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This policy is designed to care for you and safeguard our therapeutic relationship. It outlines the boundaries of online, electronic, and social media communication between South Coast Harmony (the Practice) and my valued clients. By keeping these digital boundaries clear, I can fully protect your confidentiality, focus entirely on your well-being, and ensure I meet the highest Australian legal and ethical standards.

This policy applies to all digital spaces, including email, text messaging, phone calls, social networking sites, search engines, and website communication.

Crisis and Emergency Communication

• My practice is not a Crisis Service: While I am deeply committed to your care, my social media profiles, business emails, and business phone numbers are not monitored 24/7. They should never be used if you need immediate emergency assistance.
• Emergency Contacts: If you are experiencing a mental health crisis or need urgent support, please engage with these free, 24/7 Australian crisis resources immediately:
  • Emergency Services: 000
  • Mental Health Triage Service (SA): 13 14 65
  • Lifeline: 13 11 14 or access the Lifeline Australia Online Chat
  • 1800RESPECT: 1800 737 732 National Domestic Family and Sexual Violence Counselling Service
  • Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or visit the Beyond Blue Support Service
  • Suicide Call Back Service: 1300 659 467
  • 13YARN: 13 92 76 Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support line
  • Parent Helpline: 1300 364 100 The Women’s and Children Health Network (WCHN) Parent Helpline

Professional Boundaries & Social Networking
To ensure our therapeutic relationship remains a safe, objective, and supportive space for you, it is important that we keep our personal and professional lives separate online.

• Friend and Connection Requests: To protect your privacy and ensure your therapy space remains safe, I do not accept "friend", "follow", or connection requests from current or former clients on my personal or professional social media accounts (such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or TikTok).
• Public Interactions: If we happen to follow the same public professional pages or groups, I will not interact with you or acknowledge our connection publicly. This is strictly to protect your identity and keep your clinical confidentiality secure.
• Ex-Clients: In alignment with PACFA ethical standards, personal or digital relationships with former clients are not permitted. This ensures that the professional care and boundaries established during your therapy are respected long-term.

Communication Channels
I want to make sure your sensitive information is always handled with the utmost care. To keep your details safe, please use authorised, secure channels to reach me.

• Email and Text Messaging (SMS): I welcome email and SMS for administrative tasks, such as scheduling, altering, or confirming your appointments.
• Clinical Content: Because standard email and text messages are not entirely secure or encrypted, where possible, please avoid sending detailed updates, clinical information, or journal entries through these channels. Your story and your mental health updates are very important, and best shared safely within our face-to-face or secure telehealth sessions.
• Direct Messaging (DMs): Please do not use the messaging functions on social media platforms (like Instagram DMs or Facebook Messenger) to contact my Practice. These platforms are not securely monitored for clinical care and do not meet Australian privacy standards for sensitive health data.

Consumer Laws, Advertising, and Testimonials
The Practice operates transparently and in strict accordance with the Australian Consumer Law and the PACFA Guidelines for Advertising Counselling and Psychotherapy Services.

• Testimonials: To protect your confidentiality and shield you from any unintended pressure, I do not solicit, accept, or publish testimonials or reviews from current or former clients. Therapy is a deeply personal process, and your experience should never be used as marketing material.
  Note: I do display singing student testimonials on my website in line with The National Vocational Education and Training (VET) Standards (governed by the Australian Skills Quality Authority).
• Public Comments: If you choose to comment publicly on the Practice’s professional social media posts, please keep in mind that this may link your name to a mental health service online. To protect your anonymity, I may occasionally remove comments, though please know this is always done out of care for your privacy.
• Honest Information: All clinical information, pricing, qualifications, and educational content published by the Practice will always be honest, clear, and accurate.

Search Engines and Digital Privacy
I respect your privacy online just as much as I do in the clinic room.

• Client Searches: I want our sessions to be guided entirely by what you choose to share with me. Because of this, I do not look up clients on search engines (like Google) or review your social media profiles. The only exception to this would be a critical emergency involving your immediate safety, which would always be openly discussed with you in our next session.
• Location Services: Please be aware that if you use location-based apps (like Facebook Check-Ins or Google Maps) on your mobile device, these applications might log your presence at my clinic location, which could inadvertently share your privacy with others.

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