Privacy Policy
Privacy and confidentiality are top values in the practice of therapy. Any personal information that is collected is stored with encryption that meets the requirements outlined by PHIPA (Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act). The software Mikaela uses for therapy is SimplePractice, which complies with PHIPA and actually exceeds PHIPA's requirements for security.
When a person requests a new session or consultation, their legal name, phone number and email address are collected and securely stored by the SimplePractice software with PHIPA-compliant encryption, only visible to Mikaela, the therapist and owner of The Pursuit of Betterment. When a person becomes an active client, they may opt-in to receive appointment reminders and therapy-related communication over email and/or text. If you opt-in to text communication, messaging and data rates may apply. A client may revoke their consent for email and/or text communication at any time by deselecting their opt-in, emailing or texting "STOP," or verbalizing their preference to Mikaela in session. A person will never be emailed or texted without their explicit consent beforehand. None of your information, including whether you are an active client and whether you have opted-in to text communication, will ever be shared with a third party without your explicit consent (ie. if you want to share your session notes with your doctor, you may give consent to Mikaela in writing to allow this to happen). In other words, 100% of your information is stored securely with encryption and visible to Mikaela alone as outlined by PHIPA, unless you give explicit written consent for another person to be given any of your information. Under no circumstances will any of your information ever be shared or sold for marketing or promotional purposes.
In compliance with PHIPA, all active client's Personal Health Information, which includes their name, birthdate, phone number, address, and session notes, is stored securely for 10 years after the session date, after which point they are destroyed. A client always has the right to request a free copy of their Personal Health Information at any time within this 10 year window. If you have more questions about the privacy of your information, please email Mikaela at contact@thepursuitofbetterment.com