Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

E.L.A. Psychological and Counseling Services (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information and personal health information entrusted to us. We operate as a registered psychology practice serving children, adolescents, and teens in Ottawa (Kanata) and Kingston, Ontario.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect your personal information and personal health information in compliance with the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA), the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the standards of the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO), and Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).

By using our website, submitting our contact form, or engaging our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

2. Contact Information

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact our Privacy Contact Person:

Privacy Contact: E. L. Adams II

Organization: E.L.A. Psychological and Counseling Services

Ottawa (Kanata) Office: 430 Hazeldean Road, Office 228, Kanata, ON K2L 1T9

Kingston Office: 802 John Marks Avenue, Suite 1, Kingston, ON K7K 0J7

Telephone: (613) 817-9722

Email: info@ela-psychology.com

Website: https://www.ela-psychology.com

3. What Information We Collect

3.1 Information You Provide Directly

When you contact us through our website, book an appointment, or use our services, we may collect the following personal information and personal health information:

  • Contact form: Parent/guardian name, child’s name, email address, phone number, services of interest, preferred location (Ottawa or Kingston), and any additional information you choose to provide in the free-text field.

  • Appointment booking: Name, contact details, appointment preferences, and reason for referral, collected through OwlPractice, our secure practice management platform.

  • During services: Clinical notes, assessment results, treatment plans, psychological reports, and other records created during the provision of therapy and assessment services.

3.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our website, the following information may be collected automatically:

Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise: To protect our contact form from spam and abuse, we use Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise. When you submit our form, Google may collect information about your device, IP address, browser type, and interaction patterns. This data is used solely for security and fraud prevention purposes. For details, see Google’s Privacy Policy (https://policies.google.com/privacy) and Google’s Terms of Service (https://policies.google.com/terms).

Cookies and analytics: Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for site functionality and analytics. You may manage cookie preferences through your browser settings.

4. How We Use Your Information

We collect and use your personal information and personal health information for the following purposes:

  • Responding to your inquiries and contact form submissions

  • Scheduling and managing appointments through OwlPractice

  • Providing psychological therapy, counselling, and assessment services

  • Preparing clinical reports, psychoeducational assessments, and treatment plans

  • Communicating with you about your child’s care and treatment progress

  • Complying with legal and regulatory obligations, including record-keeping requirements

  • Improving our website functionality and user experience

  • Protecting our website from spam and abuse (via reCAPTCHA)

We will not use your personal information or personal health information for any purpose other than those stated above without first obtaining your explicit consent.

5. Consent

We obtain your consent before collecting, using, or disclosing your personal information and personal health information. Consent may be express (written or verbal) or implied, depending on the circumstances and sensitivity of the information.

For personal health information collected through our intake process, assessment services, or therapy sessions, we obtain express consent.

For information submitted through our website contact form, your submission with the consent checkbox selected constitutes your express consent to be contacted about the services you have inquired about.

5.1 Consent for Minors

As a child and adolescent psychology practice, we typically collect information about individuals under the age of 18. In these cases, a parent or legal guardian provides consent on behalf of the child. We will obtain consent from the parent or legal guardian before collecting, using, or disclosing the child’s personal health information.

5.2 Withdrawing Consent

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at info@ela-psychology.com or (613) 817-9722. Please note that withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide services. Withdrawal of consent does not apply retroactively and is subject to legal or contractual restrictions.

6. Who We Share Your Information With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information or personal health information to any third party. We may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

6.1 Service Providers

OwlPractice: We use OwlPractice as our secure practice management platform for appointment booking, scheduling, and clinical record management. OwlPractice stores data on Canadian servers and is contractually obligated to protect your information in compliance with PHIPA and PIPEDA.

Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise: Our contact form uses Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise for security purposes. Google processes limited device and interaction data solely for spam and fraud prevention. This data is not used for advertising purposes. See Section 3.2 for details.

6.2 Professional Referrals

With your express consent, we may share relevant clinical information with other healthcare professionals involved in your child’s care, such as family physicians, school psychologists, or specialists.

