Privacy Policy
Intentional Living Psychotherapy
Effective date: April 3, 2025
Contact: IntentionalLivingPsych@gmail.com
1) Who we are and scope
This policy explains how Intentional Living Psychotherapy collects, uses, discloses, and protects information when you receive psychotherapy services and when you use our website. It covers two categories of information:
Personal Health Information related to your care
General personal information and technical data related to your use of our website and communications
2) Key definitions
Personal Health Information means information that identifies you and relates to your physical or mental health, the care you receive, or payment for that care. Examples include your name, date of birth, health history, session notes, diagnoses, recommendations, referrals, and billing details. In Ontario, the handling of this information is governed by the Personal Health Information Protection Act.
Personal Information on the website means things like your name, email address, phone number, IP address, and browsing behavior.
3) Our role under PHIPA
For client care we act as a Health Information Custodian. We collect only what is reasonably necessary to provide care, operate the practice, receive payment, meet regulatory obligations, and improve our services. You can ask questions about this policy at any time.
4) What we collect
A) Information for psychotherapy services
Identity and contact details
Health history, presenting concerns, goals, and session notes
Referrals, reports, and correspondence with your consent
Appointment, billing, and insurance information
Telehealth metadata such as session date and duration
B) Information from the website and communications
Contact form details that you submit
Email preferences and marketing consent status
Technical data such as IP address, browser type, pages visited, and timestamps through cookies or analytics tools
Error logs and basic security telemetry to help protect the site
5) How we use your information
A) For your care
Assess needs, deliver psychotherapy, coordinate care at your request, and document treatment
Schedule appointments, manage records, process payments, and meet supervision or quality assurance needs permitted by law
Respond to safety concerns and legal reporting duties when applicable under Ontario law
B) For the website and communications
Respond to inquiries and manage our relationship with you
Maintain and secure the website, diagnose issues, and analyze traffic to improve content
Send newsletters or updates only with your consent or as permitted by Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation. You can unsubscribe at any time.
6) Consent
For health information, consent is implied when you seek therapy, and we will request express consent for specific disclosures when required. You can withdraw consent, subject to legal or clinical limits.
For marketing emails, we seek your express consent and always provide an unsubscribe option.
7) When we share information
We do not sell your information. We share only when needed:
With service providers that support practice operations, such as practice management, telehealth platforms, secure email, cloud storage, analytics, or payment processing. These providers are contractually required to protect information and use it only to deliver their services to us.
With other health providers or third parties at your written request or with your consent.
Without consent only if required or permitted by law, such as an immediate risk of serious harm, a court order, or a legal reporting duty.
8) Cross-border services
Some service providers may store or process data outside Ontario or Canada. Where that applies, contractual and technical safeguards are used, but data may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions.
9) Safeguards
We use layered safeguards appropriate to a psychotherapy clinic: unique logins, role-based access, strong authentication where available, device encryption, secure transmission, least-necessary access, and staff training. We review safeguards regularly and keep audit trails where our systems support them.
10) Retention and destruction
Clinical records are retained for the minimum periods required by Ontario standards, then securely destroyed or anonymized.
Website and operational logs are kept only as long as needed for security, analytics, and legal compliance.
If we must keep information to resolve a dispute or meet legal obligations, we will do so only for that purpose and timeframe.
11) Your rights
Under Ontario health privacy law you can:
Ask why we collect your personal health information and how it is used
Access and obtain a copy of your health record, with limited exceptions
Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete information
Instruct us to restrict disclosure to other providers in some circumstances
Be notified about certain privacy breaches
You may also complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario if you believe your rights have been infringed.
12) How to make an access or correction request
Email: IntentionalLivingPsych@gmail.com with the subject line Access Request or Correction Request. We will respond within reasonable timelines and will explain any limits that apply under PHIPA. If we refuse access or correction, we will explain why and how to escalate the matter, including your right to complain to the IPC.
13) Telehealth
When sessions take place by video or phone, we use reputable platforms and recommend you join from a private space and secure network. We do not record sessions. If a recording is ever clinically indicated, we would request explicit written consent before proceeding.
14) Cookies and analytics on the website
Our site may use essential cookies for security and function, and optional analytics cookies to understand site usage. You can control cookies through your browser settings. If we run analytics, we use it to see aggregate patterns such as page views and navigation paths. IP addresses may be truncated or de-identified where possible.
15) Email marketing and CASL
If you subscribe to updates, we will store your consent status, send only the categories you chose, and include an unsubscribe link in every message. You can also email us to stop receiving messages.
16) Children and teens
We collect only what is needed to provide care. For minors, consent practices follow Ontario law and relevant professional standards. Where a capable minor consents to their own care, we follow that decision unless an exception in law applies.
17) Third-party links
Our website may link to other sites. Their privacy practices are their own. Review those policies before sharing information with them.
18) Changes to this policy
We may update this policy as our practices or laws change. The latest version will always appear on this page with the effective date.
19) Contact
Questions about privacy, requests, or complaints:
Email: IntentionalLivingPsych@gmail.com
If you are not satisfied with our response regarding your health information, you can contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario for guidance on filing a complaint.