Your Privacy Matters to Me
Psychotherapy often involves sharing personal, sensitive and sometimes deeply private information. I take the privacy, confidentiality and security of your information seriously and make reasonable efforts to protect it throughout your work with me.
This page provides an overview of how I handle personal health information in my psychotherapy practice. It is intended to help you understand what information I collect, why I collect it, how it may be used or disclosed, how it is protected and what rights you have regarding your information.
This page provides a general overview of my privacy and confidentiality practices. Clients receiving psychotherapy are also provided with a Client Agreement, Informed Consent & Practice Policies document as part of the intake and consent process. That document provides more detailed information about confidentiality, records, communication, telehealth, professional boundaries, emergencies and other aspects of psychotherapy with me.
Personal Health Information
For the purposes of this privacy information, personal health information means identifying information about you that relates to your physical or mental health, your health history, the provision of health care to you or other information defined as personal health information under applicable privacy legislation, including Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), where applicable.
What Information I Collect
As part of providing psychotherapy and managing my practice, I may collect information such as:
- Your name and contact information
- Information you provide during intake
- Your reasons for seeking therapy and your treatment goals
- Relevant mental, emotional, physical and social health information
- Information about accessibility needs and considerations
- Clinical observations and treatment information
- Session dates, attendance and scheduling information
- Billing and payment information
- Information you provide through email, text messaging or other correspondence
- Emergency contact information
- Information received from another person or health care provider when you have provided appropriate authorization
- Information reasonably necessary to provide, coordinate, administer and document psychotherapy services
I collect information that is reasonably necessary for providing and documenting psychotherapy and for managing the administrative aspects of my practice.
How I Use Your Information
Your personal health information may be used to:
- Provide psychotherapy and related services
- Understand your needs and support treatment planning
- Maintain appropriate clinical records
- Document the services provided
- Communicate with you about appointments and administrative matters
- Process payments and provide receipts
- Respond to requests, questions or concerns
- Manage the administrative and operational aspects of my practice
- Meet applicable legal, privacy, professional and regulatory requirements
- Meet applicable insurance or reimbursement requirements where relevant and authorized or otherwise permitted or required by law
- Support appropriate professional consultation or supervision
I do not use your personal health information for purposes unrelated to your care or the operation of my psychotherapy practice unless you have provided appropriate consent or the use is otherwise permitted or required by law.
Where information is disclosed without your consent because disclosure is permitted or required by law, I will limit the information disclosed to what is reasonably necessary or otherwise permitted or required in the circumstances.
Confidentiality
Confidentiality is an important part of psychotherapy.
Information you share with me is generally kept confidential and is not disclosed to others without your consent, except where disclosure is required or permitted by law.
There are circumstances in which I may be legally required or permitted to disclose information without your consent. Depending on the circumstances, these may include:
- A legal requirement or court order
- A legal duty to report relating to the protection of a child
- Circumstances involving a serious risk of harm where disclosure is required or permitted by law
- Professional or regulatory obligations
- Other circumstances in which applicable legislation permits or requires disclosure
The specific circumstances and requirements depend on the situation and applicable law.
Whenever appropriate and legally possible, I will discuss a required or permitted disclosure with you.
If information must or may be disclosed without your consent, I will take reasonable steps to limit the disclosure to information that is reasonably necessary or otherwise permitted or required in the circumstances.
If you have questions about the limits of confidentiality, I encourage you to ask before sharing information about which you have concerns.
Professional Consultation and Supervision
Consultation and supervision are part of responsible clinical practice.
When appropriate, I may seek consultation or supervision from a qualified professional regarding clinical, ethical or practice-related questions in order to maintain competence and support the quality and effectiveness of my work.
When consultation or supervision involves information about your care, I take reasonable steps to protect your privacy. I ordinarily do not share your identity or unnecessary identifying information.
Your Personal Health Information and Psychotherapy Records
As part of providing psychotherapy, I maintain records relating to your care.
Your psychotherapy record may include information such as:
- Identifying and contact information
- Information relevant to your health, wellbeing and care
- Your presenting concerns and goals
- Clinical observations and treatment information
- Session dates and attendance
- Relevant correspondence
- Consents, releases or authorizations
- Billing and payment information
- Information received from other individuals or health care providers with appropriate authorization
- Other information reasonably necessary to provide and document services
Depending on the nature of therapy, the clinical record may also include client reflections, journals, artwork, writing, creative work, homework, images, recordings or other materials created or used during therapy when they are relevant to your care or the documentation of services.
Creative and experiential materials that form part of the psychotherapy record are treated as confidential clinical information and are handled in accordance with applicable privacy legislation, professional requirements and my record-management practices.
Creative materials may be reviewed as part of my clinical work, professional consultation or supervision where appropriate to providing and maintaining the quality of your care.
I will not photograph, reproduce, display, publish or otherwise use identifiable creative work created during psychotherapy for purposes outside your care without appropriate consent, except where such use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.
You are welcome to ask questions about how creative materials or other information are handled, stored, retained or included in your record.
Record Retention, Storage and Disposal
I take reasonable administrative, technical and physical measures to protect personal health information and psychotherapy records against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, theft, copying, modification or disposal.
Records are maintained in accordance with applicable privacy legislation and professional requirements.
