Privacy Policy

Respecting your privacy is fundamental to Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist). That's why I am committed to protecting the personal information of my clients, professionals, colleagues, and psychology interns. I am committed to being transparent about the information I hold about you and to respecting the confidentiality of your personal information (PI), in accordance with Bill 25 on the protection of PI in the private sector.

This privacy policy is in line with the obligations defined by Bill 25 (Act to modernize legislative provisions relating to the protection of personal information, SQ 2021, c. 250) and the guidelines of the Government of Quebec (Modernization of the Protection of Personal Information | Government of Quebec). The objective of this law is to provide citizens with greater control over their personal information. It modernizes the legislative framework to adapt it to today's technological reality.

This Privacy Policy therefore aims to explicitly demonstrate why and how Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) collects, processes, and uses your personal information. It is intended to be in clear language to ensure informed consent from users of my website and services. For the purposes of this Policy, "personal information" means any information about an identifiable person or that allows a person to be identified directly or indirectly.

RESPONSIBLE
Sylvie Goulet, PhD, Psychologist
dr.sylvie.goulet@sympatico.ca

Collection and Use of Personal Information

Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) only collects the personal information necessary to provide her psychological services. All personal information collected from patients is obtained with their informed consent and is stored securely.

Like all websites you visit, when a user accesses my website, their device (phone, tablet, computer, etc.) and the site's server automatically exchange information. This communication is necessary for the server to transmit a file compatible with the computer equipment used. This information is stored and used for technical and statistical purposes to evaluate and improve your experience. They are used to count the number of visits, the most visited pages, the technology used by visitors, the referring sites, and the visitors' country of origin.

The information exchanged is as follows:

• - the domain name of the Internet service provider;
• - the IP address, a unique number assigned to the device when it is connected to the Internet;
• - the type of browser (Chrome, Firefox, etc.) and operating system (Windows, Mac OS, etc.) used;
• - the date and time of the visit;
• - the pages viewed;

If you are a new client and are visiting my site for general information about my services, you can do so through my contact information. The personal information required for registering new patients is collected through my email address dr.sylvie.goulet@sympatico.ca

The personal information collected during the first contact with a client is as follows: the person's name, telephone number and email address, age, schedule (availability), as well as the reason for the consultation. No personal information about you will be collected by any other means before you begin your psychotherapy or psychological service. Personal information is never used for purposes other than the provision of my psychological treatment services, except as provided by law (see section of this privacy policy). I collect, use and disclose your information about you only for the following purposes:

• - Provide clients with quality service and follow-up that meets their needs
• - Establish and maintain communication with you, particularly to schedule the initial appointment
• - Allow me to contact you
• - Comply with legal and regulatory requirements, including communicating with the provincial psychological services regulatory body (Ordre des Psychologues du Québec), the Privacy Commissioner, or any legislative review board, as required by law
• - Comply with a court order in the event of legal proceedings
  The therapist will use the client's email address to bill for services and provide a payment receipt
• - Process payments received from the client by bank transfer
• - Collect unpaid accounts
• - Comply with regulatory requirements and the law in general

When someone communicates by email, the return email address is used to respond to that person. I use this email address for no purpose other than responding, and under no circumstances is this email address shared with a third party. The fact that you communicate personal information to me by email, voicemail, or verbally during a telephone exchange constitutes for me your consent to my using this data for the purposes described above (to provide you with the best service to respond to your request). Once the request for services is processed, I continue the process for their psychological assessment and I will be required to collect other personal information. This information will be contained in the client's file. This data will be protected by the "Regulations on the maintenance of records and consulting practices of psychologists" and by the "Code of ethics of psychologists".

How is your personal information stored and protected?

Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) takes every precaution to protect her patients' personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction. Internal procedures include a range of personal data protection measures: staff training, access rights limitations, access control to premises and devices, etc. Personal information is securely stored on my systems and is accessible only by designated personnel and authorized service providers who require this information for the purposes described in this policy. Access is only possible through strong passwords that are changed periodically. Personal information is retained only for the duration necessary to provide my services.

Protective measures implemented to ensure your confidentiality

If the request is received by email, the information is stored in our cloud-based email account for a limited time (once your service request is processed, the email message is deleted). The email account is secured by a password, and access is limited to the authorized individuals previously listed in the privacy policy.

If the request is made by telephone, you will be redirected to a voicemail box, and the message will be forwarded by email to dr.sylvie.goulet@sympatico.ca.

Exception: Risks Related to Email Transmissions

Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) assumes responsibility for protecting their confidential emails. Notwithstanding the above, you should be aware that no data transmission over the Internet can be considered absolutely safe and secure. Consequently, I do not guarantee in any way that personal information will not be lost, misused, or altered, and I assume no responsibility for the personal information transmitted, nor for the use or misuse of personal information by you or third parties. For your part, if you communicate with me by email, it will be your responsibility to protect access to your electronic devices and email inboxes.

Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) undertakes to take reasonable measures to reduce the risk of harm and prevent further incidents of the same nature from occurring, if there is reason to believe that a confidentiality incident involving personal information has occurred. If the incident causes serious harm, Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) undertakes to notify the Commission d'accès à l'information and any person whose personal information is affected by the incident. Confidentiality incidents are recorded in a log. This log is integrated into my practice's minute book.

