Slow Practice Studio provides counselling and art therapy services for adults, young people and children, where appropriate to the practitioner's qualifications, training, experience and scope of practice. Services are provided in accordance with relevant professional standards, ethical requirements and applicable Australian and Victorian legislation.

Art therapy is a form of psychotherapy that incorporates creative processes alongside conversation to support emotional, psychological and relational wellbeing. You do not need to be artistic or have previous experience making art to participate in art therapy.Sessions may involve conversation, art-making, reflection, or a combination of these. Art-making is not compulsory, and the therapeutic approach will be adapted to your individual needs, preferences and circumstances.Counselling and art therapy are collaborative processes. While therapy may support meaningful change and wellbeing, no particular therapeutic outcome can be guaranteed.

An agreement to provide services is formed when an appointment is booked and accepted by Slow Practice Studio. By booking or participating in an appointment, you acknowledge that you have had an opportunity to understand the nature of the service and agree to these Terms & Conditions, together with the other policies and information provided to you.For ongoing therapy, consent and therapeutic goals will be discussed and reviewed as appropriate throughout the therapeutic relationship.

Your participation in therapy is voluntary. You are welcome to ask questions about your therapy, the approaches being used, and the purpose of therapeutic activities. You may decline a particular therapeutic activity, including an art-making activity, or discuss an alternative approach with your practitioner. You may also choose to pause or end therapy at any time. Consent is an ongoing process and may be revisited throughout therapy as your circumstances, preferences or therapeutic needs change.

Information shared during therapy is treated as confidential and handled in accordance with applicable privacy legislation, professional obligations and the Slow Practice Studio Privacy Policy.

There are circumstances in which confidentiality may be limited or information may need to be disclosed without your consent. These may include where:

• disclosure is required or authorised by law

• a court or other lawful authority requires information to be provided

• there is a serious risk of harm to you or another person

• disclosure is required in accordance with applicable child protection or other legal obligations

• disclosure is reasonably necessary to provide or coordinate appropriate care, where permitted by law.

Where possible and appropriate, your practitioner will discuss a proposed disclosure with you beforehand.

Information may also be discussed in professional supervision or consultation for the purpose of supporting safe and ethical practice. Identifying information will be limited or removed wherever reasonably practicable.

Further information about how your information is collected, stored, used and disclosed is provided in the Privacy Policy.

When therapy is provided to a child or young person, arrangements concerning consent, confidentiality, communication and parental or guardian involvement will be considered in accordance with the person's age, maturity, capacity, circumstances and applicable law.

Where parental or guardian consent is required, appropriate consent will be obtained before therapy begins.

The practitioner will discuss with the child or young person what information may remain private and what circumstances may require information to be shared with a parent, guardian or another person.

Where parents or guardians are separated or there are differing views about a child's treatment, Slow Practice Studio may require appropriate information or documentation concerning parental responsibility before proceeding.

The safety, wellbeing and best interests of the child or young person will remain central to decisions about their care.

Appointments are provided at the time and location agreed when the appointment is made.

Clients are encouraged to arrive on time so they can make full use of their scheduled appointment.

Where a client arrives late, the session will generally finish at the scheduled time so that subsequent appointments are not affected.

Fees, cancellations, rescheduling and late attendance are addressed in the Fees, Payments & Cancellations Policy.

Slow Practice Studio may communicate with you by email, telephone, SMS or another agreed method for purposes relating to your care and appointments.

Electronic communication carries inherent privacy and security risks. You should avoid sending highly sensitive or urgent information by ordinary email or SMS unless an alternative communication method has been specifically arranged.

Messages are not monitored continuously and should not be relied upon for urgent or emergency support.

Slow Practice Studio is not an emergency, crisis or acute mental health service.

The service is not designed to provide emergency intervention, crisis response or intensive psychiatric care.

If you are experiencing an immediate mental health crisis, are at risk of harming yourself or another person, or require urgent medical or psychiatric assistance, please contact 000, attend your nearest emergency department, or contact an appropriate crisis service.

