Privacy Policy

Effective Date: July 17, 2026

Our Commitment to Your Privacy: At The Birches Collective Wellness, we recognize that your privacy is the foundation of our therapeutic relationship. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, protect, and handle your Personal Health Information (PHI) in accordance with the Personal Health Information Privacy and Access Act (PHIPA) of New Brunswick, federal PIPEDA standards, and the ethical guidelines of the College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick (CCTNB).

1. Information We Collect & How It Is Transmitted: When you interact with our website or book an appointment, we collect the information necessary to provide you with safe clinical care.

  • Website Contact Forms: Inquiries submitted through our website contact form are processed via Squarespace and routed to our Google Workspace email provider. Please note that information transmitted through this initial web form and standard email is not end-to-end encrypted. To protect your privacy, we ask that you do not include sensitive Personal Health Information (PHI) in initial web inquiries.

  • Clinical Data: Once you become a client, all Intake forms, clinical assessments, session notes, and medical history are collected and stored inside our secure patient portal, not on this website.

2. Third-Party Data Processors (Jane App): To ensure the highest level of security for your clinical data, The Birches Collective utilizes Jane App as our Practice Management Software and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system.

  • Jane App is a Canadian company whose software architecture is designed to align with and support PIPEDA and PHIPA privacy standards.

  • All of our clinic's clinical data, charting, and scheduling information is hosted securely on servers located within Canada.

  • Payment processing is handled securely through Jane Payments (powered by Stripe). We do not store your full credit card information on our local computers.

3. Clinical Supervision Disclosure: As a Licensed Counselling Therapist – Candidate (LCT-C), my clinical practice is conducted under the ongoing supervision of Monica Smyth, MA, LCT, CCC. To ensure you are receiving the highest standard of care, your case information, treatment plans, and occasionally clinical records or session recordings (with additional and optional consent to record sessions) may be shared and reviewed with my supervisor. All supervisory consultations are bound by the same strict rules of professional confidentiality.

4. Record Retention & Destruction: In accordance with provincial regulations and CCTNB standards, your complete clinical record will be securely retained for a minimum of seven (7) years following the date of your last clinical interaction (or seven years after reaching the age of majority, for minors). Following this mandatory retention period, your physical and electronic records will be permanently and securely destroyed to prevent any unauthorized access.

5. Consent & The Legal Limits to Confidentiality: By booking an appointment, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy. You have the right to request access, correct, or withdraw consent at any time (please be aware that withdrawing consent may end our ability to provide care). Your information will never be shared with or sold to a third party without your explicit, written consent, except under the following legally mandated limits to confidentiality:

  • Imminent Risk: If there is a clear, imminent risk of serious harm to yourself or another person.

  • Vulnerable Persons: If there is reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect of a child (under 19 in NB) or a vulnerable adult.

  • Legal Subpoena: If your clinical records are subpoenaed by a court of law.

  • Medical Emergency: If a medical emergency occurs during our session requiring intervention.

6. Website Analytics & Cookies: Our website utilizes Squarespace Analytics. This service uses basic cookies to collect non-identifying, aggregated data (such as page views, browser types, and general website traffic) to help us improve our user experience. This analytics data is strictly non-identifying and does not collect, track, or link to your Personal Health Information.

7. Inquiries & Complaint Pathway: If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding how your data is handled, please contact our Privacy Officer: Jessica Maclean, MACP, LCT-C

Email: jessica@thebirchescollective.ca (Please do not send PHI via this email)

If you have formal concerns about the clinical services received or how your privacy and ethical rights have been managed, you have the right to contact my regulatory college to file a complaint: The College of Counselling Therapists of New Brunswick (CCTNB) Website: www.cctnb.ca