Last updated: September 23, 2026
Serenity Psychotherapy Clinic (“we”, “us”, “the Clinic”) respects your privacy. This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information and personal health information, including information collected through this website (serenityclinic.ca).
As a psychotherapy practice in Ontario, we handle personal health information in accordance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and the professional standards of the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
Our privacy contact
Ahmad Shihab, MA, RP (Qualifying) — Clinic Director and Privacy Contact
Serenity Psychotherapy Clinic, Suite #365, 9-6975 Meadowvale Town Centre Circle, Mississauga, ON L5N 2V7
Phone: (905) 616-3491 · Email: info@serenityclinic.ca
What information we collect
When you become a client, we collect the information needed to provide safe and effective care, such as your name, contact details, date of birth, emergency contact, reason for seeking therapy, relevant health and personal history, session notes, and billing and insurance information.
When you use this website, we may collect:
– Information you choose to send through our contact form or by email (name, email address, subject, message).
– Technical information collected automatically, such as pages visited, approximate location, device and browser type, and how you arrived at our site (see “Website analytics and cookies” below).
How we use your information
- To provide, coordinate, and document psychotherapy services.
- To schedule appointments, send reminders, and communicate with you.
- To process payments and, at your request, provide receipts for insurance reimbursement.
- To meet our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations.
- To understand how our website is used and improve it (using non-identifying analytics data).
We do not sell your personal information, and we do not use your health information for marketing.
Consent
We collect, use, and disclose your personal health information with your consent, except where the law permits or requires otherwise. You may withdraw or limit your consent at any time by contacting us, subject to legal and professional limits. We will explain the likely consequences of withdrawing consent.
When we may disclose information without consent
Confidentiality is central to therapy. There are limited situations where the law may require or permit disclosure without consent, including:
– When there are reasonable grounds to believe disclosure is necessary to eliminate or reduce a significant risk of serious bodily harm to you or another person.
– When we have reasonable grounds to suspect a child is or may be in need of protection, as required by the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017.
– When required by a court order, summons, or other legal process.
– When required by our regulatory college (CRPO) for purposes such as a complaint or quality assurance review.
– Other situations permitted or required under PHIPA.
Where possible and appropriate, we will discuss this with you first.
Service providers we use
We use trusted third-party service providers who process information on our behalf, under agreements and safeguards appropriate to their role:
| Provider | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Jane App | Online booking, scheduling, and billing |
| Webnames.ca | Email communication |
| Kinsta and Cloudflare | Website hosting and security |
| Google Analytics | Website usage statistics |
| Google reCAPTCHA | Spam protection on our contact form |
Website analytics and cookies
This website uses cookies and similar technologies, including Google Analytics, to understand how visitors use the site. This data is used in aggregate and is not used to identify you or to record any health information. You can block or delete cookies through your browser settings.
Contact form and email are not for clinical or urgent matters
Please do not send detailed health information or urgent requests through our website contact form or by regular email. These channels are not designed for confidential clinical communication and are not monitored continuously. If you are in crisis, call 9-8-8 or 911, or go to your nearest emergency department.
Virtual sessions
Virtual sessions are delivered through a secure video platform. For your privacy, please join from a private space and a secure internet connection. We do not record sessions without your explicit written consent.
How long we keep information
We retain client records for the period required by CRPO professional standards and applicable law (currently, at least 10 years from the date of last contact, or 10 years after the client’s 18th birthday if the client was a minor, whichever is later). Records are then securely destroyed. Website contact form messages are kept only as long as needed to respond, and no longer than 12 months.
How we protect information
We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, including access controls, encrypted systems, and secure storage, to protect information against loss, theft, and unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. If a privacy breach occurs that affects you, we will notify you and the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario as required by law.
Your rights
You have the right to request access to your personal health information and to ask us to correct it if you believe it is inaccurate or incomplete. Requests can be made to our privacy contact above. We will respond within the timelines set by PHIPA.
Questions and complaints
If you have a question or concern about our privacy practices, please contact our privacy contact first. You also have the right to make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (www.ipc.on.ca).
Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top shows when it was last revised.