Privacy Policy & Client Confidentiality Statement

1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

At Switch-Up Hypnotherapy, your privacy, confidentiality and trust are fundamental to the way we operate.

We understand that seeking hypnotherapy can involve discussing personal experiences, emotional challenges, health concerns, behaviours and aspects of your life that you may not have shared with others.

We respect the confidence you place in us when sharing this information.

Switch-Up Hypnotherapy is owned and operated by Luke O'Dwyer in Brisbane, Queensland. We are committed to handling personal and sensitive information responsibly, respectfully and in accordance with applicable Australian privacy legislation, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles where applicable.

This policy explains how we collect, use, store, protect and disclose information obtained through our website, enquiries and hypnotherapy services.

Our approach is straightforward: your personal information is treated with care, your confidentiality is respected, and your information is used only for legitimate purposes connected with our services, unless another use is authorised or required by law.

2. Information We Collect

To provide professional and personalised hypnotherapy services, we may collect information including:

• Your name, telephone number, email address and contact details.
• Appointment bookings and communication preferences.
• Relevant medical, psychological and health history.
• Information about the issue or behaviour for which you are seeking hypnotherapy.
• Personal experiences, emotional concerns, habits, beliefs and behavioural patterns discussed during consultations.
• Session notes, intake questionnaires, consent forms and relevant treatment records.
• Payment and transaction information.
• Information you voluntarily provide through our website, email, telephone or other communication channels.

Some of this information may be classified as sensitive information under Australian privacy legislation.

We take particular care when handling information concerning your physical health, mental health, emotional wellbeing and personal circumstances.

We aim to collect only information reasonably necessary to understand your needs, assess the suitability of our services and provide appropriate hypnotherapy support.

3. How We Use Your Information

Information collected by Switch-Up Hypnotherapy may be used to:

• Respond to enquiries and provide information about our services.
• Arrange, confirm and manage appointments.
• Understand your individual concerns, goals and circumstances.
• Assess whether hypnotherapy is appropriate for your needs.
• Develop personalised hypnotherapy sessions.
• Monitor progress and maintain appropriate professional records.
• Communicate information relevant to your appointments or treatment.
• Process payments and maintain business records.
• Meet applicable legal, professional and administrative obligations.

Your personal information will not be sold or rented to third parties.

We will not use your confidential therapy information for advertising, testimonials or promotional purposes without your specific consent.

4. Client Confidentiality

Confidentiality is an essential part of the therapeutic relationship.

During hypnotherapy, clients may discuss experiences, thoughts, feelings and behaviours that are deeply personal.

Switch-Up Hypnotherapy recognises the importance of providing an environment in which clients can speak openly without unnecessary concern about how their information will be handled.

Information disclosed during consultations and hypnotherapy sessions is treated as confidential.

We do not ordinarily disclose information about your sessions, personal circumstances or treatment to family members, employers, other practitioners or unrelated third parties without your consent.

However, confidentiality is subject to certain legal and safety-related exceptions.

Circumstances Where Confidentiality May Be Limited

Information may be disclosed where:

• You have provided informed consent for information to be shared.
• Disclosure is required or authorised by Australian law.
• We are required to respond to a lawful court order, subpoena or other legal process.
• Disclosure is reasonably necessary to address a serious threat to someone's life, health or safety, where permitted by law.
• Another lawful exception to confidentiality applies.

Where reasonably possible and appropriate, we will discuss any necessary disclosure with you beforehand.

We aim to limit disclosures to the information reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

5. Health Information and Therapy Records

Information relating to your health, emotional wellbeing and hypnotherapy sessions is handled with particular care.

Client records may include intake information, relevant background details, session notes, agreed therapeutic goals and observations relating to treatment.

These records help maintain continuity and support an individualised approach to hypnotherapy.

Records are retained and disposed of in accordance with applicable legal and professional requirements.

Access to confidential records is restricted to authorised persons and service providers who require access for legitimate purposes.

We do not disclose identifiable client information for case studies, educational presentations, testimonials or public discussion without appropriate consent.

6. Website Privacy and Online Enquiries

When you visit www.switchuphypnotherapy.com, certain information may be collected automatically through standard website technologies.

Depending on the website services and technologies in use, this information may include:

• Your internet protocol (IP) address.
• Browser type and device information.
• Pages visited and general website activity.
• The date and time of your visit.
• The website or search engine that referred you to our website.
• Information submitted through online enquiry or contact forms.

This information may be used to maintain website functionality, understand website performance, improve the visitor experience and protect website security.

If you contact us through an online form or email, we use the information you provide to respond to your enquiry and, where appropriate, arrange services.

Please avoid including unnecessary sensitive health information in general website enquiry forms.

7. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies to support website functionality and understand how visitors interact with the site.

