Privacy, terms and refunds.

Privacy

What we collect

When you contact us or request a booking we collect your name, email and mobile number, and the practical details of what you asked for — the kind of session, who it is for, and the times that suit you. If you enrol to study, we also keep your enrolment and payment history.

Counselling attendance, and anything you choose to tell us in an intake form, is health information. We treat it under the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles, which hold it to a higher standard than ordinary personal information: collected only with your consent, used only to provide your care, and never used for marketing.

What we deliberately never record

What you discuss in a counselling session is not written into any computer system — not at booking, and not afterwards. Counsellors' session notes are handwritten and stay locked at the practice. Our systems record that a session happened, never what was said in it.

Where it lives and who sees it

Records are kept in an access-controlled database; card payments are processed by Stripe and we never see or store your card number. Your information is seen only by the people who need it to serve you — your counsellor, and the college administration. We do not sell, rent or share your information with anyone else.

The legal limits

Like every counselling service in Australia, confidentiality has narrow legal limits: an imminent risk of serious harm to you or another person, the safety of a child, or a court order. Our confidentiality page explains these in plain words.

Your rights

You can ask at any time to see the information we hold about you, correct it, or have it deleted where the law allows. Email or call us and it will be handled by the college directly — there is no form and no fee.

Consent for therapy

Consent for therapy

You are asked to agree to this consent when you book. It is the same consent form the practice has always used at a first session — read it before you book.

In order to provide quality assessment and therapeutic services, Consultants at Shurayh Counselling will collect and record personal information relevant to your situation. ‘Consultants’ referred to in this document include Psychologists, Counsellors and other Mental Health Professionals providing professional services at Shurayh.

Purpose of collecting and holding information

Any personal information gathered as part of your assessment and treatment process will be kept securely and, in the interests of your privacy, used only by your Consultant and the authorised personnel of the practice (as necessary). Your personal information is retained in order to document what happens during sessions, assisting your Consultant to provide a relevant and informed service to you.

Access to client information

You are entitled to access your personal information kept on file, unless relevant legislation states otherwise. If you require access to your information please discuss this with your Consultant.

Disclosure of personal information

Personal information gathered by your Consultant during the provision of services is considered confidential and will not be disclosed to another party except when: your prior approval has been obtained to: a) provide a written report to another professional or agency. eg. a Doctor or a Lawyer; or b) discuss your care with another person, eg. a Parent, Employer or Health Care Provider; or it is subpoenaed by a court; or failure to disclose the information would in the reasonable belief of your Consultant place you or another person at serious risk of harm; or disclosure is otherwise required by law.

Confirmation of consent

When you book online, typing your full name and ticking the consent box is your signature. The college records your name, the date and time, and the version of this consent you agreed to.

Terms

Who we are

Shurayh College provides Islamic education, counselling, and Islamic & legal services from Chipping Norton, Sydney. These terms cover bookings and enrolments made through this website. [To be aligned with the college's existing terms documents.]

Bookings

A request sent through this website is a request, not a confirmed appointment. Your booking is confirmed when we agree a time with you by text, call or email. Fees are as published on this website at the time of booking; counselling is $120 per 60-minute session.

Payment

Where payment is taken online it is processed by Stripe; otherwise payment is settled at the practice. Instalment plans divide the same total evenly — nothing is ever added for paying over time, and no interest is charged on anything.

Study programs

Program places are limited and offered in booking order. The college may reschedule a class or workshop where necessary; if a program is cancelled by the college you receive a full refund of anything paid. Cancellation and refund rules for students are on the refunds page.

Not an emergency service

Shurayh is not a crisis or emergency service. If someone is in danger call 000; Lifeline answers 13 11 14 around the clock.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia.

Refunds

Counselling sessions

Reschedule or cancel free of charge up to 48 hours — to be confirmed] before your session, by replying to your confirmation text or calling us. Inside that window, [policy to be confirmed: fee held as credit toward your next session]. If we ever need to move a session, you choose the new time and nothing is charged.

Missed sessions

A missed session without notice is [to be confirmed]. If something went genuinely wrong — it happens — call us and we will be reasonable before we are procedural.

Workshops

A workshop ticket is refundable in full up to [7 days — to be confirmed] before the workshop, and transferable to another person any time before it starts.

Term classes

Withdraw within the first two weeks of term and fees for the remaining weeks are refunded; any remaining instalments are cancelled. After the second week, instalments already paid are not refunded but future ones stop.

The diploma

Withdraw within the first two weeks of a year and that year's fees are refunded in full. Pause between years and fees already paid carry across to your return.

Something not covered here?

Ask. Nobody at Shurayh has been turned away over a fee yet, and refund questions are answered by a person, not a policy engine.

Confidentiality

The rule

Everything you say in a counselling session is confidential. It is not shared with your family, your community, your employer, or anyone else at the college beyond your own counsellor — and it is not stored in any computer system. Session notes are handwritten and locked at the practice.

The three exceptions

Australian law and professional ethics set three narrow limits, and we would rather you know them before your first session: an imminent risk of serious harm to you or to someone else; the safety of a child; and a court order compelling disclosure. In each case, only what is legally required is disclosed — never the whole story.

Couples and families

When a couple or family attends together, what each person says in a private session stays private from the others unless they agree otherwise. Your counsellor will explain how joint and individual sessions are kept separate before you begin.

Interpreters and chaperones

If an interpreter or support person attends, they are bound by the same confidentiality. You may bring your own support person to any session — just tell us when we confirm your time.

If something goes wrong

If you believe your confidentiality has not been respected, contact the college directly and it will be dealt with by the director. You may also complain to the counsellor's professional registration body, and we will give you its details without argument.