Confidentiality

We are committed to keeping your personal information confidential. This means that the information you provide will be held strictly confidential and will not be shared or released to others without your informed and written consent. However, there are some ethical and legal exceptions to this rule that permits all the release information with or without consent. These situations include the following:

• If there is reason to believe that a client is at imminent risk of danger to the self or others, psychologists are required to inform appropriate individuals (e.g., the police, your emergency contact, or the person who was threatened).
• If there are grounds of apparent, suspected, or potential child abuse or neglect, psychologists must immediately report their concerns to the Children’s Aid Society.
• If there are grounds of apparent, suspected, or potential elderly abuse or neglect in a long-term care facility or retirement home, psychologists are required to report this information to the Director of the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and to the appropriate regulatory body.
• If a client reports sexual abuse by a Registered Healthcare Professional in Ontario (e.g., physician, chiropractor, nurse), psychologists are required to report this information to the appropriate regulating body. The client’s name will not be released without the client’s written consent.
• If a client’s clinical file is subpoenaed, psychologists must release any information that is court ordered.
• If the College of Psychologists of Ontario conducts an audit on a practice, psychologists will be required to comply with the request and provide access to clinical files, which will be held confidential by the College.