Basic technical information
The hosting service may create ordinary technical logs such as an IP address, browser information, requested pages and timestamps. The public website does not contain an internal clinical intake form.
Privacy & communication
Your story belongs to you.
Privacy is part of the therapeutic relationship, not fine print. This page explains how Discern Counselling approaches your information and the choices available to you.
The starting principle
Information is collected to support your care—not to turn you into a product.
Discern Counselling does not sell personal information or client information.
Information is collected, used and retained only for purposes connected with providing and administering psychotherapy, meeting professional and legal responsibilities, and responding to requests you make.
Your information is not given to advertisers or sold to data brokers. Clinical information is not used to target advertising to you.
What may be collected
Only information reasonably connected to the relationship.
The information involved depends on whether you are browsing the website, making an enquiry or receiving psychotherapy.
The details needed to respond
If you email, call or text, the message may contain your name, contact information and whatever you choose to share. A brief request to arrange a consultation is enough.
Information relevant to psychotherapy
If you proceed, information may include contact and scheduling details, consent decisions, payment information, information you share about your health and circumstances, and the clinical record required for care.
Questions are welcome
You may ask why information is being requested, how it will be used and whether providing it is optional before deciding what to share.
OWL Practice
The preferred pathway for booking and clinical information.
Discern Counselling uses OWL Practice for scheduling and practice records. The complimentary consultation can be booked directly through the Discern Counselling OWL page.
Ordinary email, text and voicemail are convenient ways to make brief initial contact, but they should not contain detailed personal health information. They are not monitored continuously or for crisis support.
If you contact the practice through a less private channel, the conversation can be moved to the appropriate practice channel before sensitive details are discussed.
Confidentiality
Your information is not shared simply because someone asks for it.
Personal health information is normally collected, used or disclosed with your informed consent. When another professional, insurer, family member or organization requests information, your permission and the purpose of the request are considered before anything is released.
Only information reasonably necessary for the purpose should be used or disclosed. Where consultation or clinical supervision forms part of responsible care, how confidentiality is protected and how information may be discussed is addressed through the consent process.
You can ask questions about confidentiality at any time, including before deciding whether to begin therapy.
Limits to confidentiality
Privacy is strong, but it is not unlimited.
There are circumstances in which information may be disclosed without consent because the law permits or requires it.
Examples can include situations involving a significant risk of serious bodily harm, child-protection obligations, a legal order, or another mandatory professional report. The exact limits are explained as part of informed consent and can be revisited whenever you have questions.
When disclosure is necessary, the aim is to share only what is reasonably required for that purpose and, where possible, to keep you informed.
Adolescents and privacy
Young people also deserve clarity, dignity and an understandable explanation.
For an adolescent client, consent, decision-making capacity, parent or guardian involvement, payment arrangements and access to information can depend on the individual circumstances.
These matters are discussed before therapy proceeds so that the adolescent and any involved parent or guardian understand how privacy will work, what information may remain confidential and what the legal limits are.
The objective is not to surprise anyone later with rules that were never explained at the beginning.
Your information, your rights
You can ask, understand and raise concerns.
You may ask what personal health information is held about you and why. Subject to applicable legal limits, you may request access to your record, ask for inaccurate or incomplete information to be corrected, and ask questions about consent or a disclosure.
You may also raise a privacy concern directly with Discern Counselling. If the concern is not resolved, information about Ontario health-privacy rights and complaints is available from the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
The public website
Some pages connect to services operated by others.
OWL Practice
Booking links open the Discern Counselling page on OWL Practice. Information entered there is handled through that service and the practice’s clinical information processes.
Psychology Today
The professional-verification badge is supplied by Psychology Today and requires a browser request to that service.
WordPress
The blog page retrieves public article information from the Discern Counselling WordPress site. Opening the full archive takes you to WordPress.
Maps and social platforms
Links to Google Maps, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram are governed by those services’ own privacy practices after you choose to visit them.
Questions or concerns
Privacy questions deserve a direct answer.
Contact Renato Discenza at rjd@discerncounselling.com or 647-331-3551. Please keep an initial email, text or voicemail brief and avoid including detailed personal health information.
This page is a plain-language overview. The informed-consent and privacy information provided when care is established explains the clinical relationship in greater detail.
Effective date: September 30, 2026.
ReadyToTalk.Today
You can ask about privacy before deciding what to share.
A complimentary consultation is a place for practical questions as well as the reason you are considering therapy.
Begin with a conversation