I am committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information. The primary purpose of collecting this information is so we may:

• Evaluate your health-related needs;
• Recommend appropriate treatment options; and
• Provide therapy and related healthcare.

Email & Personal Health Information

I offer e-mail communication as a method of contact between you and I, your clinician. I use e-mail to provide appointment confirmations and reminders, and to send invoices for services rendered. I also use e-mail as a primary method of contact to communicate appointment bookings and cancellations.

Communicating by e-mail also encompasses risks that should be considered.

E-mail is not recognized as a secure form of communication. Risks of transmitting your information by e-mail include but are not limited to, the following:

• The privacy and security of e-mail communication cannot be guaranteed;
• E-mail is easier to falsify than phone, fax, or mail. It is also impossible to verify the true identity of the sender, or to ensure that only the recipient can read the e-mail once it has been sent;
• E-mail can introduce viruses into a computer system, and potentially damage or disrupt the computer;
• E-mail can be forwarded, intercepted, circulated, stored, or even changed without the knowledge or permission of the sender or recipient. E-mail senders can easily misaddress an e-mail, resulting in it being sent to unintended and unknown recipients; and
• E-mail creates a permanent record. Even after the sender and recipient have deleted their copies of the e-mail, back-up copies may exist on a computer or in cyberspace.

However, because of the risks outlined above, I cannot guarantee the security and confidentiality of e-mail communication.

Consent to the use of e-mail indicates your agreement with the following conditions:

• E-mails from you containing clinically relevant information may be made part of your clinical record. Because these would become part of your clinical record, other individuals authorized to access the clinical record will have access to those e-mails.
• I will make reasonable efforts to read and respond to e-mails promptly. However, I cannot guarantee that any particular e-mail will be read and responded to within any particular period of time. Therefore, e-mail should not be used for emergencies or other time-sensitive matters.
• E-mail communication is not an appropriate substitute for treatment. You are responsible for following up with me to schedule appointments, where warranted; and if your e-mail requests a response from me and you have not received a response within a reasonable time period, it is your responsibility to follow up to confirm we did indeed receive your e-mail.
• E-mail should not be used to discuss sensitive personal health information, such as that related to mental health, disability or substance use. Therefore, we will not discuss such matters over e-mail.
• E-mail communication is voluntary. Please advise if you do not wish to engage in e-mail communication, and I will remove your e-mail address from my database.
• My website uses cookies with your consent to make it more convenient to navigate the website. Any personal information you provide will solely be used to respond to your message and/or provide you with the requested service or product.

Disclosure of Personal Health Information

• Third party payers, when applicable, may request specific information about your healthcare:
• Extended-health benefits insurers, for example, often have your consent for us to release information about session dates, duration and the clinical provider’s information (name, title, registration number); and
• Auto insurers, WSIB, Long-Term Disability insurers and legal representatives may request information related to your health conditions, treatment needs, treatment progress and disability in order to make determinations of your entitlement to funding.
• Apart from third party payers, in accordance with the laws, professional standards, and ethical codes psychotherapists follow, the information you share with with me remains confidential. This means your information will not be disclosed to anyone without your consent, with the exception of the specific situations outlined below in accordance with my legal responsibility to disclose.

Your information may be released without your consent in the following situations:

• Harm to Self/Others: If there is reason to believe that you are in danger of harming yourself or others in ways that may be life-threatening, I am ethically obliged to take action to ensure your safety and/or the safety of others. These steps may include contacting your identified emergency contact person, a family member or close other, seeking hospitalization, contacting the police, notifying others at risk, or some combination of these actions to ensure you and/or others are protected.
• Abuse/Neglect: If there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a child under 16 years of age is, or may be, in need of protection, I must, by law, report this information to a children’s aid society. Examples of reportable situations include physical harm/abuse, sexual abuse, emotional harm (e.g., verbal abuse, humiliation, witnessing violence), or a pattern of neglect or failure to protect a child from harm. Additionally, if there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a resident of a nursing, retirement or other long-term care home has suffered harm, or is at risk of harm due to improper or incompetent treatment or care, unlawful conduct, abuse or neglect, or possible misuse or misappropriation of the resident’s money or funding,I am required to report this information to the Registrar of the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority, or long-term care home director.
• Sexual Abuse by a Regulated Health Professional: If there are reasonable grounds to believe that another regulated health professional has sexually harassed or abused a client, I must, by law, report this health professional’s name and information related to the sexual abuse to the appropriate regulatory body.
• Court Order: Our records can be subpoenaed by a court order and The Therapy Centre may be required to testify and give information obtained during the course of any assessment and treatment sessions. This information would never be provided voluntarily without your direct request or permission without the court order.It is important to note that as registered healthcare professionals, we may also be required to make our files available for audit by our regulatory body (e.g., College of Psychologists of Ontario), third-party payer agencies (if applicable, e.g., Financial Services Commission of Ontario) or by the government. These audits are confidential, and a record of the audit will be inserted into your client file.
• Missing Persons: If the police present a Court Order, Search Warrant or Urgent Demand for records related to a missing person, I am required to provide the information and/or records sought by police in order to assist with locating that missing person.

Access to your Personal Health Information & Requests for Correction

• With a few exceptions, you have the right to access or amend your personal health information. This means that you may request to read clinical notes in your file, ask for corrections to be made to factual information, and for a copy of your health information.
• In these cases, I will review the clinical notes with you and can help you understand any information that is not clear (e.g., short-forms, technical terms, etc.). Copies of your file will take time to provide due to the busy nature of this practice – we will provide an estimate of the timeframe and cost when your request is made.
• If I cannot give you access, we will advise you in writing within 30 days if possible, and will outline the reason, as best we can, as to why we cannot give you access.

Storage and Destruction of Personal Health Information

A record containing your personal health information and information about your therapy sessions and other materially relevant interactions are maintained in a secured place while you are engaged in my psychotherapy services.

I am required to retain your personal health information for a period of 10 years after our last contact with you (for adults) or 10 years after you turn 18 years of age (for children), whichever is later. Any personal health information that is stored electronically is protected by appropriate security measures (e.g., PHIPA-compliant software that includes bank-level encryption). After 10 years, your personal information is destroyed in a secure manner that protects your privacy.

I, your clinician, maintains responsibility for your client file as long as I am in practice as a psychotherapist.

PHIPA + IPC

This privacy policy adheres to the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA, 2004). PHIPA designates the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) to provide oversight to ensure healthcare organizations are compliant with privacy legislation. You also have the right to contact the IPC for assistance in resolving privacy matters related to my practice here:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 1A8

(416) 326-3333 | (800) 387-0073 | www.ipc.on.ca