Privacy Policy - Inclusive Art Therapy

Dated 18/11/2025

This policy outlines the ways in which Inclusive Art Therapy handles the personal information of our clients. We take privacy seriously and are committed to complying with the Australian Privacy Principles in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Inclusive Art Therapy may refer to itself in this Privacy Policy as ‘us’, ‘we’, ‘our’, or refer directly to the practising Art Therapist, Ellie Bortz AThR. The client may be referred to as ‘you’.

Inclusive Art Therapy may change this privacy policy from time to time by posting an updated copy on our website and we encourage you to check our website regularly to ensure that you are aware of our most current privacy policy

Personal information

Personal information is any information about an individual that can be used to identify them directly or indirectly, such as name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth.

Sensitive information is a type of personal information which includes details, for example, about a person’s racial or ethnic origins, political or religious beliefs, sexual orientation, health or genetic information, family court orders or criminal record. Sensitive information is the type of information a client may self-disclose during the course of therapy.

Why personal information is collected

The sharing of personal information by a client to Inclusive Art Therapy assists the Art Therapist (Ellie Bortz) to assess and support the client in processing their identified concerns. Personal information is retained to enable Ellie Bortz to provide a relevant and informed service. Due to Ellie Bortz’s duty of care, a client cannot be anonymous. A client may request to use a pseudonym, but a name as listed on ID’s is required.

How we collect personal information

Personal information is collected through a variety of means, including:

• the information you verbally share with Inclusive Art Therapy/Ellie Bortz

• written communication received from you via email, SMS, social media or letter

• Inclusive Art Therapy’s intake form

• a referral from your GP or another treating practitioner or service.

If you are providing information on the behalf of someone else

If you are providing personal and/or sensitive information on behalf of someone else, you must have the consent of that person to provide their personal and/or sensitive information to Inclusive Art Therapy to be collected, used, and disclosed in accordance with this privacy policy.

This includes where you are a NDIS participant’s nominee, support coordinator, plan manager or representative. We reserve the right to request evidence of this consent.

Storage of personal information

To protect the personal information Inclusive Art Therapy holds from misuse or loss, personal information is stored in several ways, all of which are secure and can only be accessed by approved individuals with multi-factor authentication. The method of storage varies between types of information and includes both hard copies and digital versions (either on a secure server or offline).

We take reasonable steps to ensure your personal information is secure and protected from misuse or unauthorised access. Our information technology systems are password protected, and we use a range of administrative and technical measures to protect these systems. However, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information.

Inclusive Art Therapy does not retain any credit card or banking details once processing the payment is finalised. Inclusive Art Therapy also tries to not retain unnecessary information, disposing of it securely from time to time depending on the type of information it is and our legal obligations.

If Inclusive Art Therapy becomes aware of a security breach, Ellie Bortz will promptly investigate and, where appropriate, take remedial action and notify the individual affected in accordance with the Privacy Act.

Links to other websites

Inclusive Art Therapy’s website may contain links to other websites. Those links are provided for convenience and may not remain current or be maintained. Inclusive Art Therapy is not responsible for the privacy practices of those linked websites and it is suggested that you review the privacy policies of those websites before using them.

Disclosure of your personal information

Inclusive Art Therapy will not disclose personal information about you to third parties without your consent, except when the disclosure is required by law.

An example of when Inclusive Art Therapy may request your consent to share personal information would be in the circumstance of contacting another healthcare provider, referrer or members of your support or wellbeing team.

Accessing your personal information

You may request access to personal information we hold about you. We may ask you to specify what information you require. You may be required to verify your identity before personal or sensitive information can be provided.

Inclusive Art Therapy deals with all requests for access to personal information as required by the Privacy Act. Inclusive Art Therapy may refuse to provide access if the Privacy Act allows us to do so.

Integrity of your personal information

Inclusive Art Therapy tries to ensure that the personal information collected by you is accurate and up to date. You may request an update or correction to personal information held about you and we will deal with all such requests as required by the Privacy Act.

Security systems in hired premises

Inclusive Art Therapy may hire or rent rooms in premises such as a wellbeing or disability centre to deliver in-person Art Therapy. These premises may have their own security system and CCTV cameras that capture visual and audio recordings in public areas (such as a waiting room). There are no cameras or recording devices in the therapy rooms, toilets or areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy. Inclusive Art Therapy does not have access to these recordings.

Complaints

If you think your personal information has not been handled in line with the Privacy Act, please contact Ellie Bortz in the first instance. Ellie Bortz will investigate your complaint and try to promptly resolve your complaint directly with you.

Ellie Bortz AThR contact@inclusivearttherapy.au

If you are not satisfied with the outcome, then you may make a complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC). For information about how to make such a complaint, please refer to the OAIC website http://www.oaic.gov.au/

Changes to this privacy policy

Inclusive Art Therapy may make changes to this privacy policy from time to time and in such cases clients will be notified by email or on Inclusive Art Therapy’s website.

Contact

If you have any questions relating to privacy matters, please contact Inclusive Art Therapy by email at contact@inclusivearttherapy.au