Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Your Privacy

At Arrive Psychotherapy & Wellness, your privacy is fundamental to the trust you place in us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal health information in accordance with Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA).

Who We Are

Arrive Psychotherapy & Wellness
Jessica Ruppert, MA, Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying)
Regulated by the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO)
Email: jess@arrivetherapy.ca
Website: arrivetherapy.ca

As a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying) in Ontario, I am a Health Information Custodian under PHIPA and am responsible for protecting your personal health information.

What Information We Collect

Personal Health Information (PHI)

We collect information about you that relates to your physical or mental health, the provision of healthcare services, and your identity. This includes:

• Contact Information: Full name, date of birth, address, phone number(s), email address
• Health Information: Presenting concerns and reasons for seeking therapy, mental health history, relevant medical history, current medications, family health history (when relevant), emergency contact information, information about previous therapy or treatment, insurance information (if applicable)
• Treatment Records: Session notes and clinical observations, treatment plans and goals, progress notes, assessment results, communications between us (emails, messages, etc.), attendance records
• Referral Information: Name and contact information of any professional who referred you, reason for referral

How We Collect Your Information

We collect your personal health information directly from you through:

• Intake forms completed before your first session
• Verbal information you share during therapy sessions
• Written communications (emails, secure messages, forms)
• Third-party referrals (with your consent)

All information collection happens through our secure practice management platform, Owl Practice, which stores data on Canadian servers.

How We Use Your Information

Primary Uses:

• Providing psychotherapy services to you
• Planning and delivering your treatment
• Maintaining accurate clinical records
• Communicating with you about appointments and treatment
• Processing payments and issuing receipts

Secondary Uses (with your consent or as required by law):

• Clinical supervision (your information is shared with my clinical supervisor - you will be informed and asked to consent)
• Consultation with other healthcare providers (only with your explicit consent)
• Responding to legal requests or court orders
• Complying with mandatory reporting obligations (child abuse, threat of serious harm)
• Quality assurance and professional development (de-identified information only)

Clinical Supervision

As a Registered Psychotherapist (Qualifying), I practice under clinical supervision as required by CRPO. This means:

• Your clinical information (including identifying information) will be shared with my clinical supervisor
• You will be informed of my supervisor's name and contact information
• You have the right to contact my supervisor with questions or concerns about your care
• Your consent to supervision is obtained as part of your informed consent to therapy
• All supervisors are bound by the same confidentiality and privacy obligations as I am

How We Store and Protect Your Information

Electronic Records:

• All client records are stored in Owl Practice, a PHIPA-compliant practice management system
• Data is stored on secure Canadian servers (Montreal, Quebec)
• End-to-end encryption for all data transmission
• Password-protected access with two-factor authentication
• Automatic logout after periods of inactivity
• Electronic audit logs that track every access to your records
• Regular security updates and monitoring

Virtual Sessions:

• Video sessions use end-to-end encryption
• No session recordings are made unless you explicitly request and consent
• Sessions are conducted over secure, private internet connections

Third-Party Service Providers

Sharing Your Information

With Your Consent:

• We will only share your personal health information with other healthcare providers, family members, or third parties with your explicit, informed consent
• You can withdraw consent at any time

Without Your Consent (as permitted or required by law):

• To my clinical supervisor (for supervision purposes)
• To prevent or address a serious threat to your health or safety or that of another person
• As required by law (e.g., court order, subpoena)
• To comply with mandatory reporting obligations (child abuse, sexual abuse of a client by a regulated health professional)

Your Rights Under PHIPA

• Right to Access: You have the right to request access to your clinical records. Submit your request in writing to contact@arrivetherapy.ca. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request.
• Right to Correction: If you believe your clinical records contain an error or are incomplete, you may request a correction in writing. We will respond within 30 days.
• Right to Request Restrictions: You may request that we restrict the use or disclosure of your information.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw your consent to the use or disclosure of your information at any time.

Retention of Records

• Adults: Records are kept for a minimum of 10 years from the date of your last appointment
• Minors: Records are kept for a minimum of 10 years after you turn 18 years old

After the retention period, records are securely destroyed in accordance with PHIPA.

Cookies and Website Data

• Essential Cookies: Session cookies to maintain your browsing session. These are necessary for the website to function and cannot be disabled.
• No Marketing Cookies: We do not use cookies for advertising or marketing purposes. We do not sell or share your browsing data with third parties.

Breach Notification

In the unlikely event of a privacy breach involving your personal health information:

• We will investigate the breach immediately
• We will notify you if there is a real risk of significant harm
• We will report the breach to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario as required by law