Privacy Policy
Andrea Whyte Psychotherapy
Effective: September 4, 2026
I am committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of the personal information entrusted to me. This Privacy Policy explains how personal information is collected, used, disclosed, stored, and protected through this website and in connection with my psychotherapy practice.
I handle personal information in accordance with applicable Ontario privacy legislation, including the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), and the professional standards applicable to Registered Psychotherapists in Ontario.
This Privacy Policy applies to information collected through my website and through general inquiries made before or outside of the therapeutic relationship. Information collected as part of psychotherapy services is also governed by my clinical privacy and consent practices.
1. Information I Collect
When you contact me through this website, you may be asked to provide:
your name; and
your email address.
This information is collected so that I can respond to your inquiry and communicate with you about my services.
The website does not ask you to provide information about your mental health, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, or other sensitive personal health information.
Please do not include sensitive or confidential personal health information when contacting me through the website.
If you choose to provide additional information when contacting me by email, that information may also be collected and used to respond to your inquiry.
2. How I Use Your Information
Information you provide through this website may be used to:
respond to your inquiry;
arrange a complimentary consultation;
communicate with you about my services;
answer questions about my practice; and
determine whether my services may be an appropriate fit for your needs.
I do not use information submitted through the website for unrelated purposes without your consent or another legal basis permitting such use.
3. Email Communication
I use Microsoft Outlook for business email communication.
If you contact me by email, the information contained in your message and associated with your email address may be collected and used to respond to your inquiry or communicate with you about my services.
Because ordinary email is not secure, please avoid sending detailed or sensitive personal health information by email.
4. Psychotherapy and Clinical Information
Information collected as part of psychotherapy services is handled separately from general website inquiries and is subject to applicable privacy legislation, professional requirements, and my clinical privacy practices.
Once you become a client, personal health information collected in the course of psychotherapy is maintained as part of your clinical record.
My client consent and informed-consent process, which is provided through Jane, addresses the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information in the therapeutic relationship, including matters relating to psychotherapy and virtual services.
This website Privacy Policy does not replace the informed consent process provided to clients.
5. Consent
Where required by law, I obtain consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information and personal health information. You may withdraw consent at any time where permitted by law.
6. Disclosure of Information
I keep personal information confidential and do not disclose personal health information without consent except where disclosure is permitted or required by law.
Information may be disclosed:
with your consent;
to another health-care provider or other third party when authorized by you;
where disclosure is required or permitted by law; or
in other circumstances permitted under applicable privacy legislation.
Where personal health information is disclosed, I limit the information disclosed to what is reasonably necessary for the purpose, where required by law.
7. How I Protect Your Information
I take reasonable physical, technical, and administrative measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, loss, theft, or destruction.
These measures may include:
password protection and access controls;
secure systems and technology;
limiting access to personal information to those who require it for legitimate purposes;
using technology designed to support secure virtual services; and
securely retaining and disposing of information in accordance with applicable requirements.
Because electronic transmission and storage cannot be guaranteed to be completely secure, I cannot guarantee the absolute security of information transmitted electronically.
8. Accessing and Correcting Your Information
You may request access to personal health information held in your clinical record and may request correction of information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete, subject to applicable legal requirements and limitations.
Requests for access or correction can be made in writing by contacting me using the contact information provided below. I may request additional information reasonably necessary to process an access or correction request.
I will respond to requests for access to personal health information within the timeframe required by applicable privacy legislation. Under PHIPA, access requests are generally responded to within 30 calendar days, although an extension of up to an additional 30 days may be permitted in certain circumstances.
If you believe information in your record is inaccurate or incomplete, you may request that it be corrected. Where a correction is not made, you may have the right to have a statement of disagreement attached to the record, as permitted by PHIPA.
9. Privacy Questions and Concerns
If you have questions or concerns about how your personal information is collected, used, disclosed, or protected, please contact:
Andrea Whyte, MA, RP
Registered Psychotherapist
Andrea Whyte Psychotherapy
Email: info@andreawhytepsychotherapy.ca
Telephone: 705-702-5200
I will make reasonable efforts to respond to privacy questions and concerns.
10. Complaints
If you have a concern about how your personal information has been handled, I encourage you to contact me first so that I can attempt to address your concern.
You may also contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) if you have concerns about the handling of your personal health information under PHIPA.
The IPC oversees Ontario's health privacy law and provides processes for complaints concerning the collection, use, disclosure, access, and correction of personal health information.
11. Changes to This Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically to reflect changes to my practice, website, technology, or applicable legal and regulatory requirements.
The most current version will be posted on this website with the effective date indicated at the beginning of the policy.
Last updated: September 4, 2026