Services
Separated Parents and Parental Responsibility
Supporting children across separated families
Families come in many forms. A child or teenager may live across two households, have separated or divorced parents, or be part of a blended family. At Bellarine Psychology, we understand that navigating psychological care during or after a separation can raise questions about consent, privacy and communication.
Our priority is to provide children and young people with safe, respectful and effective care. We aim to work constructively with parents and carers while meeting our legal, ethical and professional responsibilities.
What we can do?
The child or young person is our client
When we provide psychological services to a child or teenager, they are our client. Their wellbeing and therapeutic needs guide our work.
Parents and carers often play an important role in treatment. Depending on the child’s age, needs and circumstances, we may involve them in planning, review sessions or strategies that support progress outside appointments. At the same time, a young person needs an appropriate level of privacy to develop trust with their practitioner.
Bellarine Psychology provides therapeutic and assessment services. We remain neutral in disputes between parents and do not use a child’s therapy to advance one parent’s position over another.
Unless required by law or expressly agreed as part of an appropriate service, our practitioners do not:
If a family is involved in legal proceedings, our focus remains the child’s mental health and therapeutic care.
How we do it
Consent before services begin
Before accepting a referral or commencing services, we will ask about the child’s family circumstances, who holds parental responsibility for healthcare decisions and whether any relevant parenting agreements, Parenting Orders or Court Orders are in place.
Where more than one person has parental responsibility for the relevant healthcare decisions, Bellarine Psychology will generally seek consent from each of them before services begin. Different arrangements may apply when a parent or another person has sole decision-making responsibility, a young person can provide their own informed consent, or a law or Court Order provides otherwise.
Please give our team a complete and current copy of any relevant legal documentation before the first appointment. This helps us understand who may consent to treatment, receive information and participate in decisions about care.
If consent is unclear or parents disagree, we may pause the intake or treatment process while we seek further information or professional advice.
Communication with parents and carers
We aim for communication about a child’s care to be fair, clear and consistent with the child’s best interests. Where parents share responsibility for healthcare decisions, significant information about treatment will generally be made available to both parents unless a legal, clinical or safety consideration requires a different approach.
In practice:
Our practitioners and reception team cannot carry messages between parents or help resolve parenting conflict. Parents are responsible for managing their own communication unless a different process has been formally agreed with Bellarine Psychology.
Privacy and confidentiality in therapy
Trust is an important part of psychological care. Children and teenagers need to know they can speak openly with their practitioner, so parents will not automatically receive a detailed account of everything discussed in a session.
The treating practitioner will explain how confidentiality works and will provide developmentally appropriate feedback about progress, goals and ways parents or carers can help. The amount of information shared will depend on factors such as the young person’s age, capacity, needs, consent and safety, as well as applicable professional and legal obligations.
If the practitioner becomes concerned that the child or another person may be at risk of harm, they will take appropriate steps in line with their legal and professional responsibilities.
When family circumstances change
Please tell your treating practitioner or our reception team as soon as possible if there is a change involving:
We may need to review consent, contact details, communication arrangements and the suitability of ongoing services before the next appointment.
Family-law and court proceedings
Bellarine Psychology’s role is to provide psychological care. Therapy is different from a forensic or court-ordered assessment.
Our practitioners do not determine parenting arrangements or provide custody recommendations. We also do not routinely prepare letters, reports or opinions for use in a dispute between parents. If Bellarine Psychology receives a valid subpoena, Court Order or another legally enforceable request, we will respond as required by law and may charge applicable fees for the work involved.
If your child requires a forensic assessment or a report specifically for family-law proceedings, you may need to engage an appropriately qualified independent practitioner.
Family violence and safety concerns
Please let us know as early as possible if there has been family violence, coercive control, intimidation or another safety concern. Provide any relevant Court Orders, intervention orders or safety plans.
We will consider how appointments, communication and information sharing should be managed in light of the child’s wellbeing, the safety of everyone involved and our legal obligations. In some circumstances, we may recommend a different service if we cannot safely or appropriately meet the family’s needs.
Learn more
Frequently asked questions
Not sure where to start? These FAQs cover some of the common questions people have before contacting Bellarine Psychology, including services, assessments, referrals and what to expect when getting in touch.
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Where to find us
Clinics and outreach
Ocean Grove
260 Thacker St, Ocean Grove VIC
Ocean Grove
27 Guthridge St, Ocean Grove VIC
Telehealth
Therapy and assessments available via video, wherever you are.
Regional outreach
Assessment clinics in Portland, Warrnambool, Stawell, and Hamilton.