Imagine carrying something around inside you for a long time, a problem, a habit, a sadness, something personal, and finally asking someone for help, and the first thing they ask of you is not, how can I help you? but rather, for your permission to record the conversation.
When someone comes to us for the first time, they are often sharing things they have not said out loud before. Sometimes they have been carrying something for years. The decision to walk through our door, or to make that first phone call, takes courage, and we do not take that lightly.
Confidentiality has been a cornerstone of this practice since it was founded in 1997. Privacy matters to us, so we assume that it matters to you, too.
It is not a policy we adopted because regulations required it, it is something we believe in, because we have seen, over many years, what it means for a person to feel genuinely safe in a clinical setting. That safety is not incidental to good therapeutic outcomes, it is foundational to them.
There is a concept in clinical practice called the therapeutic alliance: the quality of the relationship between practitioner and client. Research consistently shows that this relationship is one of the strongest predictors of whether therapy works. Not the technique, not the modality – the relationship.
In hypnotherapy, this is especially true. It’s an essential part of the theory and practice of clinical hypnotherapy, and in our profession the skill that leads to this is formally known as ‘building rapport’. Therapists are trained in it. The process asks people to let their guard down, to stop managing their presentation, to move into a quieter and more receptive state. That only happens when trust has been established. And trust is built through human contact, careful listening, and the knowledge, felt rather than just stated, that what is said in the room will remain there.
It is important for us to get to know the people we work with, to remember what was said in the last session, and to build upon what was discussed before. Part of the job is to notice non-verbal changes, not simply what is being reported verbally, and to be dynamic within the moment. This kind of attentiveness is not something that can be systematised, and it takes practice.
We are aware that AI-assisted note-taking (AI scribe) and digital record-keeping tools are becoming more common in health and mental health practice. Some practitioners now require clients to consent to AI transcription of their sessions as a condition of treatment. There have recently been articles in the media about this, where people are not receiving the help they need if they don’t provide consent.
We have thought about this carefully, and our position is clear: unless and until this becomes something far more nuanced and secure than it currently is, we will not be doing this.
Our concerns are both practical and philosophical. On the practical side, health data is sensitive in ways that general personal data is not. Recent data breaches in Australia and overseas have demonstrated that digital health records carry real risk, regardless of the security measures around them. We do not believe the convenience of automated records justifies that exposure. Some AI scribes send data to overseas servers, which raises additional concerns about where health information ultimately ends up, and under whose jurisdiction.
And of course, there is the matter of consent: agreeing to the use of an AI scribe at the start of a session is not the same as giving informed consent. A properly informed decision requires research and reflection on the part of a person, not simply a signature at the door, or a ‘yes’ before you’ve even settled into the moment. The legal position in Australia is still unsettled. Questions of patient consent and AI scribes have not yet been tested in the courts, and there are no rules that apply specifically to this situation. We do not think that is a good environment in which to ask people to hand over their most private disclosures.
On the philosophical side, we believe that a practitioner’s ability to hold, interpret, and respond to what a client shares is itself a clinical skill. The act of listening attentively, of noticing what is said and how it is said, of forming your own understanding of where someone is and where they need to go, is not something we want to outsource. Notes made by a practitioner who was fully present in the room are more valuable, in our view, than a transcript generated by software that was also in the room. There is also a question that practitioners and researchers are beginning to ask: will outsourcing documentation change how a therapist thinks, reflects, and reasons about the person in front of them? At this point, we think it will, and not for the better.
There is something else, too. When a person knows that their words are being processed by an external system, however secure that system is claimed to be, something changes. The quality of disclosure changes. People edit themselves, even unconsciously, when they feel they are being recorded. We do not want that constraint in the room with us.
Our practitioners take notes. Handwritten notes, made by the person who was in the room with you, and stored securely. Sure, it’s old-school! But it works. Those records are accessible only to your practitioner, and are retained in accordance with relevant State and Federal legislation.
Our online booking system keeps your name and contact details, the appointments you have made and attended, and a general description of what you seek help with – this latter is chosen by you (and you can choose not to disclose your reason for seeking help until you’re one-on-one with your hypnotherapist). What we do not do is store session content in any digital system, use AI transcription or scribe tools, or share your in-session disclosures with any other third-party platforms of any kind. The record of the content of your sessions exists on paper, held by the practitioner who knows you, and nowhere else.
We have been doing this work for a long time. Glenn, Carol, and Philip have each spent many years in this practice, and between us we have sat with thousands of people across an enormous range of concerns. What we have learned, consistently, is that what helps is the quality of attention, the steadiness of the practitioner, and our clients’ confidence that they are genuinely being heard.
We are aware that AI scribes are described by some as a game-changer, reducing documentation time and clinician stress. We understand the appeal. But in a therapeutic context, the documentation is not the point; the person is.
Person-centred help is what we offer. It does not require a subscription, an algorithm, or a terms-of-service agreement.
If you have questions about how we handle client information, we are always happy to talk. You can reach us on 07 3354 4555, or visit our contact page.