What this is
A copy paste notification you can drop into your intake form, your first client email, your contact form footer, or a standalone PDF you send before a first session. BC PIPA s.10(1) requires you to tell clients the purposes of collection on or before you collect their personal information, and (on request) to give them the name and contact of someone who can answer their questions. The template below covers that, plus the five elements OIPC BC guidance recommends for a complete notification statement.
Use it when you collect any personal information from a BC client: intake forms, session notes, payment details, insurance billing data, scheduling messages, or telehealth software sign ups. Notification has to land at or before the moment of collection, not weeks later.
Template (copy and paste)
Notice about collection of your personal information
[Practice or therapist name] collects personal information from you so that [he/she/they] can provide counselling services to you. This notice tells you what is collected, why, how it is protected, and who to contact with questions.
What personal information is collected Name, contact details, date of birth, emergency contact, presenting concerns, session notes, payment information, and insurance details where you choose to bill through your insurer. Communications you send by email or through a client portal are also collected.
Purposes of collection To provide counselling services, schedule and confirm appointments, maintain a clinical record as required by BCACC Standards of Clinical Practice and the CPBC Code of Conduct (retention is commonly seven years from the end of service in BC practice guidance), process payments, and submit claims to your insurer where you authorize that.
Who your information may be disclosed to Your insurer, only with your express written consent for each claim. Your regulatory body or the courts, only where required by law (for example, a regulatory investigation or a subpoena). An emergency contact or first responder, only where there is an immediate risk of serious harm. Your information is not used or sold for marketing.
How your information is protected Email containing your personal information is encrypted in transit and at rest. Files are stored in access controlled systems. Records are securely destroyed at the end of the retention period set by your regulatory body. As a matter of practice policy (BC PIPA imposes no statutory breach notification duty; the OIPC BC recommends notifying where a breach creates a real risk of significant harm), a breach that creates a real risk of significant harm will be reported to you and to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC as soon as practicable.
Questions, access, complaints To ask a question, request a copy of your record, or ask for a correction, contact [therapist name, email, phone]. If your concern is not resolved, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC at https://www.oipc.bc.ca or 1-800-663-7867.
How to adapt it
Solo practitioner: use your own name and contact info in both the disclosure section and the questions section.
Group practice: name the practice in the opening line, and list the privacy officer’s contact (not each clinician) in the questions section.
Minor clients: the Infants Act, s.17 sets the capable consent test in BC. If a child meets the test, the notice goes to the child, not the parent. If the child does not, the notice goes to the parent or guardian, and you document which one and why.
Related reading
For the underlying law, BC PIPA s.10(1) on notification and s.34 on security arrangements: see the full text at https://www.canlii.org/en/bc/laws/stat/sbc-2003-c-63/latest/sbc-2003-c-63.html. For OIPC BC’s plain language guide for businesses: https://www.oipc.bc.ca/guidance-documents/1438.
Companion blog: BC PIPA for therapists: email privacy obligations.
Curio encrypts every client email and logs every send in a Canadian audit trail. If you want the encryption side handled automatically while you keep using Gmail, join the waitlist.
This template is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Privacy regulations vary by province and are subject to change. Verify current requirements with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for BC and with your regulatory body.