Privacy Policy

01. Who We Are

Sao Therapy provides counselling and mental health services from offices in Vancouver, British Columbia. We are a private practice operating under the authority of B.C. governing health profession colleges, with Registered Clinical Counsellors and therapists on the team.

02. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that you provide to us directly, including:

• Contact details, which include your name, email address, phone number, and mailing address.

• Scheduling and appointment information.

• Clinical and health information you choose to share with your therapist in the course of care.

• Billing, payment, and insurance information needed to issue receipts and collect fees.

• Any other information you choose to share with us through our website, intake forms, or direct communication.

03. How We Use Your Information

Your information is used only to provide and support your care, including:

• To deliver clinical care and counselling services.

• To schedule and manage appointments and reminders.

• To process payments and issue receipts for insurance or tax purposes.

• To communicate with you about scheduling, care, and important practice updates.

• To meet our legal, ethical, and professional record-keeping obligations.

We will not use your information for marketing without your explicit consent, and we never sell or rent personal information.

04. How We Protect Your Information

We use reasonable physical, technical, and administrative safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

Access to clinical records is restricted to therapists on the team who are providing or supporting your care, and where required by professional colleges.

Electronic charts and clinical medical records are stored in Jane App, a Canadian-based practice management platform designed for regulated healthcare professionals and operated under contractual confidentiality and Canadian privacy requirements.

05. Third-Party Services and Subprocessors

To operate our practice, we work with a small number of trusted service providers. Each is bound by confidentiality requirements and only receives the information needed to perform its designated service.

Jane App

Used for core clinical records, appointment scheduling, and invoicing. Data is stored on secure Canadian servers.

Google Workspace

Sao Therapy uses Google Workspace for business email and related administrative communications.

Information contained in email communications may be processed or stored using Google’s infrastructure and authorized subprocessors, including outside Canada, and may therefore be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is processed or stored.

Google Workspace provides technical and organizational safeguards designed to protect customer information, including encryption, access controls, and contractual data-protection requirements under Google’s Cloud Data Processing Addendum.

Email is used primarily for administrative communication, including scheduling, referrals, practice information, and other matters related to your care. We encourage clients not to send highly sensitive or detailed clinical information by ordinary email unless necessary.

Sao Therapy does not use client email communications for advertising or marketing purposes without explicit consent.

Twilio

Used by Jane App to route standard and automated text message appointment reminders.

Because this network operates internationally, these specific technical notifications may temporarily cross borders and be subject to international jurisdiction.

Clients may opt out of SMS alerts and choose Canadian-hosted email notifications at any time.

Payment Processors

Payment processors integrated through Jane or other approved payment platforms may be used to process credit card and direct debit payments using industry-compliant security standards.

Psychology Today

Sao Therapy may use Psychology Today as a directory and referral service. When you use the telephone number displayed on a Psychology Today profile, Psychology Today may route the call through its platform and retain limited call-related information, such as the telephone number used to place the call and information about the referral or call activity.

Sao Therapy does not use Psychology Today’s platform for clinical email or messaging communications. Clients are encouraged to contact Sao Therapy directly for ongoing communication regarding their care.

Information processed through Psychology Today is subject to Psychology Today’s own privacy practices and service terms.

Website Infrastructure and Forms

Our website and general contact forms are provided through Jane App.

These services support website functionality, online booking, forms, and related communications but are not intended for detailed protected medical records.

Therefore, our contact form is strictly limited to general contact and basic scheduling questions.

We do not use advertising trackers on our website and we do not share your clinical information with third parties for marketing purposes.

Google reCAPTCHA

Certain website or booking features may use Google reCAPTCHA to help protect the site from spam and automated misuse.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

06. Your Rights

Under PIPA, you have the right to:

• Request access to the personal information we hold about you.

• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information.

• Withdraw your consent to non-required uses, subject to our legal and professional obligations.

• Ask questions or raise a concern about how your information is handled.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details at the bottom of this page.

We will respond within 30 days.

07. Retention of Records

We retain clinical records for the period required by our governing professional college and applicable British Columbia law.

• Adult clients: Records are securely stored for a minimum of seven years from the date of the last appointment.

• Minor clients: Records are securely stored for a minimum of seven years after the client reaches the age of majority in British Columbia (19 years old). This means records regarding a minor are generally retained until the client turns 26 years of age.

After the required retention period, records are permanently and securely destroyed.

08. Data Breach Notification

In the highly unlikely event of a security incident or data breach that results in unauthorized access, loss, or disclosure of personal data, we will evaluate the situation immediately.

If the breach creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC) without delay.

09. Website Use, Cookies, and Analytics

Our website does not place advertising or marketing cookies.

We may use basic, privacy-respecting analytics to understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it.

Certain website security features, including Google reCAPTCHA, may collect limited technical information in accordance with Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.

You can disable cookies in your browser at any time without affecting your ability to use the site.

10. Updates to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practice, our service providers, or applicable law.

The most current version will always be posted on this page with the revised “Last Updated” date.

11. Contact Us About Privacy

If you have questions about this policy, how your information is handled, or wish to exercise any of your rights, please contact our Privacy Lead:

SAO THERAPY
Privacy Lead
Email: hello@saotherapy.com
Telephone: (604) 219-3755