Confidentiality
You need to feel secure sharing things with your counsellor. For that reason, counsellors are bound by strict ethical and legal guidelines to keep what you tell us confidential. What you tell me stays with me.
There are however, some situations where I am obligated by law to report something I learn, if that information indicates that you or someone else is at risk of suffering harm, a child is at risk of harm, or the information is subpoenaed by a court.
I also reserve the right to consult with another professional counsellor and my clinical supervisor. In this case, every attempt will be made to maintain your confidentiality, including using your first name only. Apart from this, no information will be shared without your written and signed consent.
Privacy
Just like with confidentiality, counsellors are required to keep any personal health information you share with us, private. This includes any medical information you share with me, and the notes I take during our sessions.
It is also important that our online video sessions are secure, with the video feed also being secured against outside interference or recording.
To make sure all aspects of our work together is safely private, I use a 3rd-party, online healthcare management system, that carefully encrypts its data using a 256 bit encryption process. The service I use, Jane, is compliant with The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) of Canada, and the Personal Health Information Protection Act of Ontario, which both govern how personal information is stored and protected.
If you would like to learn more, you can visit the Jane Security FAQ or Jane PIPEDA Compliance page for more information.
Clinical files are kept for a period of 10 years from the date of our last contact.
Under Your Control
Your personal information belongs to you. This means that you are able to request your clinical file at any time. Any notes that I have taken, any information that you have shared, anything that has been recorded can be viewed by you upon request.
If you see something wrong in the record, I will be happy to review it with you and make any necessary amendments or corrections.
There may be times when it is beneficial to share some of this information with other health professionals, to help coordinate the best possible care. In this case, nothing will be shared without your consent, and you will be able to dictate what details get shared.