As a Registered Social Service Worker, I maintain client records in accordance with applicable OCSWSSW record-keeping requirements. Client records are generally stored and preserved securely for at least ten years from the date of the last entry in the record. Where the client was under 18 years of age at the date of the last entry, the applicable retention period is generally at least ten years from the day the client became or would have become 18.
Records may be retained for longer where required by law or where, based on reasonable professional judgment, a longer period may be necessary because there is a reasonable possibility that future access to the record may be needed.
When the applicable retention period has ended, records are securely disposed of in a manner that protects confidentiality.
If I cease providing services or close my practice, I will make appropriate arrangements for the continued maintenance, transfer or disposal of records in accordance with applicable privacy, professional and legal requirements.
Access to and Correction of Your Information
Subject to applicable legal exceptions, you may have the right to:
- Ask questions about how your personal health information is collected, used, disclosed, stored, retained and disposed of
- Request access to your personal health information
- Request correction of information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete
- Ask questions or raise concerns about how your information has been handled
If you would like to request access to or correction of your information, please contact me directly. I will explain the applicable process and any relevant legal requirements, exceptions or limitations.
Access and correction requests are handled in accordance with applicable privacy legislation. Where PHIPA applies, formal access and correction requests may be subject to statutory timelines and limited exceptions. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario provides information about these rights and processes.
Electronic Communication
Email, text messaging and other electronic communication may be used for administrative and practice-related purposes such as:
- Scheduling
- Appointment reminders
- Cancellations and rescheduling
- Brief logistical questions
- Other administrative matters related to your care
Electronic communication is not intended to replace psychotherapy sessions or provide ongoing psychotherapy, clinical assessment or crisis support.
Electronic communication carries privacy and security risks, and no ordinary email or text messaging system can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
For this reason, please avoid sending highly sensitive clinical or personal health information by ordinary email or text unless necessary.
If you send personal or clinical information electronically, I will handle it in accordance with my professional and privacy obligations, but electronic communication cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure.
Please do not use email, text messaging, social media or other informal electronic communication channels for emergencies or urgent clinical concerns.
Telehealth and Privacy
When psychotherapy takes place online or through another remote method, additional privacy and technology considerations apply.
I encourage you to:
- Participate from a private location where possible
- Use headphones or earbuds when appropriate
- Consider who may be able to hear your session
- Use a private and secure internet connection where possible
- Let me know if another person is present during your session
- Take reasonable steps to prevent interruptions
- Technology can occasionally fail. If our connection is interrupted, we will attempt to reconnect using the agreed-upon method or determine an appropriate alternative.
- If you are physically located outside Ontario during a session, please let me know in advance so that I can determine whether I am able to provide services in that jurisdiction.
- Additional information about remote psychotherapy and consent to telehealth is provided in the Client Agreement, Informed Consent & Practice Policies.
Emergency and Urgent Situations
Psychotherapy is not an emergency or crisis-response service.
Please do not use email, text messaging, social media or this website to seek emergency assistance or an immediate clinical response.
If you are experiencing an immediate emergency or believe you are at imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or someone else, access an appropriate emergency or crisis service.
Additional crisis, emergency and community resources are available on my website. These resources are provided for information and convenience and are not monitored for emergencies.
In an emergency or other situation involving a serious and imminent safety concern, personal health information may be disclosed without your consent where permitted or required by law.
More detailed information about emergencies, emergency contacts and the limits of psychotherapy as an emergency service is provided in the Client Agreement, Informed Consent & Practice Policies.
Privacy Concerns or Complaints
If you have a question or concern about how your personal health information has been handled, I encourage you to contact me first so that I have an opportunity to understand and address the concern.
Privacy Contact
Maggie Forgeron, RSSW – Psychotherapist, MA, ExAT, RSMT/E
Email: notjustanybodypart@gmail.com
Please provide enough information for me to understand the nature of your concern.
For your protection, please avoid sending highly sensitive health information by ordinary email unless necessary.
I will review privacy concerns and respond within a reasonable period of time, taking into account the nature and complexity of the concern.
If your concern involves a request to access or correct your health information, I will explain the applicable process and any relevant legal requirements or limitations.
External Privacy Complaints
If you are not satisfied with my response, or if you believe your personal health information has been handled in a manner that contravenes Ontario’s health privacy legislation, you may contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC).
The IPC oversees Ontario’s health privacy legislation, including PHIPA, and provides processes for individuals who have concerns about the collection, use, disclosure, access to or correction of personal health information.
The IPC generally encourages individuals to first try to resolve their concern directly with the health information custodian.
Information about the IPC’s health privacy complaint processes is available through the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario — Health Privacy
Professional Complaints
Privacy concerns and professional-conduct concerns are separate matters.
As a Registered Social Service Worker, I am regulated by the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW).
If you have concerns about my professional conduct or practice, you may contact OCSWSSW regarding its complaints process.
A privacy complaint to the IPC and a professional complaint to OCSWSSW are separate processes and may address different issues.
Questions
If you have questions about privacy, confidentiality, records, creative or expressive materials, electronic communication, telehealth, access to your information or any other aspect of how your information is handled, please feel welcome to ask.
Understanding how your information is collected, used, protected and retained is an important part of informed consent and your therapeutic relationship with me.