Remember that the code of ethics for psychologists requires the application of strict measures by our psychologists or psychotherapists to protect the identity and information relating to their clients. The information collected during a psychotherapy session is protected in accordance with the professional code of ethics of the Order of Psychologists of Quebec. This information cannot and must not be transmitted to anyone without your consent. It is the responsibility of your psychotherapist to explain the confidentiality policy relating to psychotherapy (either before or during your first session) to ensure your free and informed consent.

Retention of Personal Information

Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) retains the collected data for different periods, depending on its nature and its usefulness in providing services: for implied consent, the duration can be up to two years after a service request or contract termination. For express or explicit consent, the duration is valid permanently, unless the author decides to withdraw it. During the retention period, I take physical and technical measures to ensure the security of data containing personal information.

Physical Measures: Locked workspace; Strict control of computer equipment usage, location, and disposition.

Logical Measures: Monitoring and anti-virus software; Alert system to detect/block computer intrusions.

Organizational Measures: Access and access rights limited to authorized personnel and subject to a confidentiality and non-disclosure or data dissemination agreement.

The primary locations where personal information is stored are the cities in which Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) has virtual offices or facilities and in the cities where servers containing data collected by Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) are located. The name of the cloud service is: WHC Web Hosting Canada.

Personal information may be stored outside the country in which you live if a third-party provider or other entity to whom I disclose personal information in accordance with this Policy is located outside the country. In such cases, personal information may be subject to the local laws of the countries or territories in which the information is collected, used, disclosed, or stored, and may be accessed by government authorities and law enforcement authorities in those countries or territories.

Once the retention period has expired, personal information is destroyed. Only statistics or reports containing depersonalized and anonymized data may be retained for an extended period.

Communication and Reason for Sharing Personal Information with Third Parties

Apart from my internal coordination, I do not share your personal information with outside companies, organizations, or individuals, with the exception of my authorized suppliers and partners who need access to the information for the purposes listed in this policy and within its limits, as well as in the following cases:

• - With your consent.
• - For storage on cloud servers, in which case, personal information may transit through third-party jurisdictions. Note that I only use the services of reputable companies with privacy policies.
• - For external processing purposes: I transfer personal information to other trusted companies or individuals who process it on my behalf, according to my instructions, in accordance with this privacy policy, with a level of data security at least equivalent to my own and in compliance with any other appropriate security and confidentiality measures.
• - For legal reasons: I transfer personal information outside my practice if access to it is necessary to comply with applicable laws and regulations.

Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) is committed to not selling or renting your personal information to any third party. All collaborators working with Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) are subject to the same confidentiality and personal information protection obligations.

Information on the teletherapy software

Teletherapy is currently offered as the sole consultation modality by Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist). Your psychologist conducts teletherapy sessions in a quiet, private setting, free from distractions or interruptions, and over a private, secure internet connection to maintain confidentiality. However, since I must use a teletherapy platform to communicate with each other, this adds a third party over which the psychologist has no control. It is therefore important that you familiarize yourself with the privacy terms of the platform and the teletherapy technology selected is Zoom (https://zoom.us/). By agreeing to a virtual therapy session (teletherapy), we constitute your consent that you have read and understand the security and privacy terms associated with Zoom (https://zoom.us/fr-fr/security.html) and that you authorize your psychologist to use this teletherapy technology for your psychotherapy sessions.

To maintain confidentiality and fully enjoy your sessions, you understand that it is your responsibility to choose a location where you will be alone and undisturbed. You agree to turn off apps and notifications on your devices so as not to interrupt the sessions. You have been advised by your psychologist to use a secure internet connection, rather than free public Wi-Fi. Finally, sessions may not be recorded on audio or video by either party, unless both parties consent in writing.

Cookies

Like all websites, visitors to Sylvie Goulet's (PhD, Psychologist) website consent to the installation of cookies on their browser. These cookies may be stored on your hard drive to track your use of the site and to ensure security in terms of user authentication. Information generated by cookies is therefore used to facilitate the use of the website. You can freely delete cookies from your browser at any time. This site is hosted by Web Hosting Canada and managed by my service provider Womko, Agence Web Inc. Visitors can learn about the cookies used by clicking on the consent icon at the bottom left of each page.

Please note that the website may contain links or referrals to third-party sites. This policy ceases to apply when you leave the website. Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) is not responsible for the collection or processing of personal information by these third parties or via these external sources.

Rights of Access and Rectification of Personal Information

As a client, you have the right to access, modify, correct, or delete your personal information at any time. To correct or update personal information, to request removal of personal information from the contact list, or for any other questions regarding the collection and use of personal information, the client must contact the Privacy Officer, Sylvie Goulet (PhD, Psychologist) at the following email address: dr.sylvie.goulet@sympatico.ca

Changes to this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated periodically to reflect changes in my personal information protection practices. It is your responsibility to regularly review my Privacy Policy to be aware of any updates. The revised Privacy Policy will be posted on my website www.sylviegouletpsychologue.ca, and the changes will take effect immediately upon posting on my website.

Contact

By browsing my website or using my systems or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this policy and consent to the processing of your personal data and information in accordance with it, where applicable.

For any questions about Sylvie Goulet's (PhD, Psychologist) privacy policy, you can contact me by email at dr.sylvie.goulet@sympatico.ca

Thank you for your trust.