I understand the trust people place in me when they access counselling, and I take that very seriously. The security of your personal information is very important to me and I am committed to confidentiality. I would not share information about you with anyone without your consent unless I am legally or professionally obligated to share that information. These limits of confidentiality include situations related to safety and the law such as:
- I have reason to suspect that a child under the age of 16 may be at risk of harm including neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, witnessing domestic violence
- I am concerned about an imminent risk to your life or someone else’s
- Disclosure of information is required by law. e.g. a court subpoenas my records or subpoenas me to testify in a court proceeding
- You disclose you were assaulted by a regulated health professional like a chiropractor or massage therapist
- Disclosure of an ethical violation by a member of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (the regulatory body governing Social Workers).
when would I share your personal information?
In order to support my clinical skills, I believe in ongoing research and training and in accessing peer consultation from experienced therapists, as needed. In peer consultation, I only share clinical information as is relevant to supporting your work in therapy and I would not be sharing your name or identifying information. As part of the consent to service process, I will be sharing with you the names of the peer therapists that I tend to consult with.
If you ask me to be in contact with your family physician, nurse practitioner or other care provider, I would talk about that with you and would only share information if you provided written consent.
privacy
I am governed by the Personal Health Information Protection Act. I store your information in a web-based Electronic Medical Record called Owl Software Product by Owl Practice which is compliant with PHIPA including bank-level encryption, redundant back-ups, and storage of information only on Canadian servers. You can read more about the privacy of that software here: https://owlpractice.ca/.
For sessions, I provide support by phone or by video. I use OWL Practice primarily and occasionally use doxy.me for video therapy which are compliant with PHIPA, use data encryption, and house servers and Canadian data on Canadian soil.
I am happy to talk through any questions you might have – feel free to reach out to connect by email or to set up a free mini phone session.
benefits and risks of therapy
Some possible benefits of therapy include increased awareness, understanding, and improved coping strategies for managing unpleasant feelings.
It is important to know that there are potential risks associated with psychotherapy. Some people notice that discussing difficult things can bring up unpleasant feelings, and they may actually feel worse before we work through concerns and on coping strategies to work towards feeling better.
Visit my contact page and get in touch to find out more or to book a session.
katarina maatta-hebdon 