Confidentiality and privacy is very important in counselling.
All therapy takes place over Zoom. Your counsellor has signed a business associate's agreement (BAA) with Zoom to keep all information private and secure.Â
All sessions are recorded to your therapist's computer, not to Zoom cloud. All files are stored on a password-protected device. Your therapist does not use Zoom AI features.
Your counsellor does NOT use artificial intelligence (AI) in their practice. This means your information will not be shared with, sent to, or stored in services like ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini, or Claude.
Your file may have 2 parts: a digital component and a physical component. You do not have 2 files. Your counsellor does NOT keep 'secret' notes or a separate set of notes.
There may be 2 parts of the file because of technology differences: audio files are stored on a password-protected computer and in a Canadian cloud service that meets Personal Health Information Act security* standards. Digital files are stored on Sync.com - an encrypted service based in Canada that meets Canadian data residency requirements, and has a 180-day audit log. You can read about Sync's security here. Some examples of files in the digital portion of your file include but are not limited to: audio files (recordings) of your appointment, invoices/receipts, informed consent and intake forms, questionnaires, copies of your emails, etc.
Some examples of records in the physical portion of your file include but are not limited to: handwritten therapy notes (process notes) made by your therapist, phone call interactions, records of appointments, records of any contact between yourself and your therapist, etc.
In the event of a release of file, both portions of your file may be requested by completing a release of information form.
*Personal Health Information Act (PHIA, pronounced 'fee-ah') in Nova Scotia legislates how personal health information is stored and accessed by health record custodians in the province. Some people refer to this as HIPAA-compliance, however Canada does not have HIPAA. Instead, Canada uses PIPEDA for some industries, with provincial legislation such as PHIA for healthcare providers.
Under Nova Scotia law, and with few limitations, you have a legal right to see your records. You also have a right to inform your provider of any incorrect information and have it corrected. Your right to access is not absolute and your provider can refuse your request under the following circumstances: granting access would cause you or someone else harm, the contents of your file mention someone who has not provided consent for their information to be released, or your provider has reasonable grounds to believe the contents of your file would be misused. If you request your information, your provider must provide a response within 30 days. You may be responsible for any fees associated with providing your information, such as photocopying, printing, or digital media storage devices. If your provider refuses your request, they have to provide a response and reason within 30 days. If you would like to escalate their response, you can contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Nova Scotia.