Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters deeply to us. Therapy depends on trust, and part of earning that trust is being clear about how we handle the personal information you share. This statement explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and your rights regarding it.

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As Registered Psychotherapists in Ontario, we follow the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and the Professional Practice Standards of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).

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Who is responsible for your information

 

Shirley Porter and Associates Psychotherapy is the health information custodian of our clients' personal health information. Our therapists act as agents of the practice and are bound by our privacy policies, PHIPA, and their professional obligations of confidentiality.

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Our Privacy Contact Person is Shirley Porter, M.Ed., RP. She is responsible for answering questions about our privacy practices, responding to requests for access or correction, and receiving complaints. You can reach her at:​

• Email: traumaandbeyond@gmail.com

• Phone/Text: 548-888-1067

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What information we collect

 

We collect only the information we need to provide you with safe, effective care.

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This may include:

• Contact information: your name, address, phone number, email address, and date of birth

• Health information: your reasons for seeking therapy, relevant personal, family, and health history, and information you share during sessions

• Clinical records: session notes, assessments, therapy plans, and records of communication with you

• Emergency contact information and, with your permission, the name of your family physician or other health care providers

• Billing information: appointment and payment records, insurance information you choose to provide, and a credit card stored securely in our practice-management system

 

Most of this information comes directly from you. We collect information from others (such as another health care provider) only with your consent or where the law permits.

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Why we collect, use, and share your information

 

We use your personal health information to:

• provide you with psychotherapy and plan your care

• communicate with you about appointments and your care

• process payments and issue receipts for insurance reimbursement

• support the quality of our services through clinical supervision and consultation

• meet our legal and professional obligations, including record-keeping requirements and regulatory oversight by CRPO

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Clinical supervision

 

Some of our therapists practise under clinical supervision as required by CRPO. This means your therapist may discuss your care with their clinical supervisor, who is also a regulated professional bound by confidentiality. Supervision helps ensure you receive high-quality care. Please ask your therapist if you have questions about this.​

 

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When we share information

 

We will not share your personal health information outside our practice without your consent, except in limited circumstances where the law permits or requires it.

 

These include when:

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• we believe on reasonable grounds that disclosure is necessary to eliminate or reduce a significant imminent risk of serious bodily harm to you or another person

• we have reason to suspect a child is, or may be, in need of protection - which we are legally required to report to a children's aid society

• we are required to report the sexual abuse of a client by a regulated health professional, as required by the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991

• we are required by a court order, summons, or other legal process

• information is requested by CRPO in the course of its regulatory duties, such as investigating a complaint

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Where possible and appropriate, we will discuss any such disclosure with you first.

 

With your written consent, we can share the information you specify, with others you choose, such as your physician, a lawyer, or your insurance company.

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​We never sell your information, and we do not use it for marketing.

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Withdrawing consent

 

You may withdraw or limit your consent to our use or sharing of your information at any time, except where the law requires otherwise. Withdrawing consent does not undo sharing that has already occurred. Please speak with your therapist or our Privacy Contact Person.

 

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How we protect your information

 

We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical steps to protect your information from theft, loss, and unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. These include:

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• storing client records in Jane, a secure, encrypted practice-management system designed for Canadian health care providers with data hosted in Canada

• conducting sessions through Jane's secure, encrypted video platform

• storing payment card information in encrypted form within Jane

• limiting access to your information to those who need it to provide your care

• requiring everyone who works with us to follow our privacy policies and keep information confidential

• password protection and security measures on all devices used in our practice

 

 

Online sessions and your own privacy

 

For your privacy during video sessions, we recommend joining from a private space, using a secure internet connection (not public Wi-Fi), and using a personal rather than a shared or work device.

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Email and text messages

 

Regular email and text messaging are convenient but not fully secure. We use them mainly for scheduling and general communication. Please avoid sending detailed personal or clinical information by email or text; your therapist is happy to discuss anything sensitive during your session.

 

 

How long we keep your information

 

As required by CRPO's Professional Practice Standards, we keep clinical, appointment, and financial records for at least 10 years from our last contact with you, or 10 years from your 18th birthday, whichever is later. After that period, records are securely destroyed.

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If our practice closes or a therapist becomes unable to practise, we have arrangements in place so that your records remain secure and you can still request access to them.

 

 

Your right to access and correct your records

 

You have the right to see and receive a copy of the personal health information we hold about you, with limited exceptions set out in PHIPA. To make a request, please contact our Privacy Contact Person in writing. We will respond within 30 days, or notify you if more time is needed, as PHIPA permits. We may charge a reasonable fee for copies, which we will tell you about in advance.

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If you believe information in your record is inaccurate or incomplete, you may ask us to correct it. If we agree, we will make the correction. If we do not agree (for example, where the information is a professional opinion made in good faith), we will explain why, and you may attach a statement of disagreement to your record.

 

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If a privacy breach occurs

 

If your personal health information is lost, stolen, or accessed or shared without authorization, we will notify you at the first reasonable opportunity and tell you about your right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Where required, we will also notify the Commissioner.

 

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Our website​ Contact form

 

Information you submit through our website's contact form is used only to respond to your inquiry and arrange a consultation. Our website is hosted by Wix, and form submissions may be stored on servers outside Canada. Please don't include detailed personal or health information in the contact form; we'll gather what we need securely once you become a client.

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Cookies and analytics

 

Like most websites, ours uses cookies and similar technologies for basic functioning and to understand general visitor patterns (such as which pages are visited). This information is not used to identify you personally. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

 

Links

 

Our website links to other sites, such as book retailers and articles. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites.

 

 

Questions or concerns

 

If you have a question or concern about our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Contact Person first. We take every concern seriously and will do our best to resolve it.

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Privacy Contact Person:  Shirley Porter, M.Ed., RP

Email: traumaandbeyond@gmail.com 

Phone/Text: 548-888-1067

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If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to file a complaint with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario:

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Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400

Toronto, ON

M4W 1A8

Phone: 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073

TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539

Website: www.ipc.on.ca

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Complaints about a therapist's professional conduct may also be made to the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (crpo.ca).

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Changes to this statement

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We may update this statement from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. The effective date at the top shows when it was last revised.

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