes concerned about your personal safety, the possibility of you injuring someone else, or about you receiving proper mental health care, LifeLine Pietermaritzburg will do whatever possible, within the limits of the law, to prevent you from injuring yourself or others and to ensure that you receive the proper medical care.

LEGAL PROCESSES: Sometimes clients may become involved in a legal issue while they are in counselling or after counselling has been completed. Sometimes clients (or the opposing solicitor) want the records disclosed to the legal system. Due to the nature of the counselling process and the fact that it often involves making a full disclosure regarding many matters, clients’ records are generally confidential and private in nature. Clients should know that serious consequences can result from disclosing counselling records to the legal system. Such disclosures may negatively affect the outcome of custody disputes or other legal matters and may negatively affect the client-counsellor relationship. If you or the opposing solicitor is considering requesting LifeLine Pietermaritzburg to disclose records, LifeLine Pietermaritzburg will do their best to discuss the risks and benefits of doing so with you. As noted in this document, you have the right to review your own management records anytime. (See also relevant section above: “WHEN DISCLOSURE IS REQUIRED, OR MAY BE REQUIRED BY LAW”). Any reports required in a legal process will need to be subpoenaed before disclosure can take place.

CONSULTATION: : LifeLine Pietermaritzburg reserves the right to consult with other professionals regarding their clients; however, each client’s identity remains completely anonymous and confidentiality is maintained.

ONLINE AND PHONE COMMUNICATION: It is very important to be aware that computers and unencrypted email and text communication (which are part of the clinical records) can be relatively easily accessed by unauthorized people and hence can compromise the privacy and confidentiality of such communication. Emails and texts are vulnerable to such unauthorized access since servers or communication companies may have unlimited and direct access to all emails and texts that go through them. While data on LifeLine Pietermaritzburg’s computers are encrypted, emails and texts are not. It is always a possibility that texts and emails can be sent erroneously to the wrong address and computers. LifeLine Pietermaritzburg’s computers are equipped with a firewall, a virus protection and a password, and back up all confidential information from LifeLine Pietermaritzburg’s computers on a regular basis onto an encrypted hard-drive. If you communicate confidential or private information via unencrypted email or texts, it is assumed that you have made an informed decision and will view it as your agreement to take the risk that such communication may be intercepted, and will honour your desire to communicate on such matters. Please do not use texts or email for emergencies.

RECORDS AND YOUR RIGHT TO REVIEW THEM: Please note that all relevant information from emails, texts, and faxes are part of LifeLine Pietermaritzburg’s records. Unless otherwise agreed, LifeLine Pietermaritzburg retains records only as long as is necessary. If you have concerns regarding the counselling records, please discuss them with the Director via your counsellor. As a client, you have the right to review or receive a summary of your records at any time, except in limited legal or emergency circumstances, or when the Director of LifeLine Pietermaritzburg assesses that releasing such information might be harmful in any way. In such a case, LifeLine Pietermaritzburg will provide the records to an appropriate and legitimate mental health professional of your choice. Considering all of the above exclusions, if it is still appropriate, and upon your request, LifeLine Pietermaritzburg will release information to any agency / person you specify, unless LifeLine Pietermaritzburg assesses that releasing such information might be harmful in any way.

TREATMENT PLANS: Since each client presents their own unique concerns, there is no set timeframe for the counselling process. However it is important to note that on average clients typically contact us for roughly 10 correspondences and are then reviewed and when they verbalise that they can cope on their own the counselling process will then be terminated. This is just a rough aggregate and does not mean that you have to contact us for the whole time period. It is also important to process any information shared before responding back to LifeLine Pietermaritzburg so that you can make the most of each session. If you have any concerns with the length of the counselling process, please let us know and LifeLine Pietermaritzburg can assist in clarifying any concerns.

TERMINATION: You have the right to terminate counselling and communication at any time. If you choose to do so, upon your request and if appropriate and possible, LifeLine Pietermaritzburg will provide you with another LifeLine counsellor, or the names of other qualified professionals whose services you might prefer.

I have read the Privacy Policy for LifeLine Pietermaritzburg. I understand and agree to comply with the policy guidelines: