Those of us that see clients for medico-legal reasons need to be fairly careful about their privacy. In particular, having a home address accessible through Yellow Pages or the internet is not a good idea.
Making your home phone number private costs $6 a month. Not much, but it adds up over a year. Transferring the phone onto your partner's name, or your maiden name for women is a cost-free option.
Don't forget your business name. If you have registered your business name, you had to provide your residential address, and that address is accessible by the public. You can sent a letter detailing the reasons why this is not a good idea. I have done so and the access to my address is restricted to a certain extent - I believe that to access it a person has to file a formal request, and that I will be informed if the access is granted.
Is anyone aware of any other ways in which a psychologists home address can be easily found?
Izabela
Important post Izabela, thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt's worth getting a silent enrolment on the electoral roll as well - you need to state the reason why you want it, and then you'll be sent a postal vote each time there's an election you need to vote in.
Stating that you work as in the mental health field and do not want your home address traced by former clients is sufficient to get a silent enrolment.
If you're particularly concerned about past clients finding you, you might wish to not have your address included on school contact lists. And if you have a distinctive surname, asking relatives not to pass on your phone number to unknown callers is another worthwhile step.
While it all makes one feel a little paranoid, it's worth the peace of mind.
Fiona