Nature of service provided:
Clients have access to free short-term counselling, generally between 8-10 sessions. If the needs of the client cannot be met within the allotted sessions, the client will be referred to services in the community that can provide mid to long-term counselling. Clients may use their insurance or self-fund. In addition, clients may be provided with applications and online psycho-education tools in conjunction with one-on-one counselling. Faculty Wellness Program counsellors are registered psychotherapists under the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (CRPO).
Confidentiality Policy:
Psychotherapy/Counselling services offered by counsellors at the Faculty Wellness Program are confidential. Your health information cannot be released without your permission. Below are the limitations of confidentiality.
Counsellors work collaboratively and consult on clinical issues to provide you with the best quality of care. Your information will continue to be treated as confidential and will only be shared on a need to know basis. Counsellors also consult a clinical supervisor; however no identifiable information is shared. For other situations where collaboration with others could be beneficial your informed consent will be required.
Correspondence:
For added security the Faculty Wellness Program recommends the use of your University of Ottawa email account when signing into your sessions as well as for any correspondence with the Faculty Wellness Program. Your University of Ottawa email address offers the highest degree of security as it is encrypted on a closed network. Nonetheless, it is preferred to keep the content of email exchanges as succinct as possible.
Conflicts of Interest:
Should you be aware that someone close to you (current or former partner, family member, best friend, etc.) is already seeing one of the counsellors, we ask that you request to work with the other counsellor.
Counselling records:
Your file is encrypted, and password protected on a secure drive. Only your counsellor can read or update any clinical notes. Administrative staff at the Faculty Wellness Program will have access to some personal information (name, address, field of study etc.) in order to manage appointments and to process forms. Files are kept for ten years from the date you completed counselling before they are securely destroyed.
Therapy with TEAMS:
- Please ensure you have a space that is private and free of interruption
- Neither party will record the session
- You will be asked to confirm your identity at your first session, follow-up sessions will not require this extra step.
- Reminder of importance of using
- Strong passwords on all devices
- 2 step verification (when possible)
- Using private and strong password protected WIFI
- Ensure up to date antivirus and antimalware software
Cancellations:
As with any other professional services, counselling appointments are a valuable commodity. If you cannot attend the appointment you have made, please notify us as soon as possible. You can contact your counsellor directly via email, at [email protected] or call our front desk at 613.562.5211.
LiquidFiles:
The information collected in the intake form is sensitive in nature, therefore, we request that you send our office the completed intake form via LiquidFiles for added security. Files are automatically encrypted and deleted from the interface after (7) days. Information on how to access and send confidential information via LiquidFiles using your University of Ottawa credentials is included in the link below.
LiquidFiles | Information Technology | University of Ottawa (uOttawa.ca)
Microsoft TEAMS:
The Faculty Wellness Program uses Microsoft Teams for counselling sessions. All students at the University of Ottawa have access to a free and secure Microsoft Teams account. Should you require assistance accessing your Microsoft Teams account, please contact Medtech by completing the following form.
- Microsoft Teams is also accessible via an app on your smart phone
- Microsoft Teams options: Via video (this method will require a web cam) OR Via an audio connection (this is not a phone call but an audio connection done online through Microsoft Teams). Both options can be done on a laptop/desktop or your smart phone. For more information on Microsoft Teams please visit the following link.
