Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 23, 2025 

Dr. Phil Shnaider, C. Psych. and Shnaider Psychology Professional Corporation are committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information and personal health information in compliance with Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA, 2004), Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA, 2000), and other applicable privacy legislation.


What is Personal Information and Personal Health Information
Personal Information is any information about an identifiable individual, including, but not limited to, contact information (e.g., name, address, phone number or email address), gender, and date of birth.

Personal Health Information is any information about an identifiable individual that relates to that person’s physical or mental health, health history, medical records, health number, care being received, as well as billing and payment details related to that care.

In this Privacy Policy, the term personal information also encompasses personal health information. Information that has been collected in which all personal identifiers have been removed, such that the information could not reasonably be used to identify an individual, is not considered personal information or personal health information.


Collection and Use of Personal Information
We collect personal information in order to determine eligibility for services; provide psychological training, consultation, assessment, and therapy services; communicate with patients and clients; facilitate payments and insurance processing; facilitate administrative and business matters; and comply with legal and regularity requirements. In addition, we work with various consultants on an as needed basis, including technical support providers, bookkeepers and accountants, lawyers, a practice management software company, and credit card companies. We restrict the access of personal information provided to consultants to that required for them to provide their services and require their assurances that they too adhere to appropriate privacy policies.

The types of personal information we collect include, but are not limited to:

  • Name

  • Date of birth

  • Address

  • Telephone number

  • Email

  • Emergency contact information

  • A description of concerns/symptoms

  • Health history and psychosocial history

  • Payment and insurance information

  • Services received

  • Communications with therapists

  • Clinical notes and records relating to care

  • Consultation notes

  • Data from self-report measures and other psychological testing

  • Other relevant personal and health information


Protection and Safeguarding of Personal Information
We implement a variety of physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards in order to protect personal information from unauthorized access, use, and disclosure; loss; and theft. These safeguards include, but are not limited to:

  • Passwords and encryption are used on computers

  • Antivirus software is used on computers

  • Electronic transfer of sensitive information is sent via an encrypted messaging system through our electronic health record or via a secure fax line

  • Electronic health records are maintained using a secure and PHIPA-compliant Canadian provider.

  • Two factor authentication is used for accounts where available (e.g., email, electronic health record, fax)

  • Virtual/remote psychological services are offered via secure video platforms

 
Disclosure of Personal Information
We will only disclose your personal information with your express consent or as required/permitted by relevant regulation and/or law. Additionally, we may on occasion be required to disclose information to insurance companies, credit card companies or other third-party payers as needed. These companies and parties will have independently obtained your consent or may have legislative authority to direct us to collect and disclose information to them to demonstrate your entitlement to funding for services and to answer questions about the services you have received. Similarly, if someone else (e.g., a family member) is paying for your services, they are entitled to limited information including the name of your service provider, the dates you were seen, and the length and cost of sessions as part of your billing record.
 

Retention and Destruction of Personal Information
We retain your personal information for as long as is necessary for the purposes it was collected, as well as to comply with legal and regularity requirements. Electronic information is destroyed by deleting it and via the physical destruction of hard drives when hardware is no longer in use. Paper information is securely shredded. Personal information of those seeking training and consultation services is retained in order to share information regarding upcoming educational and training opportunities.


Your Rights
As per PHIPA, you have the right to request access to your personal health information and request corrections to your personal health information. Should you wish to access your personal health information, please contact Dr. Phil Shnaider. You can also contact Dr. Shnaider should you have any questions or concerns about our privacy policy, the handling of your personal information, or if you wish to make a formal complaint.

Dr. Phil Shnaider, C. Psych.
Tel: 647.960.7445
Fax: 647.480.5044
Email: info@drshnaider.com
Mailing Address: 18 King Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, Ontario M5C 1C4

If you have concerns about the privacy practices outlined in this policy, or about the handling of your personal health information by Dr. Phil Shnaider, C. Psych. and Shnaider Psychology Professional Corporation, you have the right to file a complaint with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario by contacting them at:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Telephone: (416) 326-3333 / 1 (800) 387-0073
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400 Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
www.IPC.on.ca 

Additionally, general inquiries about personal information, can be directed to the Office of the Privacy commissioner of Canada, who oversees the administration of personal information privacy legislation and serves as an ombudsman for privacy disputes. The office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada can be reached at:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 1H3
Phone: (819) 994-5444 or 1-800-282-1376
https://www.priv.gc.ca/en  


Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or regulatory and legal requirements. The updated policy will be posted on our website, and the effective date will be revised accordingly.