Privacy Policy
Effective Date: August 20, 2026
Last Updated: August 20, 2026
At Sholinder Counselling Collective, we believe privacy is an important part of creating counselling that feels safe, respectful, and trustworthy.
This Privacy Policy explains how Sholinder Counselling Collective Ltd. (“Sholinder,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, protects, and discloses personal information through our website, contact forms, booking processes, and counselling services.
Because counselling involves deeply personal information, our privacy practices reflect both applicable privacy legislation and the professional and ethical responsibilities of the counsellors who work with us.
We aim to be clear about what information we collect, why we collect it, how it is protected, and what choices and rights you have.
This Privacy Policy applies to Sholinder Counselling Collective's website and the personal information handled through the Collective's shared administrative systems and services. Your counsellor will also provide you with specific information about counselling confidentiality, informed consent, records, and the limits of confidentiality before counselling begins.
What Personal Information Do We Collect?
Personal information is information about an identifiable individual.
The information we collect depends on how you interact with us.
When you visit our website
We may collect technical and usage information such as:
IP address
Browser and device information
Pages visited
General information about how you interact with the website
Website search activity
Approximate location information derived from technical data
Information about how you arrived at our website
Cookies and similar technologies
Some of this information is collected through Squarespace, our website platform. Where you have consented to non-essential cookies, we may also use services such as Google Analytics to understand website traffic and how people use our website.
When you contact us
If you contact us through our website form, email, or phone, we may collect information such as:
Your name
Email address
Phone number
Preferred method of contact
The information you choose to provide in your message
Please do not include sensitive or confidential health information in our website contact form.
The contact form is intended for general questions and appointment requests. You do not need to provide details about your mental health, diagnosis, medications, trauma history, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or other sensitive personal information simply to contact us.
When you book a consultation or counselling appointment
If you choose to book a consultation or counselling appointment, we may collect information needed to arrange and provide services.
Depending on the circumstances, this may include:
Contact information
Appointment information
Intake and consent information
Information relevant to providing counselling
Counselling and clinical records
Billing and payment information
Insurance or funding information
Information you choose to provide as part of the counselling process
Information collected as part of a counselling relationship is subject to additional professional, ethical, legal, and confidentiality requirements.
Why Do We Collect Personal Information?
We collect personal information only for purposes that are reasonable and appropriate in the circumstances.
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect and use information to:
Respond to questions and requests
Arrange consultations and appointments
Provide counselling services
Maintain counselling and administrative records
Communicate with you about appointments and services
Process payments, insurance claims, direct billing, or funding arrangements
Meet professional, legal, regulatory, and record-keeping obligations
Protect the security of our systems, website, clients, counsellors, and practice
Understand how people use our website
Improve our website, content, accessibility, and online experience
Evaluate website traffic and the effectiveness of our online presence
Prevent, identify, or respond to security incidents or misuse
Fulfill other purposes that are explained to you when information is collected or that are otherwise permitted or required by law
We aim to collect only the information that is reasonably necessary for the purpose for which it is collected.
How Do We Collect Personal Information?
We may collect information:
Directly from you
When you submit a website form
When you book an appointment
During a consultation or counselling relationship
When you communicate with us by email or phone
Through our practice management and scheduling systems
Through payment, insurance, or funding processes
Automatically when you use our website through cookies and similar technologies
From another person or organization when you authorize them to provide information
Where collection is otherwise permitted or required by law
When we collect personal information directly from you, we aim to explain why it is being collected and how it will be used.
How Do We Use Cookies and Analytics?
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies.
Some cookies are essential for the website to function. Other cookies help us understand website traffic and how people use our website.
We use Squarespace as our website platform and may use Google Analytics and other analytics services to understand website traffic and improve our website.
Non-essential cookies are restricted until you provide consent through our cookie banner.
You can choose to:
Accept all cookies
Decline non-essential cookies
Manage your cookie preferences
You can change your cookie preferences through the cookie settings available on our website.
We do not use website analytics to provide counselling or to make decisions about your care.
How Is Counselling Information Handled?
Counselling information is different from ordinary website information.
When you become a counselling client, information collected as part of your counselling relationship may include intake information, consent information, clinical notes, assessments, appointment information, communications, billing information, and other information necessary for providing counselling.
Sholinder Counselling Collective uses shared systems, policies, and procedures to support the secure handling of client information across the practice.
All counsellors in the Collective use JaneApp as the practice management system for functions such as scheduling, intake, client records, and related administrative information.
Jane states that Canadian clinic data is stored on secure servers in Canada, with Canadian data centres located in Montreal, Quebec and Calgary, Alberta. Jane also states that data is encrypted in transit and at rest and that account owners can control user access permissions to client charts, billing records, and scheduling information.
