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Privacy Policy

This policy explains how Heather Young Counselling collects, uses, and protects personal information through this website and through your relationship with the practice.

Heather Young, MSW, RSW, PMH-C is a Registered Social Worker regulated by the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers, and a Health Information Custodian under Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA, 2004).

Last updated: May 17, 2026

Who this policy covers

Heather Young Counselling is operated by Heather Young, MSW, RSW, PMH-C, a Registered Social Worker in private practice in Ontario. This policy applies to visitors to heatheryoungcounselling.com, to people who contact Heather by phone or email after finding her through this site, and to existing clients of the practice.

How this website collects information

This website is intentionally simple. It does not use analytics tools, advertising trackers, or third-party scripts. It does not set cookies for analytics, advertising, or tracking, and it does not use local storage or session storage. The fonts used on the site are loaded from this server directly, not from third-party font providers, so visiting the site does not share information with companies like Google Fonts.

The only information generated by visiting this site is standard server access logs, which the hosting platform (AWS Amplify) records by default. These logs typically include the IP address of the requesting device, the browser type, the time of the request, and the page requested. They are used for security and operational purposes, not for marketing or profiling.

This site does not currently collect personal information through any form. If you wish to contact Heather, please use the phone number or email address listed below.

How you contact Heather

There are two live ways to reach Heather:

When you contact Heather directly, she receives the contact details you provide and the contents of your message. This is used to respond to your inquiry and to arrange a free 15-minute consultation if appropriate.

What Heather collects when you become a client

When you become a client, Heather collects personal health information necessary to provide therapy or child sleep consulting services. This may include:

  • Your name, contact information, and emergency contact, if relevant.
  • The reasons you are seeking support, your relevant history, and your goals for the work.
  • Notes Heather makes during and after sessions.
  • Communications between you and Heather between sessions.
  • Information needed to process payments and issue receipts.

This information is Personal Health Information under PHIPA and is collected, used, and disclosed in accordance with PHIPA and the standards of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers.

How Heather uses your information

Heather uses the information above to:

  • Provide therapy and child sleep consulting services.
  • Maintain clinical records as required by PHIPA and OCSWSSW.
  • Respond to your inquiries and schedule sessions.
  • Process payments and issue receipts for insurance reimbursement.
  • Communicate with you about your care and any scheduling changes.

Third parties who help Heather operate the practice

A small number of third parties support the operation of the practice:

  • Jane App is used for client booking, practice management, secure storage of client records, and telehealth video sessions. Jane App is a Canadian company that handles personal health information for many Ontario practices.
  • Zoom is used as a backup video platform if Jane is not functioning during a virtual session.
  • AWS Amplify hosts this website.

Heather has standard service arrangements with these providers requiring them to handle information responsibly and in accordance with applicable privacy law.

Your rights

Ontario residents have specific privacy rights, which depend on whether the information is health information governed by PHIPA or other information governed by Canada's PIPEDA.

Under PHIPA (if you are a client)

  • The right to be informed of how your personal health information is collected, used, and disclosed.
  • The right to access your records and request a copy.
  • The right to request a correction if you believe information in your record is inaccurate or incomplete.
  • The right to withdraw consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of your information, subject to legal and professional limits.
  • The right to make a complaint about how your information has been handled, to Heather or to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

To exercise any of these rights, contact Heather using the details at the bottom of this page. Heather will respond as quickly as reasonably possible.

Under PIPEDA (for other information collected through this site)

If you have contacted Heather through this site but have not become a client, the information you shared is governed by Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). You have similar rights to access, correct, and withdraw consent for the use of that information.

How Heather protects your information

Heather takes reasonable steps to safeguard personal information against theft, loss, and unauthorized use or disclosure. This includes:

  • Administrative safeguards: confidentiality practices, awareness of professional and legal obligations, and ongoing consultation with colleagues.
  • Technical safeguards: secure devices, encrypted storage where appropriate, and use of healthcare-oriented platforms like Jane App for client records.
  • Physical safeguards: locked storage of any physical records, private session spaces, and care with positioning of screens and documents.

The level of protection is proportionate to the sensitivity of mental health information, which is among the most sensitive categories of personal information.

If there is a privacy breach

If your personal information is lost, stolen, or accessed without authorization, Heather will notify you at the first reasonable opportunity. If the incident affects personal health information, Heather will also notify the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario as required by PHIPA.

How long records are kept

Clinical records are retained in accordance with PHIPA and the requirements of the Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers. Inquiry information from phone calls or emails that do not result in a client relationship is retained only as long as needed to respond to the inquiry.

Changes to this policy

This policy may be updated from time to time. The Last updated date at the top of this page shows when it was most recently changed.

Contact

For any questions about this policy, to exercise your rights, or to make a complaint: