OPC Privacy Policy

The nature of psychological services involves sharing personal information with your therapist, including demographic information (i.e., name, telephone number, address) for record purposes.

All psychotherapists work in compliance with the Federal Privacy Legislation, the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) with regard to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, the steps taken to protect that information, and your right to review personal information. In compliance with PHIPA, all client records are retained for 10 years from the last recorded session or 10 years from a client’s 18th birthday.

PHIPA provides a set of rules for the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information. PHIPA applies to individuals and organizations involved in the delivery of healthcare services, such as psychologists and psychotherapists. Under the Act they are referred to as “health information custodians.” PHIPA includes the following provisions:

1. Consent is required for the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information, with a few exceptions;
2. Health information custodians are required to treat all personal health information as confidential and maintain its security;
3. Individuals have a right to access their personal health information, as well as the right to correct errors;
4. Individuals have the right to instruct health information custodians not to share their personal health information with others;
5. Rules are provided for the use of personal health information for fundraising or marketing purposes;
6. Guidelines are set for the use and disclosure of personal health information for research purposes;
7. Accountability is ensured by granting an individual the right to complain if they have identified an error in their personal health information;
8. Remedies are established for breaches of the legislation. For additional information on PHIPA, please visit: www.ipc.on.ca/wp-content/uploads/Resources/hguide-e.pdf.

If you would like to access your file and/or request corrections, please speak to your therapist or to the Executive Director, Heather Fawcett MA RP (613-804-1811).