Therapy Alberta Website Privacy Policy

Therapy Alberta Privacy Policy

Effective date: November 3, 2025

Therapy Alberta respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information of everyone who visits our website or contacts us for counselling services. This policy explains what data we collect, how we use it, with whom it may be shared and the choices you have. It applies to our website www.therapyalberta.ca (the “Site”) and any related services we provide. By accessing or using our Site, you agree to the terms described here. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

Who we are

Therapy Alberta is a therapy practice based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Our team of therapists provides mental‑health services to individuals, couples and families. If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle personal information, you can reach us at:

Mailing address: Therapy Alberta, #105 - 11500 29 St SW, Calgary AB T2Z 3W9, Canada
Email & Phone: Contact us
Privacy officer: Carol Korenowski (owner)

1. Information we collect

We collect two broad categories of information: information you provide directly and information collected automatically.

1.1 Information you provide

When you interact with us or use our Site, you may choose to provide personal information such as:

Contact details: your name, email address, phone number and reason for contacting us when you submit a form or book an appointment.
Appointment details: information you provide when requesting a free consultation or therapy session (e.g., preferred dates and services).
Communications: content of emails or messages you send to us.

We only collect this information when you voluntarily submit it. Under the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) in Alberta and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), we must obtain meaningful consent before collecting, using or disclosing personal information. By completing a contact form or emailing us, you consent to our use of that information to respond to your request.

1.2 Information collected automatically

Like many websites, we use cookies and similar technologies to collect certain information automatically when you visit our Site. This may include:

Usage data: the pages you visit, links you click, time spent on each page, referring/exit pages and date/time stamps.
Device and browser information: your IP address, browser type, operating system, screen resolution and device identifiers.
Location information: general geolocation (for example, your city and country) inferred from your IP address.

We use these tools to analyze Site traffic, improve our services and understand how visitors use our Site. Some cookies are essential for the Site to function (e.g., remembering your session), while others are used for analytics or marketing purposes. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time—see Section 3 for more information.

2. How we use your information

We use personal information to:

Provide services: schedule appointments, match you with an appropriate therapist and deliver counselling services.
Respond to inquiries: reply to emails, phone calls and contact‑form submissions.
Improve our website: monitor usage patterns to understand which pages are most helpful and to improve navigation.
Marketing (with consent): send occasional newsletters or information about new services, but only if you have opted in. You can opt out at any time.
Comply with our legal obligations: investigate and prevent fraudulent activity and ensure compliance with PIPA, PIPEDA and other applicable laws.

We will not use personal information for purposes beyond those outlined here without first obtaining your consent or as permitted by law. For example, PIPEDA requires businesses to obtain meaningful consent and to inform individuals of the purpose of data collection.

3. Cookies and consent

Our Site uses cookies, web beacons and similar technologies to provide a smoother experience and to help us understand how visitors interact with our services. Under PIPEDA and PIPA, cookie consent must be meaningful, which means users need to understand what data is being collected and why. We therefore:

Use a cookie banner to explain what cookies we use. Essential cookies (for site functionality and security) are always active. Non‑essential cookies (analytics and marketing) are disabled by default unless you choose to accept them.
Allow you to accept, decline or customize non‑essential cookies. You can change your preference at any time via the cookie banner or by adjusting your browser settings.
Provide a link to this policy and an explanation of our cookie use.
Honour Do Not Track signals where supported by your browser.

Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use our Site. Google Analytics sets cookies to collect usage data and provides us with aggregated reports (for example, number of visitors, popular pages and session duration). Google may store this information on servers in the United States or other countries. The data collected does not include your name or contact details, but it may include your IP address and other device identifiers. We use the IP anonymization feature to mask the last digits of your IP address.

You can prevent Google Analytics from collecting data by installing the Google Analytics opt‑out browser add‑on. For more information on how Google collects and processes data, see Google’s Privacy Policy.

4. How we share your information

Therapy Alberta does not sell personal information. We may share information under limited circumstances:

Therapists and staff: to deliver counselling services, your contact and appointment details may be shared with therapists and administrative personnel who are bound by confidentiality.
Service providers: we use trusted third‑party vendors (such as website hosting, analytics providers and email services). These providers process data on our behalf and are bound by strict confidentiality obligations. Some of these providers may be located outside Canada; in such cases we take steps to ensure they provide comparable protection.
Legal requirements: we may disclose information if required to comply with a court order, law enforcement request or other legal obligation, or if necessary to protect our rights or the safety of our clients.
Business transfers: if Therapy Alberta merges with or is acquired by another entity, personal information may be transferred to the successor company. We will ensure the same level of protection and notify you before your data is transferred if required by law.

5. Storage, retention and cross‑border transfers

Information you provide is stored on secure servers. Some data may be processed or stored outside Alberta or Canada. PIPEDA requires us to be transparent about cross‑border transfers and to ensure that service providers protect personal information to standards comparable to Canadian law.

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes identified in this policy or to comply with legal obligations. Contact‑form submissions are retained for up to 2 years so we can follow up with you and analyze trends. Session notes and client files are retained in accordance with professional regulatory requirements and are stored securely under password protection and restricted access. When information is no longer needed, we dispose of it securely (for example, by securely deleting electronic files or shredding paper records).

6. Safeguards

We use physical, administrative and technical safeguards to protect personal information, including:

Secure, password‑protected systems and restricted access for authorized staff.
Encryption of data in transit (TLS/HTTPS) and, where possible, encryption at rest.
Regular security updates and vulnerability assessments.
Contractor agreements requiring confidentiality and adherence to privacy standards.
Policies for secure disposal of data.

Despite our efforts, no system is completely secure. PIPEDA recognizes that there is always some risk of harm. If a data breach creates a real risk of significant harm to individuals, we will notify affected individuals and the relevant privacy authorities as soon as feasible.

7. Your rights

Under PIPA and PIPEDA, you have rights regarding your personal information. You can:

Access and correct: request a copy of the personal information we hold about you and ask us to correct any inaccuracies.
Withdraw consent: withdraw your consent for non‑essential cookies or marketing communications at any time.
Deletion: request that we delete information we no longer need for legitimate purposes.
Challenge compliance: if you have concerns about our privacy practices, you may contact us directly or file a complaint with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (OIPC) or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

To exercise these rights, please contact us via email or via mail at the address above. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding. We aim to respond within 30 days, as required by law.

8. Children’s privacy

Our services are intended for adults and youths accompanied by guardians. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 18 years of age. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us immediately. We will remove such information and, if necessary, contact the parent or guardian.

9. Links to third‑party websites

Our Site may contain links to external websites (for example, helpful resources). We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information. The inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement.

10. Changes to this policy

We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in laws, technology or our practices. When we update the policy, we will revise the “Effective date” at the top and post the new version on our Site. Significant changes will be highlighted or we will notify you by email where appropriate. We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed of how we collect and protect your information.

11. Contact us

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy or our privacy practices, please contact us.

Thank you for entrusting us with your information. We value your privacy and strive to handle your data responsibly and transparently.