> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opentherapy.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Safety and privacy

> How therapists are verified, how clinical records are handled, and the rules Open Therapy follows on reviews and advertising.

## Verifying therapists

Every therapist listed on Open Therapy has had their registration checked against the relevant national register before their profile went live. Applications that don't clear are not published.

Registration is held with one of:

| Body                       | Covers                                                                                |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Ahpra                      | Psychology, psychiatry, occupational therapy, and other registered health professions |
| Speech Pathology Australia | Speech pathologists                                                                   |
| Dietitians Australia       | Dietitians                                                                            |
| PACFA or ACA               | Counsellors and psychotherapists                                                      |

A profile shows the registering body, the practitioner's registration status and their listed qualifications. Where a therapist has been verified, the profile carries a verification badge and the line **"Registration checked by Open Therapy"**.

<Note>
  Verification confirms that someone is registered to practise. It is not an endorsement of their
  clinical judgement, and it doesn't replace your own read of whether they're the right fit.
</Note>

## Your clinical record

Documents, session history and anything you share with a therapist form part of a clinical record.

* Therapists can see the record of clients they treat, and only those clients.
* Australian law requires practitioners to retain clinical notes for **seven years**. Closing your Open Therapy account removes your profile, but it does not and cannot delete notes a therapist is legally obliged to keep.
* You can export your record at any time from your account settings.

## Payments and card data

Open Therapy never stores your card number. Payments run through Stripe, which is PCI-DSS compliant, and the therapist is the merchant of record — their practice name appears on your statement, not ours.

See [Paying for sessions](/clients/paying-for-sessions) for what's charged and when.

## Messaging and video

Messages between clients and therapists are encrypted and stored with the clinical record. Online sessions use an encrypted video link, and nothing is recorded unless both people agree to it in the room.

<Warning>
  Messaging is for scheduling, worksheets and short check-ins. It is **not** a crisis channel and is
  not monitored around the clock. If you're in immediate danger, call **000** or **Lifeline** on
  **13 11 14**.
</Warning>

## Reviews and Australian advertising law

Section 133 of the *Health Practitioner Regulation National Law* prohibits using testimonials to advertise a regulated health service. A review Open Therapy chooses to publish on a therapist's profile is our advertising, so it has to comply.

The line we apply: a review may describe the **service**, but not the **treatment**.

<Columns cols={2}>
  <Card title="Allowed" icon="check">
    Booking, waiting times, availability, punctuality and cancellations. Admin — invoices, fees,
    rebates, Medicare, NDIS, paperwork. Premises, parking, accessibility and video quality. Manner and
    communication. Languages, appointment times, location.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Not allowed" icon="x">
    Any symptom, condition, diagnosis or reason for attending, named or implied. Any treatment,
    technique, medication or test result. Any statement about outcome, progress or whether it helped —
    positive or negative. Any clinical recommendation or claim about clinical skill.
  </Card>
</Columns>

Every review is screened before it appears, and implication counts: *"I can finally sleep through the night"* is a clinical outcome even though it names no diagnosis. Anything unclear is read by a person rather than published. See [Reviews](/clients/reviews) for what happens to a review you write.

## Reporting a concern

| Concern                                | Contact                                                         | Response                           |
| -------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
| A therapist's conduct or clinical care | [governance@opentherapy.app](mailto:governance@opentherapy.app) | Acknowledged the same business day |
| Privacy, or a request for your data    | [privacy@opentherapy.app](mailto:privacy@opentherapy.app)       | Within 30 days                     |
| A security vulnerability               | [security@opentherapy.app](mailto:security@opentherapy.app)     | —                                  |
| Anything else                          | [support@opentherapy.app](mailto:support@opentherapy.app)       | One business day                   |

You can also raise a concern about a registered practitioner directly with [Ahpra](https://www.ahpra.gov.au), independently of Open Therapy.