Privacy Policy

Palesa Shené Chele Psychology Practice ("Palesa Shené Chele", "we", "us", "the practice") provides psychological assessment and therapy services, including in-person and telehealth (video) sessions. In the course of that work we collect and process personal information — including health information, which South Africa's Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA) treats as "special personal information" requiring extra care. This notice explains what we collect, why, and what rights you have over it.

This policy covers three situations: visiting this website, submitting a booking, contact, or referral form, and — where a therapeutic relationship exists — your ongoing records as a patient, including telehealth sessions.

Who we are

Palesa Shené Chele Psychology Practice
HPCSA PS0155063 · Practice No. 1154109
Randburg and Roodepoort - Gauteng | Virtual
Contact: info@pscpsychology.co.za

As a small, owner-operated practice, Palesa Shené Chele personally acts as the Information Officer for purposes of POPIA — the person responsible for this practice's compliance and the first point of contact for any request or concern about your information.

What information we collect

On the public website, before any therapeutic relationship begins:

• Contact and referral forms. Name, contact details, and whatever you tell us about why you're reaching out.
• Booking requests. Name, contact details, and your selected date/time — used to schedule and confirm your appointment.
• Standard server logs. Basic technical data (IP address, date/time, page requested) logged by our hosting provider for security and diagnostics, as with virtually all websites.

Once you become a patient, we collect and maintain a clinical record, which may include:

• Identifying and contact information, and where relevant, medical aid/billing details for claims;
• Clinical notes, assessments, treatment plans, and correspondence relating to your care;
• Appointment and attendance history;
• Documents you upload or share with the practice (e.g. referral letters, prior reports);
• For telehealth sessions, the video/audio session itself, hosted via Zoom (see below) — the practice does not separately record sessions unless you're told otherwise and asked to consent.

We do not run advertising or tracking cookies on this website, and we do not sell, rent, or trade your information.

Health information — special personal information

Clinical records are "special personal information" under POPIA, given extra protection because of its sensitivity. We process it on the lawful basis available to health professionals under POPIA section 32(1)(a) — processing carried out by a responsible party for the proper treatment and care of a patient — alongside the confidentiality duties Palesa Shené Chele holds under the Health Professions Act and HPCSA ethical rules. Clinical information is only shared with your written consent, or where disclosure is required or permitted by law (for example, a risk-to-life situation, or a court order) — the limits of confidentiality are discussed with new patients at the outset wherever possible.

Telehealth sessions and Zoom

Video sessions are hosted through Zoom, a third-party video conferencing provider. When a telehealth appointment is scheduled, appointment details (such as your name and the session time) are shared with Zoom to create the meeting. Zoom operates its own security and privacy safeguards for the video/audio stream itself, governed by Zoom's own privacy policy; Palesa Shené Chele does not control Zoom's infrastructure but has configured the account for healthcare use. If you'd prefer an in-person session instead, let the practice know when booking.

Cookies

This site uses a small number of strictly necessary cookies:

• Patient portal session. If you log in to the patient portal, a session cookie keeps you signed in. The portal cannot function without it.
• Google Maps. The practice locations shown on the Contact page are embedded via Google Maps, which may set its own cookies once the map loads — governed by Google's own privacy policy, not this one.

We don't run analytics or advertising cookies. Disabling cookies in your browser will prevent you from staying logged in to the patient portal.

WhatsApp

The booking confirmation flow can open a pre-filled WhatsApp message from your own device to the practice's number — this opens your own WhatsApp app or account, and no booking data is sent to WhatsApp by the practice directly unless you choose to send that message yourself.

How long we keep your information

Clinical records are retained in line with the Health Professions Council of South Africa's guidance for health practitioners — generally a minimum of six years from your last contact with the practice, or until a minor patient turns 21, whichever is longer. Website enquiry/booking data not followed by a therapeutic relationship is kept only as long as needed to respond to you.

Your rights under POPIA

Subject to any legal or professional limitations (for example, HPCSA rules on record-keeping), you have the right to:

• Be told what personal information of yours we hold, and why;
• Request a copy of that information;
• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, or misleading;
• Ask us to delete or destroy information we no longer have a lawful basis to hold; and
• Object to the processing of your personal information on reasonable grounds.

To exercise any of these rights, contact Palesa Shené Chele directly at info@pscpsychology.co.za.

Complaints

If you believe your information hasn't been handled in line with POPIA, please raise it with the practice first so we can try to resolve it directly. You're also entitled to complain to South Africa's regulator:

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as our services or the law change. The "last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision.

Contact us

Questions about this policy can be sent to info@pscpsychology.co.za or by phone at 079 796 7515 .