Privacy of personal information is an important principle to Dr. Christina. We are committed to collecting, using and disclosing personal information responsibly and only to the extent necessary to provide you and/or your child with counseling services. We also try to be as open and transparent as possible about the way we handle personal information. The following policies and procedures outlined are in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Document Act, 2004 (PIPEDA) and the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA). Dr. Christina would like to take this opportunity to inform you about the personal information we collect, how it is used, and how we protect its confidentiality and your rights of this information.
The nature of personal information we collect may include:
Information required to maintain a working file according to the standards of the profession and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers such as your name, address, phone numbers, date of birth, other contact information, names of others who are significant to your situation (family, your doctor, and other professionals) and sometimes their contact information. We also collect information about our work and our actions in this regard, any correspondence sent or received, any consents or other documents you have signed, copies of papers you have given us, and other documentation particular to the nature of our involvement. Information necessary for billing purposes which may include information about your Assistance Program and their standards, information about other third party payers, copies of all receipts given to you including copies of electronic payments, copies of invoices and billing records and information related to the scheduling of appointments with you.
Information is collected for the following reasons:
There will be times when we ask you if we may speak with others about you and your situation. There will be times when you will ask us to do this as well. On these occasions, we will always discuss this information-sharing with you and we will look at the benefits and consequences of speaking to others about your situation. We would then ask for your informed, written consent for us to share your information.
There may be occasions when we must share information about you or your situation without your written consent. These situations are very exceptional but may include the following:
If there are other limits of confidentiality in your situation, we will identify and discuss them with you before proceeding with your service. When we work individually with children and adolescents we will attempt to keep parents informed of their child’s/adolescent’s progress and attempt to keep parents involved in the therapeutic process. However, in the case of older adolescents, they are afforded the right to privacy.
We make every attempt to safeguard personal information. We would like you to know the following:
Your file contains all the personal information about you and your situation with the exception of copies of billing information such as receipts and electronic payments.
Files are stored in a PHIPA regulated system through OWL Practice https://owlpractice.ca/mental-health/ Therefore, your file is maintained according to regulations set by the profession and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and in accordance with other legal requirements. When information about you is no longer required, it is cross-cut shredded and disposed of by us. In the event of incapacity or death, a designated social worker would have some access to your information in order to assist you in a transfer to another therapist or to maintain the file according to legal and regulatory standards. This social worker would also be a member of the College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and would be obligated to provide all services to the same standard that we would.
You have the right to request to see any personal information that we have collected about you or your situation. You have the right to review your clinical file. We will assist you to understand all of what has been written in your file. If you believe that some information about you is incorrect, you may request that the information be changed. We will then correct this information with any third parties who may have been given the wrong information.
Do you have any questions?
Christina Hyland, Registered Social Worker (PhD, MSW, RSW) can answer any questions you might have. You can contact her at [email protected]
The nature of personal information we collect may include:
Information required to maintain a working file according to the standards of the profession and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers such as your name, address, phone numbers, date of birth, other contact information, names of others who are significant to your situation (family, your doctor, and other professionals) and sometimes their contact information. We also collect information about our work and our actions in this regard, any correspondence sent or received, any consents or other documents you have signed, copies of papers you have given us, and other documentation particular to the nature of our involvement. Information necessary for billing purposes which may include information about your Assistance Program and their standards, information about other third party payers, copies of all receipts given to you including copies of electronic payments, copies of invoices and billing records and information related to the scheduling of appointments with you.
Information is collected for the following reasons:
- To maintain a clinical file or working file that meets the standards of my profession and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.
- To provide this service for you in a manner that ensures your safety.
- To maintain a high standard of professionalism in the provision of service.
- To assist in the process of billing for my services.
- To meet other legal and regulatory requirements.
- To maintain records pertaining to the operations of a business and to make these records available if requested.
There will be times when we ask you if we may speak with others about you and your situation. There will be times when you will ask us to do this as well. On these occasions, we will always discuss this information-sharing with you and we will look at the benefits and consequences of speaking to others about your situation. We would then ask for your informed, written consent for us to share your information.
There may be occasions when we must share information about you or your situation without your written consent. These situations are very exceptional but may include the following:
- If we have information about abuse or risk of abuse to a child then we must report this to the proper authority.
- If we have a concern about any risk that you may do harm to yourself or harm to another person then we must take action to ensure your safety or the safety of others.
- If we am required by law to release information such as receiving a subpoena to court.
- When disclosure is needed to receive professional or legal consultation.
- If we must defend myself against a complaint filed with the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers or any other court action.
If there are other limits of confidentiality in your situation, we will identify and discuss them with you before proceeding with your service. When we work individually with children and adolescents we will attempt to keep parents informed of their child’s/adolescent’s progress and attempt to keep parents involved in the therapeutic process. However, in the case of older adolescents, they are afforded the right to privacy.
We make every attempt to safeguard personal information. We would like you to know the following:
Your file contains all the personal information about you and your situation with the exception of copies of billing information such as receipts and electronic payments.
Files are stored in a PHIPA regulated system through OWL Practice https://owlpractice.ca/mental-health/ Therefore, your file is maintained according to regulations set by the profession and the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and in accordance with other legal requirements. When information about you is no longer required, it is cross-cut shredded and disposed of by us. In the event of incapacity or death, a designated social worker would have some access to your information in order to assist you in a transfer to another therapist or to maintain the file according to legal and regulatory standards. This social worker would also be a member of the College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers and would be obligated to provide all services to the same standard that we would.
You have the right to request to see any personal information that we have collected about you or your situation. You have the right to review your clinical file. We will assist you to understand all of what has been written in your file. If you believe that some information about you is incorrect, you may request that the information be changed. We will then correct this information with any third parties who may have been given the wrong information.
Do you have any questions?
Christina Hyland, Registered Social Worker (PhD, MSW, RSW) can answer any questions you might have. You can contact her at [email protected]