RMIT values the privacy of every individual and is committed to responsible handling of personal information.
RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services (the service) will collect your personal and health information in the course of providing the service to you, including to:
- assess, support, advise, treat and/or diagnose you and generally provide our services to you
- confirm your student or staff status and eligibility to access our services
- support administrative functions associated with our services (e.g. record-keeping, referrals, appointment bookings)
- meet our legislative obligations including for the Health Records Act (2001) (Vic) and the Privacy and Data Protection Act (2014) (Vic)
- to inform general business analysis, quality assurance, reporting and planning activities (non-identifying information only)
Our counsellors are registered psychologists, provisional psychologists, or social workers and are subject to either the Psychology Board of Australia's Code of Conduct 2025 and the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (Victoria) Act 2009, or the Australian Association of Social Workers' Code of Ethics.
When you see one of our team, we are required to maintain notes of sessions, treatment information and/or intervention plans. The service also collects information about individuals and clients who make inquiries via email and telephone, including inquiries made by third parties.
If you do not provide the requested information, this may have an effect on RMIT’s ability to provide the service to you and we reserve the right to not provide the service if we believe it is compromised by a lack of information or if we would be unable to meet our legal obligations.
AI note taking
The service uses an AI-assisted notetaking tool (Heidi), to support counsellors in accurately capturing session information and improving the quality and efficiency of service delivery.
The use of Heidi is governed by RMIT’s privacy, security and clinical governance requirements. All information processed through Heidi is handled in accordance with the Health Records Act 2001 (Vic) and RMIT’s privacy obligations.
Heidi assists RMIT by providing counsellors with a transcript of your session and reduces the administrative workload to RMIT staff so that they can spend more time supporting students.
Heidi does not make decisions about your care; all clinical judgement and documentation remain the responsibility of your counsellor including any adjustments made to the notes to ensure it reflects what was discussed. All information is deleted from Heidi within 24 hours.
Heidi is a consent-based addition to the service. When you book your appointment, you'll be asked if you consent to the use of Heidi for note taking purposes. You can choose not to consent, and this won't affect your access to support.
If you consent to the use of Heidi in your counselling sessions, but later change your mind, you can withdraw your consent to use Heidi at any time by letting your counsellor know or emailing the service counselling@rmit.edu.au.
Further information about Heidi can be found on the service webpage RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services - RMIT University
Sharing your information
RMIT treats all information provided by you for the service as confidential. However, RMIT may share or release your information in limited circumstances, including:
- If we are required to do so by a law, for example; where we have a statutory obligation such as for investigating illegal or criminal activities or the prevention of harm to self or others, including children.
- To external parties at your request or with your consent; such as specialist healthcare providers where this is necessary for the management of your ongoing healthcare and treatment, for example to seek a professional opinion, or manage a referral to or from another provider
- To other staff within the service for purposes related to your healthcare and treatment.
The boundaries of confidentiality are within the RMIT Counselling and Psychological Services team, not with the individual you may see. The team works collaboratively as one service and Psychologists and Social Workers are required to consult and receive supervision from colleagues from time to time. If your information is shared in this context, all care is taken to deidentify your information in such a way that you remain anonymous. Additionally, members of our team participate in professional supervision and clinical consultation to ensure the highest quality of care. In some instances, de-identified information may be discussed with appropriately qualified external supervisors or consultants with relevant expertise.
Provisionally registered psychologists work under supervision as part of their professional training. As part of this process, they may use de-identified information from their clinical work in supervision and case reports for learning and assessment purposes.
Further privacy information
To learn more about how RMIT collects, stores, processes and protects your personal information, please visit our student or general privacy statement.
All personal information collected by RMIT is stored and maintained in accordance with the RMIT Retention and Disposal Standard.
Referrals
Counsellors will refer you to other specialist RMIT and external services if:
- You request help with finding a specialist
- After discussion and assessment, RMIT counselling is not the most suitable service for you
- There are other forms of professional support that better meet your needs.
We will always discuss the referral with you, and if appropriate, continue to meet with you until the referral is organised.
Your rights
RMIT provides the service to you with your consent, which you have the right to withdraw at any time. However, this will not affect the lawfulness of our processing of your information prior to you withdrawing your consent.
Your consent will remain valid for 12 months from the date you complete your intake questionnaire. If your circumstances change or further consent is needed, your counsellor will discuss this with you
You have the right to request access to certain information held about you. Complex access requests will require a formal application under the Freedom of Information Act 1982. To find out more, you can speak to your counsellor or read about RMIT’s Freedom of Information Policy.
How to contact us about your privacy
Please feel free to contact us by email privacy@rmit.edu.au if you have any questions or concerns about RMIT’s collection, use or disclosure of your personal information.
Without consent RMIT may be unable to provide counselling services to you. For further information please speak to your RMIT counsellor in your intake session.