Access within Sholinder's systems is limited according to role and legitimate need.
Individual counsellors remain responsible for information they maintain outside shared systems, including physical records in their possession, and for meeting the professional and legal requirements that apply to their practice.
Sholinder maintains expectations and procedures for how personal information is collected, accessed, stored, used, protected, and disposed of across the Collective.
Your counsellor will explain counselling confidentiality and its limits as part of the informed consent process.
What About Confidentiality?
Privacy and confidentiality are closely related, but they are not exactly the same.
Privacy concerns how personal information is collected, used, stored, and disclosed.
Confidentiality concerns the professional responsibility to protect information shared within a counselling relationship.
You have a right to privacy and confidentiality within the counselling relationship, subject to applicable legal, professional, and ethical limits.
Your counsellor will explain these limits before counselling begins.
Depending on the circumstances, information may need to be disclosed without your consent where disclosure is required or authorized by law, including certain serious safety or protection concerns, court orders, or other circumstances recognized by applicable law and professional standards.
Whenever it is legally and clinically appropriate to do so, your counsellor will work with you before making a disclosure.
Your counsellor will also discuss how confidentiality applies to communication by email, phone, video, or other technology.
What About Children and Youth?
Young people have privacy rights too.
When counselling involves a child or adolescent, privacy and confidentiality are considered alongside the young person's age, capacity, circumstances, safety, and the rights and responsibilities of parents or caregivers.
The specific approach to confidentiality will be discussed before counselling begins.
Parents and caregivers may have a role in providing consent, sharing relevant information, participating in counselling, or supporting safety. At the same time, young people need an appropriate level of privacy and trust in their counselling relationship.
We do not assume that everything discussed in counselling should automatically be shared with a parent or caregiver.
Your counsellor will explain:
Who is consenting to counselling
What information may be shared with parents or caregivers
What information will remain private
The circumstances in which information may need to be disclosed
How safety concerns are handled
The specific requirements can vary depending on the young person's age, capacity, circumstances, and the professional and legal requirements that apply.
How Do We Protect Your Information?
We take reasonable administrative, physical, and technical measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, loss, or destruction.
Our privacy and security practices may include:
Secure practice management and scheduling systems
Individual user accounts and access controls
Password protection and multi-factor or two-step authentication where available
Encryption and secure data transmission
Limiting access to personal information based on role and legitimate need
Privacy and security policies and procedures
Secure storage and disposal practices
Privacy and security training
Procedures for responding to privacy incidents and breaches
Jane provides encryption for information transmitted to and stored within its system, individual user accounts, access controls, activity tracking, and additional security features such as two-step verification.
No electronic system or method of transmitting information over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
For this reason, we also encourage clients to consider their own privacy when communicating with their counsellor, particularly when using email, phone, video counselling, shared devices, or public networks.
Your counsellor will discuss relevant technology and communication risks as part of informed consent.
How Do We Use Technology in Counselling?
Because Sholinder is primarily an online collective, technology is an important part of how we provide and administer services.
Depending on the services you use, technology may be involved in:
Appointment booking and scheduling
Client intake and forms
Counselling records
Video counselling
Email and telephone communication
Payment processing
Insurance and direct billing
Website analytics
Other administrative functions
Our counsellors are expected to use technology in ways that support privacy, confidentiality, security, and informed consent.
Before counselling begins, your counsellor will explain the technologies used in your counselling relationship, what they are used for, relevant privacy considerations, and how technology-based communication is handled.
This may include information about appropriate communication methods, response times, and what to do if you need urgent or crisis support.
Canadian counselling standards specifically recognize the privacy and security considerations associated with electronic communication and expect counsellors to explain relevant technology use and risks as part of informed consent.
Who May Have Access to Personal Information?
We do not sell your personal information.
Personal information may be accessed or disclosed when reasonably necessary to provide services, administer the practice, or meet legal or professional obligations.
Depending on the circumstances, information may be accessed by or disclosed to:
Your counsellor
Authorized administrative personnel who require access for legitimate practice functions
Practice management, scheduling, communication, payment, insurance, or technology service providers
Third parties you authorize us to communicate with
Insurers or funding organizations when you request or authorize direct billing or funding
Professional advisors or service providers where reasonably necessary
Regulatory, legal, or government authorities when disclosure is required or permitted by law
Emergency services or other individuals or organizations where disclosure is legally permitted or required to address an urgent safety concern
Access and disclosure are limited to what is reasonably necessary for the applicable purpose.
We do not disclose counselling information simply because someone asks for it.
Could My Information Be Stored or Accessed Outside Canada?
Some of the technology and service providers used by Sholinder may store or process information outside Canada.
For example, certain technology, communication, analytics, payment, or other service providers may operate infrastructure or use service providers in other countries.