6.3 Legal Requirements

We may be required to disclose personal health information without consent in limited circumstances as permitted or required by law, including:

  • Compliance with a court order or subpoena

  • Reporting obligations under child protection legislation (Child, Youth and Family Services Act)

  • Situations involving imminent risk of serious harm to the client or others

  • Requirements of the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario

7. Data Security and Storage

We take the protection of your personal information and personal health information seriously and have implemented physical, administrative, and technical safeguards to prevent unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction. These include:

  • Encrypted data transmission (SSL/TLS) for all website communications

  • Secure, password-protected electronic records with access restricted to authorized personnel

  • Physical security measures at our office locations, including locked filing systems

  • Staff training on privacy and confidentiality obligations

  • Secure Canadian-based data storage through OwlPractice

Despite these safeguards, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but are committed to protecting your information to the highest standard reasonably available.

8. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal information and personal health information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law.

  • Clinical records (children and adolescents): 10 years after the client’s 18th birthday, or 10 years after the last service date, whichever is later, in accordance with CPO record retention guidelines]

  • Contact form inquiries: 12 months after the inquiry if services are not engaged.

  • Financial and billing records: 7 years in accordance with CRA requirements.

When personal information or personal health information is no longer required, it is securely destroyed using methods appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, such as secure shredding for physical records and permanent digital deletion for electronic records.

 9. Your Rights

Under PHIPA and PIPEDA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information and personal health information:

9.1 Right of Access

You have the right to request access to your personal health information held by our practice. To make an access request, contact us in writing at info@ela-psychology.com. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request.

9.2 Right to Correction

You have the right to request correction of any inaccurate or incomplete personal health information in your records. If we do not agree with the correction, you may attach a notice of disagreement to your file.

9.3 Right to Withdraw Consent

You may withdraw your consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information at any time, subject to legal and contractual limitations. See Section 5.2 for details.

9.4 Right to Complain

If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, you have the right to file a complaint. See Section 12 for details on how to file a complaint with our practice and with the relevant regulatory bodies.

10. Professional Standards and Registration

Everett Lawrence (E.L.) Adams II is a registered licensed Clinical and Educational Psychologist with the College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario (CPBAO), registration number [NUMBER].

You may verify registration status on the CPBAO public register at:

https://members.cpbao.ca/public_register/show/42559

Our practice complies with the CPBAO Standards of Professional Conduct, including standards regarding advertising, record-keeping, and confidentiality. All services advertised on our website accurately represent the qualifications, experience, and scope of practice of our registered practitioners.

11. Website Accessibility

E.L.A. Psychological and Counseling Services is committed to providing an accessible website in compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and strives to meet Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standards.

If you experience any difficulty accessing our website or require information in an alternative format, please contact us at info@ela-psychology.com or (613) 817-9722 and we will make reasonable efforts to accommodate your needs.

12. Complaints and Concerns

If you have concerns about how your personal information or personal health information has been handled, we encourage you to contact us first:

Privacy Contact: Everett Lawrence (E.L.) Adams II

Email: info@ela-psychology.com

Phone: (613) 817-9722

We will investigate your concern and respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may file a complaint with the following regulatory bodies:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC)

For concerns about your personal health information under PHIPA:

Phone: 1-800-387-0073

Website: https://www.ipc.on.ca

You have one year from the date you become aware of the issue to file a complaint

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

For concerns about your personal information under PIPEDA:

Phone: 1-800-282-1376

Website: https://www.priv.gc.ca

College of Psychologists and Behaviour Analysts of Ontario

For concerns about professional conduct:

Phone: (416) 961-8817

Website: https://cpbao.ca

13. Electronic Communications

In compliance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), we will only send you electronic communications (emails, text messages) with your express consent or where implied consent exists under the Act.

When you submit our contact form and select the consent checkbox, you are providing express consent to receive communications from us regarding the services you have inquired about. This consent does not extend to unrelated marketing communications.

You may unsubscribe from any electronic communications at any time by contacting us at info@ela-psychology.com or by following the unsubscribe instructions included in any email we send.

14. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies for essential site functionality. We use Google reCAPTCHA Enterprise on our contact form, which may set cookies for security verification purposes.

You may manage cookie preferences through your browser settings. Disabling cookies may affect some website functionality, including the ability to submit our contact form.

We do not use cookies for targeted advertising or to track your browsing activity across other websites.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or legal requirements. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

16. Privacy Breach Protocol

In the event of a breach of your personal health information (unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, or theft), we will:

  • Contain the breach and take immediate steps to prevent further unauthorized access

  • Investigate the cause and scope of the breach

  • Notify affected individuals at the first reasonable opportunity, including a description of the breach, the information involved, and steps being taken

  • Report the breach to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario as required by PHIPA

  • Document the breach and implement measures to prevent recurrence