Where your needs require additional support beyond what Slow Practice Studio can provide, this will be discussed with you and appropriate referral or additional supports may be recommended.

This may include referral or collaboration with your GP, psychiatrist, psychologist, another health professional or an appropriate mental health service.

The therapeutic relationship is a professional relationship. Slow Practice Studio maintains clear professional boundaries to support a safe, respectful and effective therapeutic environment.

Professional boundaries include how we communicate outside appointments, social media and online contact, physical contact, gifts, and interactions outside the therapy setting.

Your practitioner will not contact you through personal social media accounts or engage with you through social media for the purposes of the therapeutic relationship. Communication about your care will take place through the agreed professional channels.

Physical contact, gifts and interactions outside the therapy setting will be approached with consideration of professional boundaries, your wellbeing and the nature of the therapeutic relationship.

Encounters Outside the Therapy Setting

As your practitioner works within the local community, there may be occasions when you happen to see each other outside of therapy.

To protect your privacy and confidentiality, your practitioner will generally not initiate contact with you or acknowledge you in a public setting unless you approach them first.

If you do approach your practitioner, they will respond respectfully while being mindful of maintaining your privacy and the professional nature of the therapeutic relationship.

You are never required to acknowledge or speak with your practitioner outside of therapy.

Slow Practice Studio maintains clinical records in accordance with applicable legal, professional and ethical requirements.

Clinical records may include:

• attendance and appointment information

• information discussed during therapy

• relevant clinical observations and assessments

• therapeutic goals and treatment planning

• relevant correspondence

• information relating to safety or risk

• photographs, descriptions or other documentation of artwork where relevant to the therapeutic process.

Records are stored securely and access is restricted to authorised persons.

Clinical records will be retained for the period required by applicable law, professional standards and insurance requirements.

Further information about the collection, storage, use and disclosure of personal and health information is provided in the Privacy Policy.

Artwork and Creative Materials

Artwork and creative materials made during therapy belong to the client unless otherwise agreed.

Where physical artwork is left at Slow Practice Studio, it will be stored securely for a limited period due to the practical storage capacity of the practice. Artwork will generally be held for no more than 30 days.

During this period, the practitioner will discuss with the client what they would like to do with the artwork. The client may choose to take the artwork home, arrange for it to be securely disposed of, or make another arrangement with the practitioner.

If artwork has not been collected or an arrangement has not been made within the 30-day period, Slow Practice Studio may securely dispose of the artwork.

Where photographs, descriptions or other documentation of artwork form part of the clinical record, these will be managed and retained in accordance with applicable legal, privacy and professional requirements.

Artwork will not be photographed, reproduced, exhibited, published or shared publicly without appropriate informed consent.

Professional supervision and consultation form part of responsible clinical practice.

Information from therapy may be discussed in supervision or professional consultation where necessary to support ethical and effective care.

Where reasonably practicable, information will be de-identified or otherwise limited so that you are not personally identifiable.

Slow Practice Studio provides services within the practitioner's professional qualifications, training, experience and scope of practice.

Where your needs require additional support beyond what Slow Practice Studio can provide, this will be discussed with you and appropriate referral or additional supports may be recommended.

This may include referral to a GP, psychologist, psychiatrist, medical practitioner, allied health professional, crisis service or another appropriate provider.

A referral does not necessarily mean that therapy must end. The appropriate arrangement will depend on your individual circumstances and therapeutic needs.

Slow Practice Studio is committed to providing a therapeutic environment that respects people's dignity, autonomy, identity, culture, beliefs and individual circumstances.

Discriminatory, threatening, abusive, sexualised or intimidating behaviour toward the practitioner or others will not be accepted.

Where behaviour creates a significant concern for safety or prevents therapy from being conducted appropriately, the practitioner may pause or end a session and discuss appropriate next steps.

You may choose to end therapy at any time.

