How your personal information is collected, used, stored, and protected — written in plain language, with no jargon to wade through.
The work we do together is personal. You'll share things with me you may never have said out loud — and you deserve to know exactly how that information is looked after.
This policy explains, in plain language, what I collect, why I collect it, where it's kept, and the control you have over it at every step. I've kept it free of legal jargon wherever I can. If anything here is unclear, just ask.
I'm committed to protecting your personal information in line with the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).
I'm Sarah Buckle, and I run Sarah Buckle Psychotherapy as a sole trader, ABN 52 517 184 411. You can reach me at any time at sarah@sarahbuckle.com.au.
I work as a Master Practitioner of NLP and Master Clinical Hypnotherapist in a trauma-informed coaching and psychotherapy-style practice. I'm not a medical practitioner or an AHPRA-registered psychologist, and my work is not a substitute for medical, psychiatric, or emergency care.
To work with you safely and well, I collect two kinds of information.
Personal information — your name, email address, phone number, address (if you give it), and billing details.
Sensitive information — because my work is trauma-informed and deeply personal, I may also collect things like your emotional and psychological history, trauma background, relationship history, behavioural patterns, the goals and challenges you bring to our work, and my notes and reflections from our sessions.
Sensitive information is given the highest level of protection under privacy law, and I only collect it with your consent — usually through your intake form and the conversations we have together. You're never required to share anything you're not comfortable sharing, and you can tell me to stop at any time.
My services are for adults. I don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 18.
I collect your information directly from you, through intake and assessment forms, our session conversations, email and written messages, and my booking and scheduling systems. Now and then I may collect it from someone who refers you to me — but only the basics needed to make contact and arrange your consult.
I use your information to:
I won't use your information for an unrelated purpose without first asking you.
If you become a client or ask to hear from me, I may occasionally send you helpful resources, updates, or news about my work. Every one of those emails will clearly come from me and will include a one-click way to unsubscribe. The moment you opt out, I'll stop — no questions asked. I'll never sell your details or pass them to anyone for their own marketing.
When you visit my website, some information is collected automatically to keep the site working and to help me understand how people find and use it. This may include your device and browser type, your approximate location, the pages you view, and how you arrived (for example, from a Google search or ad).
I use Google Analytics to understand how people find and use the site, which relies on cookies and similar technologies. My website is also built on the Wix platform, which sets the essential cookies needed to keep the site running. You can switch cookies off or delete them in your browser settings at any time, though some parts of the site may then work less smoothly.
Running a modern practice means trusting a few carefully chosen platforms to help me work. The main ones are:
A note on AI specifically, because it matters: I never enter your full identifying details into an AI tool unless it's been de-identified or is genuinely necessary to support your care. AI is a thinking aid for me — it never makes decisions about you, and it never replaces my own clinical judgement.
Each of these providers has its own security and privacy practices, and I choose tools that take that responsibility seriously.
Your information is stored using secure, password-protected, and encrypted digital systems, including the platforms above. I take all reasonable steps to protect it from misuse, loss, interference, and unauthorised access — and I keep the amount of information I hold to what I genuinely need.
I will never sell your personal information. I only share it when:
Some of the platforms I use store data on servers outside Australia, including in the United States. By engaging my services, you understand and agree that your information may be stored and handled in those locations, under their applicable laws.
I work with clients worldwide. If you're outside Australia, the privacy laws of your own country or region may give you additional rights over your information. I'm happy to honour reasonable requests under those laws — just contact me, and I'll do my best to help.
I keep client records for a minimum of seven years, and longer where the law, my professional obligations, or sound record-keeping require it. After that, your information is securely destroyed or de-identified. You can ask me to delete your information sooner, and I'll do so wherever I'm legally and practically able to.
You can ask to see the personal information I hold about you, or ask me to correct anything that's wrong, at any time. Just get in touch and I'll respond promptly — usually within 30 days.
If there's ever a data breach likely to cause you serious harm, I'll let you know, and I'll notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme.
If you're ever unhappy with how I've handled your information, please tell me first — I take it seriously and will work with you to put it right. If you're not satisfied with my response, you're entitled to contact the OAIC at oaic.gov.au.
I may update this policy from time to time as my practice or the law evolves. The current version will always live on my website, with the date it last changed shown at the top.
If you have any questions about your privacy or this policy, please reach out to me directly at sarah@sarahbuckle.com.au.
A note on all this
I'd far rather you felt completely comfortable than left wondering.
Email sarah@sarahbuckle.com.au