Your First Counselling Session

In addition to answering any general questions you may have, we first ask you several screening questions to assess the best type of counselling service for you.  We then ask you for:

• Your name and contact information;
• Your preferred therapist (if you have one); and
• A brief description of your counselling needs.  (Please note that if you do not feel comfortable discussing your private circumstances, you do not need to answer.)

Finally, we inquire about your typical availability throughout the week in order to schedule your first counselling session (with your preferred therapist, if you have one) at your earliest convenience.

Unfortunately, we cannot always immediately book your first counselling session with your preferred therapist – for example, if your availability differs from your preferred therapist‘s weekly appointment schedule or if your preferred therapist is currently at his or her full caseload.  We understand how disappointed you may feel if your preferred therapist is currently unavailable to you, and we can:

• Advise you of schedule openings with our other therapists;
• Assign you to your preferred therapist‘s cancellation or waiting list; or
• Refer you to other counselling services in Mississauga or your local community.

During your first counselling session, your therapist fully explains the principle of confidentiality and your right to privacy in counselling.  As a Registered Psychotherapist (RP), your therapist complies with specific confidentiality laws and regulations to protect your privacy.  Although your therapist may discuss your case (without personally identifying you) with his or her approved clinical supervisor for professional consultation purposes and to ensure the highest standard of ethical service delivery to you, he or she may not otherwise disclose – whether verbally, in writing, or electronically – your personal identity or case information without your written authorization.  Your therapist is also subject to several legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality.  (For more information about the legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality, please see What are the legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality?)

During your child’s first counselling session, your child’s therapist fully explains the principle of confidentiality and how it applies specifically to your child depending upon his or her age.  As a Registered Psychotherapist (RP), your child’s therapist complies with specific confidentiality laws and regulations to protect your child’s privacy.  Your child’s therapist may discuss your child’s case (without personally identifying your child) with his or her approved clinical supervisor for professional consultation purposes and to ensure the highest standard of ethical service delivery to your child.  Any other disclosure of your child’s personal identity or case information by your child’s therapist is based upon his or her age:

• If your child is under 12 years of age, your child’s therapist may fully disclose his or her case information to you as a parent or legal guardian.  In addition, you may provide written authorization for your child’s therapist to otherwise disclose – whether verbally, in writing, or electronically – your child’s personal identity or case information.
• If your child is aged 12 to 15, your child’s therapist may or may not disclose his or her case information to you as a parent or legal guardian.  In addition, either you or your child may provide written authorization for your child’s therapist to otherwise disclose – whether verbally, in writing, or electronically – your child’s personal identity or case information.
• If your child is aged 16 or over, he or she is legally considered an adult for counselling purposes.  Therefore, your child’s therapist may not disclose his or her case information to you as a parent or legal guardian without your child’s written authorization.  In addition, only your child may provide written authorization for your child’s therapist to otherwise disclose – whether verbally, in writing, or electronically – your child’s personal identity or case information.

Your child’s therapist is also subject to several legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality.  (For more information about the legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality, please see What are the legal and regulatory limits to confidentiality?)

Your therapist is required by law and/or professional regulations to discuss your therapy and/or disclose your client record without your written authorization under the following circumstances:

1. If you indicate in any way that you represent a risk of harm to yourself or others, your therapist must call upon other professionals to assist in supporting safety;
2. If your therapist is served with a subpoena, he or she is legally required to release your client record to the court and/or to testify about your therapy in court proceedings as necessary;
3. If your therapist learns of the physical, sexual, or serious emotional abuse (which may include neglect and/or exposure to violence within the family) of a child under the age of 16, he or she must notify the Children’s Aid Society;
4. If you inform your therapist of an abuse committed by another regulated health professional, your therapist may need to report this to the governing body of that professional; and
5. If you disclose to your therapist that you were abused as a child and your childhood abuser may represent a danger to children now, your therapist may need to notify the Children’s Aid Society.

Your therapist documents your counselling sessions within your client record (which is stored in both -copy and electronic format) for record-keeping purposes.  Your client record is the legal property of Cornerstone Family Counselling Services (CFCS) and we must retain your client record for at least 10 years following your last counselling session with your therapist.  We protect the security and privacy of your client record in the following three ways:

• Administratively – All of our staff members sign confidentiality agreements and may only access your client record on a need-to-know basis;
• Physically – Your hard-copy client record is stored inside a locked filing cabinet within a locked file room; and
• Electronically – Your electronic client record is saved within an encrypted and password-protected online database with 128-bit Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) data security protocols.

If you wish to access your (or your child’s) client record, we first need you to contact us and make arrangements to document your request for a copy of your (or your child’s) client record in writing.  We then follow a different release procedure depending upon the type of counselling service that you (or your child) received from us – that is, Personal Counselling for Adults, Personal Counselling for Children/Youth, Couple Counselling, or Family Counselling.  Please contact us for additional information.