Privacy Policy

Introduction

Safe Space Counselling Services (“Safe Space,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we may share it with, and what rights you have regarding your information.

We are a private psychotherapy practice located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. This policy applies to information collected through our website at www.safespacecounselling.ca, our contact and booking forms, and our communications with you.

We comply with the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) of British Columbia and the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), as well as all applicable professional and ethical obligations governing the practice of counselling and psychotherapy in British Columbia.

Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

Information you provide directly:

Your name, email address, phone number, and preferred contact method
Information about the type of support or inquiry you are seeking
Your preferred therapist, session format, and availability
Insurance or third-party funding information (e.g. plan provider, funding type)
How you heard about us
Whether you wish to be added to our mailing list
Any other information you choose to share with us through our contact form or by email, phone, or in person

Information collected automatically:

Basic website usage data such as pages visited, browser type, and approximate location (collected via website analytics tools and cookies — see Section 7)

We do not collect sensitive clinical or health records through our website. Detailed clinical information is collected and stored separately through our secure electronic health records system (Jane App), which has its own privacy and security practices.

How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Respond to your inquiries and connect you with an appropriate therapist
Schedule and manage appointments and consultations
Communicate with you about your care, including appointment reminders and administrative information
Process insurance or third-party funding claims where applicable
Send you our newsletter or other resources, if you have consented to receive them
Improve our website and services
Comply with legal and professional obligations

We will only use your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, or for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate given the context.

Confidentiality

All information shared in the context of a therapeutic relationship is strictly confidential and governed by the ethical standards of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC) and the BC College of Social Workers (BCCSW), as applicable to your therapist.

Confidentiality may only be breached in the following limited circumstances, as required or permitted by law:

Where there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to you or another identifiable person
Where we are required to report to a child protection authority
Where we receive a court order or are otherwise required by law to disclose information
With your explicit written consent

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties.

We may share your information only in the following circumstances:

With your therapist and administrative staff within our practice, on a need-to-know basis for the purpose of providing your care
With Jane App, our secure online booking and electronic health records platform, which stores appointment and administrative data on our behalf (see Section 6)
With insurance providers or third-party funders, where you have requested direct billing or authorized us to submit a claim on your behalf
As required by law, including in response to a valid court order or statutory reporting obligation
With your written consent, for any other purpose

Any third parties with whom we share information are required to handle it in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Third-Party Services

Our website and practice use the following third-party services that may collect or process personal information:

Jane App (jane.app) — our online booking and electronic health records system. Jane App is a Canadian company and is compliant with PIPEDA and applicable provincial privacy legislation. Their privacy policy is available at jane.app/privacy.
Google Maps — embedded on our Contact page to display our office location. Google’s privacy policy applies to any data collected through this embed and is available at policies.google.com/privacy.
Google Analytics (if active) — used to collect anonymized information about how visitors use our website, such as pages visited and time spent on the site. This information does not identify you personally.
Email and newsletter services — if you have subscribed to our mailing list, your email address is stored and used to send you occasional news and resources.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of these third-party services for further information.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to support basic website functionality and, where applicable, to collect anonymized analytics data.

Types of cookies we use:

Necessary cookies — essential for the website to function, such as remembering your cookie consent preferences
Analytical cookies — used to understand how visitors use our site, so we can improve it (e.g. Google Analytics)
Functional cookies — support features such as embedded maps

You can manage your cookie preferences using the cookie consent tool available on our website. You may also disable cookies through your browser settings at any time, though this may affect the functionality of certain parts of the site.

Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law or professional regulations.

Clinical records are retained in accordance with the record-keeping standards set by the BCACC, the BCCSW, and applicable BC legislation. Administrative information (such as contact form submissions) that does not result in an ongoing therapeutic relationship is retained for a reasonable period and then securely deleted.

Security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or loss. These measures include:

Use of secure, encrypted platforms for online communications and bookings (Jane App)
Access controls limiting who within our practice can view personal information
Secure disposal of personal information that is no longer needed

Please be aware that no method of electronic transmission or storage is 100% secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Your Rights

Under PIPA (BC) and PIPEDA, you have the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you
Correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information
Withdraw consent to certain uses of your information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions
Request deletion of your personal information, where it is no longer necessary for the purpose for which it was collected and where no legal obligation requires its retention

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 12. We will respond to your request within 30 days.

Children and Minors

We provide therapy services to minors in some circumstances, with the involvement of a parent or legal guardian as appropriate. Where personal information is collected in relation to a minor, we handle it with additional care and in accordance with applicable legislation governing the privacy of young persons in BC.

If you are a parent or guardian and have questions about how we handle information relating to your child, please contact us directly.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

Your continued use of our website following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

Children and Minors

If you are a parent or guardian and have questions about how we handle information relating to your child, please contact us directly.

This Privacy Policy was prepared in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act (BC) (SBC 2003, c. 63) and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (SC 2000, c. 5).

FAQ

Have questions? Here we have listed some of our most common inquiries. If you can’t find your answer here, check our full FAQ page. Still have something you’d like cleared up? Get in touch with us and we’ll be happy to help.

What types of issues does your group practice specialize in?

Our practice specializes in a wide range of concerns, including trauma, anxiety, depression, stress management, life transitions, relationship challenges, and personal growth.
We also specialize in working with family-related issues such as parenting or family-related challenges, couples therapy for parent couples, and overcoming childhood wounds.

What therapeutic approaches does your group practice use?

We employ evidence-based therapies tailored to individual needs such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) for individuals, couples and families, Narrative Therapy, and trauma therapies such as EMDR (Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and Sensorimotor Psychotherapy.

How long are the counselling sessions, and what is the cost at your group practice?

Sessions typically last 50 minutes (or up to 80-90 minutes depending on the practitioner and therapeutic modality used). Fees vary based on the service and therapist.
More information about our rates may be found here. For specific pricing details, please contact us directly at info@safespacecounselling.ca or (604) 440-2105.

How can I book a free consultation or counselling with one of your therapists?

You can book a free consultation or counselling with us at any time by visiting our booking page or by contacting us at info@safespacecounselling.ca or (604) 440-2105.

If you are a new client, please complete our new client booking form. After you submit it, we will contact you to book you in. If you are already a client of ours, you can contact our administrative staff to book or book yourself in using our [Jane Online Booking System].