Privacy Policy
Introduction: Shelmar Haven Therapy is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of your personal and health information. This Privacy Policy outlines how your information is collected, used, disclosed, and safeguarded in accordance with applicable provincial and federal privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA - Ontario), and the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA - British Columbia).
Collection of Personal Information: Personal and health information is collected directly from you for the purpose of providing clinical counseling and psychotherapy services. This information may include, but is not limited to:
Contact information (name, address, phone number, email, province of residence).
Emergency contact information.
Health history, medical information, and presenting clinical concerns.
Billing and payment details.
Use of Personal Information: Your information is used exclusively for the following purposes:
To assess your clinical needs and provide appropriate therapeutic interventions.
To communicate with you regarding appointments, scheduling, and administrative matters.
To process billing and process payments.
To fulfill regulatory and legal obligations associated with maintaining professional designations (RCC, CCC, RP(Qualifying)).
Disclosure of Personal Information and Limits of Confidentiality: All interactions and records are strictly confidential. Your personal health information will not be disclosed to third parties without your explicit written consent, except under the following legally and ethically mandated circumstances:
Risk of Harm: If there is clear and imminent danger that you may cause serious physical harm to yourself or another person.
Child Protection: If there is suspicion or disclosure that a child (under the age of majority in your province) is currently at risk of abuse or neglect.
Legal Subpoena: If your clinical records are subpoenaed by a court of law.
Regulatory Audits: If clinical records are requested by a regulatory college or professional association (e.g., CRPO, BCACC, CCPA) for the purpose of a professional audit or investigation.
Medical Emergencies: In the event of an acute medical emergency during a session where emergency personnel must be contacted.
Storage and Security: Shelmar Haven Therapy employs physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect your data against unauthorized access, loss, or theft.
Electronic health records and scheduling are managed through secure, encrypted, and compliant practice management software.
Standard email and website contact forms are not fully encrypted; therefore, clients are advised to limit the sharing of sensitive Personal Health Information (PHI) through these channels.
Clinical records are retained for the legally mandated period required by the applicable regulatory colleges or professional associations, after which they are securely destroyed.
Use of Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI): To support accurate and efficient clinical documentation, Shelmar Haven Therapy utilizes a secure, healthcare-specific Artificial Intelligence (AI) documentation assistant. This tool is fully compliant with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA).
Please be advised of the following regarding this technology:
Data Security: The AI tool processes audio during the session to generate a text-based clinical summary. The audio is not recorded, stored, or retained after the session concludes.
No AI Training: Your personal health information (PHI) and session content are strictly isolated. They are never sold, shared, or utilized to train external AI models or machine learning algorithms.
Right to Withdraw Consent: Participation in the use of AI-assisted documentation is entirely voluntary. You maintain the right to opt out of this technology at any time without any impact on the quality of care you receive. If you prefer that this tool not be used, please inform your therapist prior to or during your session.
Access and Correction: You have the right to request access to your clinical record and to request corrections if you believe the information is inaccurate or incomplete. Requests for access must be made in writing.
Contact Information: If you have questions, concerns, or wish to make a complaint regarding this Privacy Policy or the handling of your personal information, please reach out via the secure form on the Contact page.
Last Updated: [August 2026]