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The DBT Clinics Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) has been developed to comply with the requirements of the ten National Privacy Principles (NPPs) embodied in schedule 3 of the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth). The NPPs will apply to all personal information collected by ADBTI PTY LTD (‘DBT Clinics’) in the course of performing psychological and mental health services for our clients.

This policy has been developed to assure that information gathered by your therapist over the course of assessment and treatment at the DBT Clinics is used in an appropriate, secure manner, and to provide for access to, and correction of such information.

DBT Clinics’s Commitment to Privacy & Client Rights
DBT Clinics is a private fee-for-service mental health service with our head office located at 144 Martin Street Brighton VIC 3186. As an organisation, we recognise and support the rights of our clients to privacy and confidentiality in respect of their personal information. We have created this Privacy Policy to outline the purposes for which we collect or use such information. All employees and independent practitioners of DBT Clinics are required to sign confidentiality agreements/obligations which include upholding the rights and responsibilities outlined in this document.

How to contact us about privacy
Your privacy is very important to us. For that reason, we have provided the following details for clients to get in contact with our management if you have any questions.

You can contact us at: info@dbtclinics.com to discuss any of the matters detailed in the Patient Privacy Policy, our internal procedures for ensuring that our staff comply with the NPPs, or any other areas of concern to you in relation to your personal information. In the event that you are unable to access this Privacy Policy online or obtain a copy from our clinic, please phone us at (03) 9586 8488.

Information gathered
Over the course of treatment at DBT Clinics , information is gathered allowing our mental health practitioners to make informed professional decisions as to the most appropriate assessment and treatment methods to be used in your care. This information can include demographic data (e.g.
name, date of birth, address, etc), as well as other information that is deemed relevant.

Other relevant information will usually include the following:
• The nature of the problem for which you are presenting;
• Areas of behaviour related to the presenting problems;
• A history of the presenting problem;
• A family history of relevant information; and
• Other information deemed necessary to make an informed clinical judgement about the nature of the presenting complaint and other relevant factors

Confidentiality of information
Generally, all information gathered over the course of assessment and treatment at DBT Clinics remains confidential.

There are several notable exceptions to this confidentiality:
• All mental health practitioners at DBT Clinics discuss case load with an experienced mental health practitioner in a supervisory relationship. Information on the nature of the case (though not necessarily full identifying information) is shared with the supervisor;
• In the event that the mental health practitioner forms the professional opinion that either the client, or another individual is a risk for significant harm, a moral and legal obligation may exist to act on this information with the aim of preventing such harm;
• In the event that a file is subpoenaed to court;
• In the event that a written Record Release Authority is provided with the client’s signature.

Use of information
Information gathered by DBT Clinics is used exclusively for two purposes
• Purpose 1: For the formation of a professional mental health practitioner’s opinion which is
used to guide assessment and treatment for the presenting complaint; and
• Purpose 2: For the evaluation of the service provided by DBT Clinics, through collation of detailed statistics about referral sources, nature of presenting problems, attendance durations, etc. In all cases where information is used for statistical purposes, no identifying information is made available.

Security of information
We have processes in place to ensure the security of all electronically stored personal information, including encryption of all data, when it is transferred to our service providers and limitations on access to personal information within our organisation.

No hard copy of client information is kept by DBT Clinics. Any hardcopy information provided to our administrative staff or mental health practitioners is scanned into our electronic medical records and then shredded before being disposed of confidentially. In some cases, storage of your electronic information is stored by way of a third-party secure electronic medical record service meaning that your information may not be stored in Australia. By undertaking mental health services through DBT Clinics, you are taken to have consented to the overseas storage of your personal information by the before mentioned means.

Obtaining information
Requests for information may be made to the Clinic Director, DBT Clinics, 144 Martin Street Brighton VIC 3186. Requests should be specific as to the exact information required and should be acknowledged within 14 days in writing. Once a request for information is received, the Clinic Manager will conduct a thorough review of the electronic medical record and collate the information in an appropriate manner to ensure adequate and full understanding on the part of the requesting person.

Procedure for complaint/rectifying information Official complaints or requests to change inaccurate or erroneous information should be made to the Clinic Director, DBT Clinics, 144 Martin Street Brighton VIC 3186.

In such cases, the Clinic Director will conduct a review of the information held by the Clinic and make every effort to ensure that such information is accurate.

Access to the privacy policy
This document should be freely available, and accessible on request by all staff and clients of the DBT Clinics. Its availability should be announced in a prominent location and discussed with each client during their initial session.

All Correspondence Regarding this Document can be directed to each individual practitioner and:

Clinic Director
DBT Clinics
144 Martin Street

Brighton VIC 3186
Tel: 03 9586 8411

Fax: 03 9923 6360
E: info@dbtclinics.com

We require 48 hours notice to reschedule or cancel a session without occurring any fees. This policy is in place to allow us to offer the allocated time to another client who may be on a cancellation or waiting list for an appointment. In the event that less that 48 hours notice is given to cancel an appointment or a scheduled appointment is not attended, the consultation fee may be charged unless there are extenuating circumstances. Please note that medicare does not cover cancelled appointments.

The reason we have a cancellation policy is that any cancellation impacts three groups of individuals:

1. The client who is delaying their therapy progress

2. Another client who has been sitting on the waiting list to see a therapist urgently

3. The therapist who spent the morning/evening before preparing for the session

Should you wish to discuss this policy or other policy at DBT Clinics, please feel free to contact our team on 03 9598 8488

Click the following link to download the DBT Clinic’s Consent form GC-DBT-CONSENT1

Click the following link to download the DBT Clinic’s Online/Telehealth Consent form GC-DBT-TELEHEALTH-CONSENT

You do not need to have a referral in order to make an appointment or if you are claiming via your private health extras fund. Our therapists set their own individual fees which are guided by their profession’s recommendations and each clinician’s training and experience.

Our private fees are as follows for 50-minute sessions:

– $80 DBT or RO-DBT Initial Assessment

– $260 Individual Therapy

– $290 Family Therapy Sessions

– DBT Groups $65 per group session (no medicare rebate, a discount is applied to ensure equity for all attendees)

– RO-DBT Classes $110 per session (no medicare rebate, a discount is applied to ensure equity for all attendees)

To save time in the waiting room or online at DBT Clinics we have developed a secure online client registration form. Please complete this form before your session and our admin staff will upload all your information to our electronic medical records so that your clinician has a range of information before your session.

Click on the following link >>> Client Registration Form

If you would like to have our team communicate with other service providers please download, print and sign our Consent to Release Information form below. 

Use of information
Information gathered by DBT Clinics is used exclusively for two purposes

• Purpose 1: For the formation of a professional mental health practitioner’s opinion which is
used to guide assessment and treatment for the presenting complaint; and
• Purpose 2: For the evaluation of the service provided by DBT Clinics, through collation of detailed statistics about referral sources, nature of presenting problems, attendance durations, etc. In all cases where information is used for statistical purposes, no identifying information is made available.

Security of information
We have processes in place to ensure the security of all electronically stored personal information, including encryption of all data, when it is transferred to our service providers and limitations on access to personal information within our organisation.

No hard copy of client information is kept by DBT Clinics. Any hardcopy information provided to our administrative staff or mental health practitioners is scanned into our electronic medical records and then shredded before being disposed of confidentially. In some cases, storage of your electronic information is stored by way of a third-party secure electronic medical record service meaning that your information may not be stored in Australia. By undertaking mental health services through DBT Clinics, you are taken to have consented to the overseas storage of your personal information by the before mentioned means.

Download this form here >>> Consent to Release Information form