Informed Consent & Confidentiality
Responsibility to Clients
We have legal, professional, and ethical standards of practice which directly impact our service to clients. If you choose to participate in therapy with us, either as an adolescent, young adult, or parent/guardian, our hope is that you will feel confident that you are being provided with accurate information about what you can and should expect.
Informed Consent
You have the right to control how you receive health care in Ontario, including therapy. Informed consent means that you have been provided with specific, relevant, and ongoing information about therapy treatment.
Please feel free to ask questions at any time. You can expect that the first session will be spent getting to know you, gathering information, clarifying goals, sharing an initial assessment formulation, answering questions, and determining an agreed upon therapy direction. Recommendations and next steps will be discussed, along with potential benefits or risks, so that you are able to make informed decisions.
Please feel free to ask questions at any time. You can expect that the first session will be spent getting to know you, gathering information, clarifying goals, sharing an initial assessment formulation, answering questions, and determining an agreed upon therapy direction. Recommendations and next steps will be discussed, along with potential benefits or risks, so that you are able to make informed decisions.
Confidentiality
Our duty is the provide therapy which is confidential and respectful. Any disclosure of information to any other person will not be given without express verbal or written consent. This applies to family members, medical professionals, school personnel, etc.
That being said, we value and encourage family communication, and support many families who are seeking to build stronger and healthier relationships. This is navigated differently with each family; your wishes regarding what information is shared and with whom will always be sought and respected. Please feel free to ask questions about how this might occur in your own family.
That being said, we value and encourage family communication, and support many families who are seeking to build stronger and healthier relationships. This is navigated differently with each family; your wishes regarding what information is shared and with whom will always be sought and respected. Please feel free to ask questions about how this might occur in your own family.
Limits of Confidentiality
There are a very limited number of exceptions to maintaining confidentiality in therapy. Information from therapy sessions is only shared when legally required or directed by the courts. Examples of these exceptions include:
- Reporting a suspicion of child abuse of a child in need of protection to the Children’s Aid Society.
- Informing someone in a position of authority if a client is in imminent danger of harming themselves or others.
- Providing information as instructed by the courts through subpoena, search warrant, or other legal order.
Professional Consultation
There is tremendous value in professional consultation. Discussing therapy practice with another professional sharpens skills, enhances knowledge, and lends greater expertise to address specific client concerns.
When engaged in professional consultations, the standards of confidentiality are of utmost importance. Any information discussed is done so in a manner that provides client anonymity and does not disclose identifying information.
When engaged in professional consultations, the standards of confidentiality are of utmost importance. Any information discussed is done so in a manner that provides client anonymity and does not disclose identifying information.