PRIVACY

The types of personal information that we collect from you will depend on how you use our service. We will collect details such as your name, email address, and some details of your personal interests. Some of this information is essential for Anthony Engel to do his work and also be able to accurately identify who is using his service and as such is mandatory. Other types of information are collected to help us profile who is using the services and what their interests are. Information of this type is often optional - you need only fill it in if you wish to do so. Some people opt to remain anonymous when they embark on email or telephone counselling. This is okay where necessary. Email or contact Anthony Engel to find out more about remaining anonymous.

We value your trust in our service: in all cases, your information will be held in strictest confidence. Your contact details and email address and other relevant material about you will only be used for your counselling experience and will not be added to any mailing list or used or disclosed for any other purpose. All client information is kept confidential in secure storage and only counsellors and approved staff are allowed access.

Our site may also use cookies; however we do not currently use cookies. Cookies are pieces of information that a website can transfer to an individual's computer hard drive for record keeping. Cookies can make using our website easier by storing information about your preferences on a particular website. This will enable you to take full advantage of the services we offer. The use of cookies is an industry standard and you'll find most major websites use them. Most Internet browsers are pre-set to accept cookies. If you prefer not to receive cookies, you can adjust your Internet browser to refuse cookies or to warn you when cookies are being used.

If you contact us via the Internet, we gather information via emails. Whenever a page is requested from our web server, we record the time, date and URL of the request, along with information on the browser software that is being used. This information is used to improve the structure and performance of our website and is not used in any way to uniquely identify a user.

How we use your personal information

The personal information that you provide to us during registration is used for identification purposes and will assist you to subscribe to our services. The information we gather from your use of our service enables us to provide better services that are tailored to your needs. Recording usage patterns helps us to identify the areas of our site that are popular and those that are not. By using cookies, users can specify their unique preferences. The data that is gathered when you use our site is aggregated for analysis. Identifiable characteristics are removed and the user remains anonymous. Additional data provided to us is used to examine Internet trends and demographics to help us offer you improved services.

Disclosure of your information

The information we collect from you is strictly confidential. Anthony Engel or staff associated with him is required by law not to reveal, disclose, distribute, share or pass on to any third parties. Any personal information you have provided to us will remain confidential, unless we have your written consent to share with other professionals, etc. All records belong to Anthony Engel and he will talk to you about passing any information on to anyone upon your request. Anthony Engel has the right to refuse to make available any information that he feels may be detrimental to the client and/or significant others. In most cases he will forward information on to assist in the overall care of your emotional and psychological health and well being.

Exceptions to this include:

• where there are reasonable grounds to believe that disclosure is necessary to prevent a threat to life or health; and;
• where he is required to provide information in response to Subpoenas or Warrants or other legal process including requests from the Courts.

Security of your information that you may send or receive

Transmissions sent to or from us are routinely monitored for quality control and systems administration. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. While we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or receive from us. These activities are conducted at your own risk. Once we receive your transmission, we will make our best effort to ensure its security. We cannot guarantee that the information we transmit to you will arrive in tact or virus free, therefore, as most users are aware, these transmissions are not 100% secure and may at times be spoilt or come with viruses. We use all the latest anti virus and other protective software and will always strive to screen and test any incoming and outgoing transmissions, but once it leaves our servers/computers we cannot accept any responsibility thereafter if any errors or other problems occur.

Children and Adolescent privacy

The safety of children and young people is very important to us. Their Rights will be protected and honoured at all times. We ask that young people under the age of 14 have a parent or guardian verify/confirm their email application/interaction with us. Whilst we will make every reasonable effort to ensure that young people's privacy and other rights are not compromised, it is ultimately the responsibility of parents to monitor their children's emails. Young people should always ask a parent before sending any transmission over the Internet when under age.

All transmissions from children and young people will only be viewed and addressed by Anthony Engel or staff eligible to work with children. Anthony Engel has approval to work with children and young people. (Child Protection Act 1998 (Working with Children Check). Updated 2016. NSW Commission for Children and Young People.

What else you should know about privacy

Remember to close your browser when you have finished your user session. This is to ensure that others cannot access your personal information and correspondence if you share a computer with someone else or are using a computer in a public place like a library or Internet cafe. You as an individual are responsible for the security of and access to your own computer. Please be aware that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information over the Internet (for example: in discussion forums, via email, or in chat sites) that this information can be collected and used by others. In short, if you post personal information in publicly accessible online forums, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return. Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your username and passwords and/or any account information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are using the Internet.

All client information is kept in secured, locked systems. After a 12 month period of inactivity, the client's file will be archived. After another 3 years of inactivity, the file will be further archived and in most cases moved on to be destroyed.