Where appropriate, ending therapy will be discussed collaboratively so that the therapeutic relationship can be concluded safely and meaningfully.

Slow Practice Studio may also determine that therapy should end where, for example:

• the service is no longer appropriate for your needs

• your needs fall outside the practitioner's scope of practice

• another level or type of care is required

• ongoing therapy cannot be provided safely

• professional boundaries or conflicts of interest prevent the therapeutic relationship from continuing

• the therapeutic relationship has become unsuitable or unworkable.

Where reasonably practicable, your practitioner will discuss this with you and assist with appropriate referral or transition to another service.

Any financial obligations associated with appointments remain subject to the Fees, Payments & Cancellations Policy.

Personal and health information collected through Slow Practice Studio is handled in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and the Slow Practice Studio Privacy Policy.

The Privacy Policy explains:

• what information is collected

• why information is collected

• how information is stored and protected

• when information may be disclosed

• your rights to access and correct your information

• how artwork and creative material are handled

• how electronic systems and service providers are used

• how privacy concerns or complaints can be raised.

The Privacy Policy forms part of the information provided to clients about the service but does not replace the informed consent process undertaken at the commencement of therapy.

Where services are funded through the NDIS or another third party, the relevant funding rules and service arrangements will apply.

Clients and their representatives are responsible for providing accurate information about their funding arrangements and notifying Slow Practice Studio of relevant changes.

The availability of funding does not remove the client's responsibility to understand their funding arrangements or any fees that may remain payable by them.

Specific fees, payment arrangements and cancellation charges are addressed in the Fees, Payments & Cancellations Policy.

Information published on the Slow Practice Studio website is provided for general information about the services offered.

Website information is not intended to constitute individualised medical, psychological or therapeutic advice.

Slow Practice Studio takes reasonable care to ensure that information published about its services is accurate and appropriate. Website content may be updated from time to time.

Slow Practice Studio may provide links to external websites, organisations or resources that may be useful to clients.

These websites are operated by third parties and Slow Practice Studio does not control their content, availability or privacy practices.

Clients should review the relevant terms and privacy policies of external services before providing them with personal information.

Unless otherwise stated, written content, branding, logos, graphics and other original materials on the Slow Practice Studio website are owned by or licensed to Slow Practice Studio.

Website content must not be reproduced, copied, modified or used commercially without permission, except where permitted by law.

This section does not affect your ownership of artwork created by you during therapy.

Slow Practice Studio may update these Terms & Conditions from time to time to reflect changes to the service, professional requirements, technology or applicable law.

Where a change materially affects your rights or obligations, reasonable notice will be provided where practicable.

Updated terms will apply to future services and appointments after they take effect.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions is intended to remove or limit any rights you may have under applicable law.

Feedback, concerns and complaints are welcome.

If you have a concern about your experience or the service you have received, you are encouraged to raise it with Slow Practice Studio where you feel comfortable doing so.

Concerns will be considered respectfully and fairly, with the aim of understanding what has occurred and addressing the issue where possible.

You can contact Slow Practice Studio at:

hello@slowpracticestudio.com.au

You may also seek assistance from an appropriate external complaints body where applicable, including the Health Complaints Commissioner Victoria, the NDIS Quality and Safeguards Commission, or the relevant professional association.

Further information about providing feedback or making a complaint is available in the Rights & Responsibilities information provided by Slow Practice Studio.

Nothing in these Terms & Conditions excludes, restricts or modifies any consumer guarantee, right or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted or modified under the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable legislation.

If any provision of these Terms & Conditions is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be read down or removed to the extent necessary, without affecting the validity of the remaining provisions.

These Terms & Conditions are governed by the laws of Victoria, Australia.

Any dispute arising in relation to the services provided by Slow Practice Studio will be subject to the applicable laws and courts of Victoria.

If you have questions about these Terms & Conditions or how they apply to your therapy, please contact:

Slow Practice Studio
Email: hello@slowpracticestudio.com.au