Information stored or processed outside Canada may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction, including lawful access by courts, law enforcement, or government authorities.
Where applicable, we will provide information about the use of service providers outside Canada and how to obtain additional information about those arrangements.
We consider privacy, security, functionality, and the requirements that apply to our practice when selecting service providers.
What About Email and Other Electronic Communication?
Email, text messaging, telephone, and other electronic communication can involve privacy risks.
We use electronic communication primarily for appropriate administrative purposes such as scheduling, appointment communication, and responding to general questions.
We ask clients not to send sensitive counselling information through website forms or ordinary email unless their counsellor has specifically discussed an appropriate method for doing so.
Your counsellor will explain which communication methods they use for counselling-related communication, what those methods are intended for, and what response times you can expect.
Electronic communication should not be used for emergency or crisis support.
How Long Do We Keep Personal Information?
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and as required by applicable law, professional standards, insurance requirements, or record-keeping obligations.
Counselling records may need to be retained for a specified period after counselling ends. The applicable requirements may depend on the counsellor's professional designation, jurisdiction, and legal obligations.
Individual counsellors are responsible for maintaining and securely disposing of physical records in accordance with the requirements that apply to their practice.
When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy, delete, or anonymize it.
We do not promise that information can be deleted simply because someone requests deletion where we have a legal, professional, or other authorized obligation to retain it.
What Are My Privacy Rights?
Depending on the circumstances and the legislation that applies, you may have rights relating to your personal information, including the right to:
Ask whether we hold personal information about you
Request access to your personal information
Ask how your information is being used or disclosed
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
Ask questions about our privacy practices
Withdraw consent where consent is the basis for collection, use, or disclosure, subject to applicable legal and professional requirements
Make a privacy complaint
For example, BC's Personal Information Protection Act gives individuals rights to access and request correction of personal information held by private organizations. Similar rights apply under Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act, where applicable.
Access to counselling records may be subject to specific legal or professional exceptions, including circumstances involving information about another person or other information that cannot legally be disclosed.
How Can I Request Access or Correction?
To request access to personal information or ask for a correction, please contact our Privacy Officer using the information below.
Privacy Officer
Sholinder Counselling Collective Ltd.
Email:privacy@sholindercounsellingcollective.com
We will respond to requests in accordance with applicable privacy legislation.
If we cannot provide access to particular information or cannot make a requested correction, we will explain the reason where we are legally permitted to do so.
Can I Withdraw My Consent?
Where our collection, use, or disclosure of personal information is based on your consent, you may generally withdraw that consent by providing reasonable notice, subject to applicable legal and professional requirements.
Withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide certain services or complete certain activities.
There may also be circumstances where we are required or authorized by law to retain, use, or disclose information even after consent has been withdrawn.
If withdrawing consent would affect the services we can provide, we will explain the implications to you.
What Happens If There Is a Privacy Breach?
We maintain procedures for identifying, containing, investigating, and responding to privacy and security incidents.
A privacy breach may include the loss of personal information or unauthorized access, use, collection, disclosure, copying, modification, or destruction of personal information.
If a breach occurs, we will assess the circumstances, take reasonable steps to contain the breach and reduce potential harm, investigate what happened, and take steps to prevent similar incidents where possible.
Where required by applicable law, we will notify affected individuals and the appropriate privacy regulator.
For example, Alberta's PIPA requires organizations to report certain breaches to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner where there is a real risk of significant harm. BC's OIPC also provides specific guidance and resources for private organizations responding to privacy breaches.
How Can I Ask a Privacy Question or Make a Complaint?
If you have a privacy question, concern, access request, correction request, or complaint, please contact our Privacy Officer.
Privacy Officer
Sholinder Counselling Collective Ltd.
Email: privacy@sholindercounsellingcollective.com
We will make reasonable efforts to respond to privacy questions and complaints and to resolve concerns directly.
If you are not satisfied with how your concern has been handled, you may also contact the privacy commissioner or other privacy oversight body with jurisdiction over your situation.
For example:
British Columbia
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC
Alberta
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta
Other provincial or federal privacy requirements may apply depending on the circumstances and where you are located.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
Our privacy practices may change as our practice, technology, and legal requirements evolve.
If we make changes to this Privacy Policy, we will update the “Last Updated” date and post the revised policy on this page.
Where changes materially affect how we collect, use, or disclose personal information, we will take additional steps where required by law.
We encourage you to review this page periodically.
A Note About Your Privacy
You should never feel that you need to share more information than is necessary just to take the next step.
If you're contacting us for the first time, you don't need to explain your entire situation in a website form or email.
You can simply tell us what you're looking for, ask a question, or let us know you'd like help finding the right counsellor.
We'll start there.