At CW Counseling & Consulting Services, we ensure that we take every precaution to protect your data and adhere to our ethical and legal obligations to do so.
Our TeleMental Health (TMH) services use a platform that encrypts all data, ensures sessions are anonymous, and does not store any data or identifying information. The platform adheres to HIPAA, PIPEDA, and GDPR data privacy requirements. We use the AES cipher with 128-bit keys to encrypt audio/video, and HMAC-SHA1 to verify data integrity.
The law protects the relationship between a patient and a psychotherapist, and information cannot be disclosed without written permission. Exceptions include patient safety, mandatory reporting requirements (e.g., duty to report) with suicidal or homicidal patients; mandated reporting of abuse to minors, elders, or partners. If a patient intends to harm themselves, we will make every effort to enlist their cooperation in ensuring their safety. If they do not cooperate, we will take further measures without their permission that are afforded to us by law in order to ensure their safety.