The Gentle Path Inward™
Last updated: 6 October 2026
The Gentle Path Inward™ respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and disclose personal information when you visit this website, make an enquiry, book a service, participate in a course, workshop or program, purchase a product, or otherwise engage with The Gentle Path Inward™.
Where applicable, personal information is handled in accordance with the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth), the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) and applicable Victorian health privacy requirements.
1. Who We Are
The Gentle Path Inward™ is operated by Alison Deacon, providing services including Root Cause Therapy, meditation and mindfulness education, corporate wellbeing programs, workshops, courses and related wellbeing resources.
For privacy enquiries, requests or concerns, please contact:
The Gentle Path Inward™
Alison Deacon
Email: privacy@thegentlepathinward.com.au
Website: thegentlepathinward.com.au
2. Information We May Collect
Depending on how you interact with The Gentle Path Inward™, we may collect:
- your name and contact details, including your email address and telephone number;
- information you provide when making an enquiry or booking;
- appointment and service information;
- payment and transaction information;
- course, workshop or event registrations;
- communications between you and The Gentle Path Inward™;
- feedback, testimonials or complaints you choose to provide;
- website usage and technical information collected through cookies or similar technologies; and
- other information you voluntarily provide.
When you receive an individual therapy or wellbeing service, we may also collect sensitive or health information, including information relevant to your physical or emotional wellbeing, personal history, presenting concerns and the service being provided.
We aim to collect only information that is reasonably necessary for our functions and services.
3. How We Collect Information
We may collect personal information:
- directly from you through this website;
- when you contact us by email, telephone or another communication method;
- when you complete an enquiry, intake, consent or booking form;
- when you book or participate in an appointment, course, workshop or program;
- when you purchase a product or service;
- through practice-management, booking, payment, accounting, event-registration or course-delivery systems used by The Gentle Path Inward™;
- through website cookies and analytics technologies; or
- where appropriate and authorised, from another person or organisation.
Where practicable, personal information will be collected directly from you.
4. Why We Collect and Use Personal Information
We may collect, hold and use personal information to:
- respond to enquiries;
- arrange and manage appointments;
- provide therapy, meditation, wellbeing and corporate services;
- administer courses, workshops and events;
- process purchases and payments;
- maintain appropriate client and business records;
- communicate with you about services you have requested;
- provide resources or information you have requested;
- improve our services and website;
- manage feedback and complaints;
- meet professional, insurance, legal and regulatory obligations; and
- protect the safety, rights and wellbeing of clients and others.
We will not use sensitive health or wellbeing information for direct marketing without appropriate consent.
5. Sensitive and Health Information
Some services offered by The Gentle Path Inward™ may involve the collection of sensitive or health information.
This may include information relating to your physical or emotional wellbeing, relevant personal history, presenting concerns or other information you choose to provide during a therapy or wellbeing service.
This information is treated with additional care and is collected, used and disclosed only where permitted by law and where reasonably necessary to provide the relevant service.
Information shared during an individual service is treated as confidential, subject to applicable legal, professional and safety obligations.
6. How Your Information Is Stored and Protected
The Gentle Path Inward™ takes reasonable steps to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
We use reputable technology providers and security measures appropriate to the type of information being handled. Access to client and business information is restricted to people who reasonably require access for legitimate business or professional purposes.
Depending on your interaction with us, information may be stored or processed through services including:
- Halaxy for practice management, appointments and relevant client records;
- Microsoft 365, including services such as Outlook, OneDrive, SharePoint and Teams, for business communications, documents and online service delivery;
- NovoPsych for relevant assessments and clinical resources;
- Humanitix for event or course registrations where used;
- Stripe or other payment providers for payment processing;
- QuickBooks for accounting and financial administration; and
- other website, hosting, media, communication or course-delivery services reasonably required to operate The Gentle Path Inward™.
Payment card information is generally handled by the relevant payment processor rather than being directly stored by The Gentle Path Inward™.
7. Access by Service Providers and Professional Support
We may disclose limited personal information to third parties where reasonably necessary to operate the business or provide a service you have requested.
This may include technology providers, payment processors, accountants or bookkeepers, professional advisers and other service providers.
Where another person is given authorised access to a business system — for example, an accountant or bookkeeper — access is limited, where practicable, to the information required for their role.
We do not sell client personal or health information.
8. Overseas Storage and Processing
The Gentle Path Inward™ primarily uses services that provide Australian data storage for key client and business information where available.
For example, Halaxy states that Australian customer data is stored in Australia, Humanitix states that its application data is hosted in Australia, and Microsoft provides Australian data-residency arrangements for core Microsoft 365 services for appropriately provisioned Australian tenants. Halaxy
However, some technology providers, payment processors and their subprocessors operate internationally. As a result, some personal information may be processed or accessed outside Australia, including in the United States, European Union and other countries in which relevant service providers operate.
For example, QuickBooks’ Australian terms state that Intuit is a global company and information may be accessed or stored in multiple countries, including outside Australia. Stripe similarly advises that personal data may be processed in countries where it or its service providers operate. Intuit
Where applicable, we take reasonable steps in selecting reputable service providers and managing overseas handling of personal information.
9. Cookies and Website Technology
This website may use cookies and similar technologies to provide website functionality, remember preferences, understand website usage and improve the visitor experience.
Information collected may include browser and device information, pages visited and general website usage information.
You can generally control or disable cookies through your browser settings, although doing so may affect some website functionality.
10. Marketing Communications
If you choose to subscribe to updates or marketing communications, we may use your contact information to send information about The Gentle Path Inward™ and its services, courses, events or resources.
You may unsubscribe at any time using an unsubscribe option provided in the communication or by contacting us.
Sensitive health information will not be used for direct marketing without appropriate consent.
11. Accessing or Correcting Your Information
You may request access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
Requests should be sent to:
privacy@thegentlepathinward.com.au
We may need to verify your identity before providing access to personal information.
We will respond within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.
12. Retention of Information
We retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to provide our services and meet applicable professional, insurance, taxation, record-keeping and legal obligations.
When personal information is no longer required and we are not legally required to retain it, reasonable steps will be taken to securely delete, destroy or de-identify it.
13. Privacy Complaints
If you have a concern about how your personal information has been handled, please contact:
privacy@thegentlepathinward.com.au
We will take your concern seriously, investigate it appropriately and aim to respond within a reasonable timeframe.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be entitled to contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) or another applicable privacy regulator.
14. Changes to This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes to our services, systems, business practices or legal obligations.
The current version will be published on this website with the date of the latest update.