Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters, especially when you are reaching out for support. This policy explains what information this website collects and how it is handled. Ruth Unaegbu Counselling & Coaching follows British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and the standards of the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors.

What this website collects

• Contact form. Your name, email address, phone number (if you give it), your message, and the other details you choose to give, such as who the counselling is for, how sessions will be paid for and how you heard about me.
• Practicum applications. If you apply for a practicum placement, the details in your application, including your program information, your written answers, your resume or CV and the names and email addresses of your references. These are used only to review your application, and the clinical team may contact your references as part of that review.
• Booking a consultation. The booking calendar on this website is provided by my scheduling provider, Book Like A Boss, which collects the details you enter there. Its own privacy policy applies. Your booking details are then passed through Zapier to my Google Drive so that I can prepare for our call.
• Email and phone. Anything you send me directly by email or phone.
• Website analytics. General, non-identifying information about how visitors use the site, such as pages viewed and the type of device used, through cookies.

How your information is used

I use your information only to reply to you, arrange a consultation or session, and provide the services you ask for. I do not sell, rent or trade your personal information, and I do not add you to a mailing list without your permission.

Please do not send sensitive details through the website

The contact form and email are not designed for detailed health or personal history. Please keep messages brief. We can talk about what is going on during your free consultation.

If you become a client

Clinical records are kept separately from website information. They are stored securely and handled according to my professional and legal obligations as a Registered Clinical Counsellor. I will explain confidentiality and its limits, and how your records are kept, before we begin working together. My practice follows the BC Association of Clinical Counsellors Code of Ethical Conduct and Standards of Clinical Practice (opens in a new tab).

Who your information is shared with

Your information is only shared with the service providers needed to run this practice, such as my website host, email provider, scheduling provider (Book Like A Boss), the automation service that moves booking details (Zapier), my file storage (Google Drive), my practice management system for intake forms and client records (Jane), my video platform for sessions (Zoom), and Google, which provides website analytics, and only as needed for them to provide those services. Information is disclosed without your consent only when required or permitted by law.

Some of these providers may store or process information outside Canada, where it may be subject to the laws of that country.

How long it is kept and how it is protected

Website enquiries are kept only as long as needed to respond and arrange services. The website keeps a basic delivery record of the emails it sends (the email address, a general subject line and the date, never the message itself) for 30 days, so I can confirm your message arrived, and then deletes it automatically. I use reasonable safeguards to protect your information, including secure, password-protected systems. No method of sending information over the internet is completely secure.

Cookies

This site uses cookies for basic functions and, through Google Analytics, to understand how visitors use it. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings; the site will still work.

Your rights

I, Ruth Unaegbu, am responsible for the privacy of your personal information in this practice.

You can ask to see the personal information I hold about you, ask me to correct it, or withdraw your consent to its use, subject to legal and professional requirements. To make a request or ask a question about this policy, email connect@ruthunaegbu.com or call 604-265-9280.

If you are not satisfied with my response, you can contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (opens in a new tab).