Cookies are small files stored on your device that may help websites remember preferences or collect information about website usage.

Depending on the technologies enabled on our website, cookies may be used for:

• Essential website functionality.
• Website performance and security.
• Understanding visitor numbers and website traffic.
• Improving navigation and user experience.
• Measuring the effectiveness of website content or advertising.

Some website features or third-party services may place their own cookies.

You can manage or restrict cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect how some website features operate.

Where required by applicable law, consent will be obtained before using relevant non-essential tracking technologies.

8. Third-Party Service Providers

Switch-Up Hypnotherapy may use external service providers to assist with the operation of the business.

These may include providers of website hosting, appointment scheduling, email communication, electronic payment processing, website analytics or secure information storage.

Such providers may process limited personal information where necessary to deliver their services.

We take reasonable steps to select appropriate service providers and protect information shared with them.

Some technology providers may store or process information outside Australia.

Where overseas disclosure occurs, we will take reasonable steps to address applicable Australian privacy requirements.

The privacy practices of external websites or services are governed by their respective privacy policies.

9. Storage and Security of Personal Information

We take reasonable steps to protect personal and sensitive information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure.

Depending on the type of information, these measures may include secure electronic storage, password-protected systems, restricted access and appropriate administrative safeguards.

We also take reasonable steps to securely dispose of or de-identify personal information when it is no longer required, subject to legal and professional record-retention obligations.

Although we take privacy and information security seriously, no electronic storage or internet-based communication system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

If you have concerns about sending sensitive information electronically, please contact us to discuss an appropriate alternative.

10. Accessing or Correcting Your Information

You may request access to personal information that Switch-Up Hypnotherapy holds about you.

You may also request that inaccurate, incomplete or outdated information be corrected.

We will consider requests in accordance with applicable Australian privacy law.

In some circumstances, access may be limited or refused where permitted or required by law. If this occurs, we will explain the reason where appropriate.

To request access or correction, please contact:

Email: switchuphypnotherapy@gmail.com

We may need to verify your identity before releasing personal or sensitive information.

11. Consent and Your Choices

Your participation in hypnotherapy is voluntary.

Before commencing treatment, you may be asked to complete an intake form and provide informed consent.

You may ask questions about the information being collected, how it will be used and the confidentiality arrangements that apply.

You may also withdraw consent for particular uses or disclosures of your information, subject to legal requirements and any limitations that may affect our ability to provide services.

Withdrawal of consent does not necessarily require the deletion of records that must be retained by law.

We respect your right to make informed decisions about your personal information and your participation in therapy.

12. Email, Telephone and Electronic Communication

Switch-Up Hypnotherapy may contact you by telephone, text message or email in relation to enquiries, appointments, session arrangements and relevant administrative matters.

Although reasonable precautions are taken, electronic communications may carry privacy and security risks.

We encourage clients to consider the sensitivity of information shared through email, text messages or online platforms.

We will not send unrelated promotional communications where consent is required and has not been obtained.

Where marketing communications are sent, recipients will be provided with an appropriate way to opt out, in accordance with applicable Australian law.

13. Children and Young People

Where hypnotherapy services are provided to children or young people, we take particular care in relation to privacy, consent and confidentiality.

The involvement or consent of a parent or legal guardian may be required, depending on the young person's age, capacity, circumstances and applicable legal requirements.

Information concerning children and young people is handled with appropriate sensitivity and in accordance with relevant legal and professional obligations.

14. Links to External Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, resources or services.

These websites operate independently of Switch-Up Hypnotherapy and may have their own privacy policies and information-handling practices.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of external websites.

We encourage visitors to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites they access.

15. Privacy Concerns and Complaints

If you have questions or concerns about how your personal information has been collected, used, stored or disclosed, we encourage you to contact us directly.

We take privacy concerns seriously and will make reasonable efforts to investigate and respond appropriately.

Privacy Contact

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you may be able to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), subject to its jurisdiction.

Further information is available at www.oaic.gov.au.

16. Changes to This Privacy Policy

Switch-Up Hypnotherapy may update this Privacy Policy periodically to reflect changes in our services, business practices, website technologies or applicable legal requirements.

Any updated policy will be published on our website with a revised effective date.

We encourage visitors and clients to review this page periodically.

17. Our Ongoing Commitment

At Switch-Up Hypnotherapy, confidentiality is more than an administrative requirement. It is an important part of establishing a professional therapeutic relationship built on respect, trust and clear communication.

We recognise that meaningful personal change often begins with an honest conversation about experiences and patterns that may have developed over many years.

Protecting the privacy of those conversations is a responsibility we take seriously.

Our commitment is to provide professional, respectful and confidential hypnotherapy services while maintaining appropriate safeguards for the personal information entrusted to us.