Privacy Policy

Valisen Mental Health (“Valisen”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is a mental health coordination and referral platform based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, operating at valisenmentalhealth.ca. We connect clients with Registered Psychotherapists (RP) for in-person and virtual therapy services across Ontario.

Questions about this policy? Contact our Privacy Officer at info@valisenmentalhealth.com or by phone at 613-707-0333.

As a mental health coordination platform operating in Ontario, we comply with the following legislation:

• Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) — Ontario legislation governing the collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information.
• Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) — Federal legislation governing personal information in the course of commercial activity.
• Regulated Health Professions Act (RHPA), 1991 — Governs the professional obligations of the Registered Psychotherapists in our network.

We collect the following categories of personal information:

a) Information you provide directly

• Name, phone number, and email address (intake form)
• Reason for seeking therapy and general mental health concerns
• Insurance provider information (if applicable)
• Communication preferences
• Payment information (processed through our secure payment partner — we do not store card details)

b) Clinical information

Session notes and treatment records are maintained exclusively by your assigned Registered Psychotherapist, who operates as an independent contractor. Valisen does not hold, access, or store clinical records. Any clinical information you share during the intake process is used solely to match you with an appropriate therapist and is not retained beyond that purpose.

c) Technical information

• IP address, browser type, and pages visited on our website (analytics)
• Cookies (see Section 9)

We use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected:

• To match you with an appropriate therapist from our network
• To schedule and facilitate therapy services
• To communicate with you about your care
• To process payments and issue receipts for insurance claims
• To comply with our legal and professional obligations
• To improve our platform's services (in aggregate, de-identified form only)

We do not use your information for advertising, sell it to third parties, or use it for any purpose unrelated to your care without your express consent.

We obtain your consent before collecting personal information. By submitting our intake form, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this policy.

You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting us at info@valisenmentalhealth.com. Withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide services. We will advise you of the implications before acting on your withdrawal.

Implied consent applies in limited circumstances where the purpose of collection is obvious (e.g., providing your phone number when requesting a callback).

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may share it only in the following circumstances:

• Service providers: Trusted third-party vendors (e.g., booking platforms, email delivery) who are contractually bound to protect your information and use it only to provide services to us.
• Insurance providers: With your explicit consent, to facilitate reimbursement claims.
• Legal requirements: When required by law, court order, or regulatory body.
• Safety: Where there is an immediate risk of serious harm to you or another person, as required under PHIPA and our professional obligations.

Valisen retains administrative intake records (name, contact information, insurance details, and matching information) for a minimum of 7 years for tax and regulatory purposes.

Clinical records — including session notes, treatment plans, and progress records — are held exclusively by your assigned Registered Psychotherapist in accordance with CRPO standards, which require retention for a minimum of 10 years from the date of last service, or until a minor client turns 18 plus 10 years, whichever is longer. For questions about your clinical records, contact your therapist directly.

We protect your personal information using appropriate physical, administrative, and technical safeguards, including:

• Encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS) for all web communications
• Secure, access-controlled systems
• Role-based access so only authorized administrative staff can view intake records
• Confidentiality agreements with all staff and contractors

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to improve user experience and analyse traffic. We use:

• Essential cookies: Necessary for the website to function (e.g., form submission state).
• Analytics cookies: We may use privacy-respecting analytics to understand how visitors use our website. No personally identifiable information is collected through analytics.

You may disable cookies in your browser settings, though this may affect functionality.

You have the right to:

• Access your personal information held by us
• Request correction of inaccurate information
• Know what information we hold about you and how it has been used or disclosed
• Complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) if you believe your privacy rights have been violated

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@valisenmentalhealth.com. We will respond within 30 days.

The Registered Psychotherapists in our network are subject to mandatory reporting obligations under Ontario law, including:

• Reporting suspected child abuse or neglect to the Children's Aid Society under the Child, Youth and Family Services Act, 2017
• Disclosing information where there is imminent risk of serious bodily harm to a person
• Reporting sexual abuse by a health professional under RHPA requirements

These disclosures do not require your consent and are required by law.

Virtual therapy sessions are conducted via secure, encrypted video platforms used by your assigned therapist. We use only platforms that comply with Canadian privacy law. Recordings of sessions are not made without your explicit written consent.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to active clients via email. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Continued use of our services after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

Privacy Officer
Valisen Mental Health
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Email: info@valisenmentalhealth.com
Phone: 613-707-0333

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC):

2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Phone: 1-800-387-0073
Website: www.ipc.on.ca