All personal information collected during assessment and treatment is considered private and confidential and is protected by appropriate security measures. Support staff (e.g., secretary, psychology assistant) is only allowed to access client’s information that is necessary to perform their job. Information gathered during the course of psychological services will only be shared with third parties (e.g., school personnel, employers, spouse) with the client’s permission. Clients age 16 or older have the right to maintain their personal information confidential. Exceptions to this general rule of privacy and confidentiality are as follows:
- When an identifiable individual is, or is at risk of, being harmed
- When sexual abuse by an identifiable health professional is disclosed
- When the client’s records are being subpoena by court
- When the client’s records are chosen for review through a randomized process by the College of Psychologists of Ontario for quality assurance purposes (the client’s information follows strict rules for confidentiality at the College level)
Relevant Links
College of Psychologists of Ontario
Privacy Commissioner of Ontario