CLEAR INFORMATION. BEFORE YOU BEGIN.
Privacy &
Confidentiality
Space to talk.
Clarity about your information.
Starting counselling can mean sharing personal experiences. Understanding confidentiality, your choices, and your rights can help you feel more comfortable taking that step.
BEFORE YOU SHARE
Your questions
are welcome.
You can ask about privacy before completing an intake form or discussing sensitive information.
Understand confidentiality
Make informed choices
Know your rights
01 / YOUR INFORMATION
Information that supports your care.
We collect personal information from you or your authorized representative. This includes identification details, health history, counselling notes, and recommendations we receive. Information from other sources is collected with your consent or as permitted by law.
Our intake privacy policy identifies care, service improvement, education, research, and legal obligations as purposes for using personal health information. These uses remain subject to applicable consent and legal requirements. We seek your explicit consent for other purposes.
How we safeguard your information
Your counsellor is responsible for keeping your client file confidential in accordance with legal and professional requirements. MHASO uses password-protected devices and encrypted methods for storing data. You are welcome to ask your counsellor how your information is protected and how long your records are retained.
Our privacy practices are guided by Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and the professional standards that apply to your counsellor.
02 / YOUR CONSENT
You have a say in how information is shared.
Our intake privacy policy states that information sharing within the MHASO team is on a need-to-know basis to support your care, and only with your explicit consent.
Consent should be informed and voluntary. You can ask what information is needed, why it is needed, and who it may be shared with. Sharing outside the team is also subject to applicable consent and legal requirements.
You can withhold or withdraw consent, subject to legal exceptions. Withdrawal does not undo information already shared. Discuss any limits you want to place on sharing and how they may affect your care.
Read Ontario’s consent guidance
03 / CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidentiality has legal limits.
Your clinician has a duty of confidentiality. In some circumstances, information may be disclosed without consent where the law permits or requires it.
Examples can include:
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Responding to a significant risk of serious harm.
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Making a legally required report, including certain child-protection concerns.
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Complying with a valid court order or another legal requirement.
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Responding to an authorized professional regulatory investigation.
These examples are not exhaustive. Ask your clinician to explain the limits that apply to your care and how a disclosure would be handled.
04 / DIFFERENT CARE SETTINGS
Make expectations clear from the start.
Children and young people
Consent and access to information depend on the young person’s capacity and the circumstances. Parents do not automatically have access to every counselling record. Discuss privacy, consent, and parent or caregiver involvement with the clinician.
Family counselling and groups
Before participating, ask how shared records, individual conversations, and requests for information are handled. In groups, other participants’ behaviour cannot be guaranteed; discuss group privacy expectations and decide what you feel comfortable sharing.
05 / YOUR RECORDS
Ask to access or correct your information.
PHIPA generally gives you the right to request access to your health records and to ask for corrections, with some exceptions. A correction request does not necessarily require a clinician to change a professional opinion made in good faith.
Contact the MHASO office to ask how to direct your request to the person responsible for your records. Ask about identity verification, any written request needed, applicable fees, and response timelines.
Learn about access and correction rights
06 / ONLINE COMMUNICATION
Choose what you share online.
Email, phone calls, and text messages can be convenient, but they carry privacy risks. MHASO uses email and text for appointment coordination in line with your communication preferences.
Your communication choices
Our intake form asks whether we may:
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Use email to schedule appointments.
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Send email updates and newsletters.
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Send text or email appointment reminders.
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Leave voicemail messages for you.
You can revise these preferences at any time. Let your counsellor or the office know what works for you, particularly if you share a device or account.
Protecting your digital conversations
Protect your devices with passwords. Consider deleting appointment messages from your device when you no longer need them, and choose a private space for virtual sessions. Deleting a message from your device does not necessarily remove copies held elsewhere.
You may contact your counsellor by email for non-urgent advice or support. Replies may not be immediate, and email is not a crisis service. Be mindful of its privacy limitations and ask how to send sensitive information appropriately.
Our online intake opens on IntakeQ. Ask the office about the privacy practices of online platforms, website cookies, or analytics before sharing information.
07 / QUESTIONS & CONCERNS
Let’s start with your question.
For a privacy concern, a records request, or a question about confidentiality, contact the office and ask to be connected with the person responsible.
If you believe your health information has been handled improperly, you can also contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Its website explains how to raise a concern or file a complaint.