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Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 11, 2026

1. Introduction and Scope

Your privacy is important to Gaia Psychotherapy Services Inc. (“Gaia,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information when you visit our website, contact us, book a service, attend an online offering, or otherwise interact with Gaia.

This policy is intended to support compliance with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and other privacy, confidentiality, and professional obligations that may apply to our work.

This policy applies to our website and related online communications. If you become a counselling, psychotherapy, preparation, or integration client, additional confidentiality and informed consent terms may apply to the clinical relationship. Those service documents should be read together with this Privacy Policy.

Important: general website forms and social media messages are not intended for emergencies, crisis support, or detailed clinical disclosures. Please do not submit urgent, crisis-related, or highly sensitive information through general website contact forms.

2. What "Personal Information" Means

Personal information means information about an identifiable individual. It may include contact details, appointment information, payment information, technical website information, communications with us, and information you voluntarily provide about your interests, needs, or reasons for contacting Gaia.

Some information may be sensitive, including health-related information, mental health information, details about counselling needs, or information connected to preparation and integration support. We use safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information involved.

3. Information We Collect

The personal information we collect depends on how you interact with Gaia.

Information you provide voluntarily

  • Contact information, such as your name, email address, phone number, province/state, country, and time zone.
  • Inquiry information, such as the reason you contacted us, your preferred service, your questions, and any information you choose to include in a form, email, intake document, or message.
  • Booking and service information, such as appointment requests, session dates, attendance at free online sessions or workshops, consent forms, intake information, and administrative notes needed to provide services.
  • Payment and billing information, such as billing name, transaction details, invoice information, and payment status. Full payment card details are typically processed by third-party payment providers and are not stored by Gaia unless clearly stated at the point of collection.
  • Communication preferences, such as consent to receive newsletters, event reminders, free session updates, resources, or marketing communications.
  • Referral information, if you are referred by a retreat provider, professional, organization, or another person and you consent to that referral or contact.

Information collected automatically

  • Log data, such as IP address, browser type and version, device type, pages visited, date and time of visit, referring pages, time spent on pages, and diagnostic information related to errors or site performance.
  • Device and usage data, such as operating system, screen size, language settings, approximate location derived from IP address, cookie identifiers, and interaction data.
  • Cookie and tracking data, where enabled, such as analytics cookies, advertising pixels, and similar technologies used to understand website performance or improve outreach. See “Cookies and Similar Technologies” below.

4. How We Collect Information

  • When you submit a contact form, booking form, intake form, newsletter sign-up, event registration, or inquiry.
  • When you email, call, message, or communicate with us through social media or similar platforms.
  • When you book or attend an online session, free integration session, workshop, consultation, or other Gaia offering.
  • When you make a payment or request an invoice or receipt.
  • When your browser or device automatically sends technical information while accessing the website.
  • When a third party, such as a referral partner, sends us information with your consent or as otherwise permitted by law.

5. Why We Use Personal Information

We collect and use personal information only for purposes that are reasonable, necessary, and identified at or before the time of collection, unless otherwise permitted or required by law. These purposes may include:

  • Responding to inquiries and communicating with you.
  • Determining whether Gaia’s services may be appropriate for your needs.
  • Scheduling, confirming, providing, and following up on counselling, preparation, integration, consultation, free online sessions, workshops, and related services.
  • Managing client intake, consent, administrative records, invoices, payments, receipts, and business operations.
  • Sending service-related communications, such as appointment confirmations, reminders, updates, and resources.
  • Sending newsletters, event invitations, educational content, or marketing communications where you have consented or where otherwise permitted by law.
  • Operating, securing, monitoring, troubleshooting, and improving the website and related online services.
  • Understanding website performance, audience needs, and outreach effectiveness through analytics and, where enabled, advertising tools.
  • Meeting legal, regulatory, professional, insurance, accounting, tax, and record-keeping obligations.
  • Protecting the rights, safety, and security of Gaia, our clients, website visitors, or others, including where disclosure is permitted or required by law.

6. Consent

We rely on meaningful consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information, except where consent is not required or where collection, use, or disclosure is permitted or required by law. Consent may be express, such as when you submit a form, sign up for email updates, book a session, or agree to service terms. Consent may also be implied where your actions reasonably indicate agreement, such as when you use our website or send us an inquiry.

You may withdraw consent for certain uses of your personal information at any time by contacting us. Withdrawal of consent may limit our ability to provide or continue providing certain services. We may still retain or use information where required for legal, professional, regulatory, safety, accounting, or record-keeping reasons.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies, pixels, tags, analytics tools, and similar technologies. These tools help the website function, remember preferences, understand how visitors use the website, measure the performance of content, and support advertising or remarketing where enabled.

Depending on the tools active on the website, these technologies may be provided by third-party platforms such as website hosting providers, analytics providers, advertising platforms, social media platforms, or security tools. You can usually control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect website functionality.

8. Disclosure of Personal Information

We do not sell personal information. We disclose personal information only where reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, with your consent, or where permitted or required by law. We may disclose personal information to:

  • Service providers who help us operate the website, manage bookings, deliver online services, process payments, send emails, host data, analyze website usage, maintain security, or support business operations.
  • Professional advisors, insurers, bookkeepers, accountants, lawyers, or consultants where needed for business, legal, insurance, or compliance purposes.
  • Regulatory, legal, or governmental authorities where required or permitted by law.
  • Emergency, legal, or safety-related contacts or authorities where disclosure is permitted or required to address serious safety concerns or comply with law or professional obligations.
  • A successor organization if Gaia is involved in a business transfer, reorganization, merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, subject to appropriate confidentiality and legal safeguards.

9. Third-Party Service Providers

The specific providers used by Gaia may change over time. Depending on the website and business systems currently active, third-party service providers may include:

  • Website and hosting tools, including WordPress, Elementor, website hosting, backup, security, and maintenance providers.
  • Scheduling, calendar, intake, form, and client-management tools.
  • Email, newsletter, customer relationship management, and automation tools.
  • Video conferencing and online meeting tools, such as Zoom or similar platforms.
  • Payment processing and invoicing platforms, such as Stripe, PayPal, or similar providers, if enabled.
  • Analytics and advertising tools, such as Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, Meta Pixel, or similar tools, if enabled.
  • Productivity and communication tools, such as Google Workspace, Microsoft, or similar providers.
  • Social media platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, YouTube, or similar platforms when you interact with Gaia through those services.

These providers have their own privacy practices. When you interact with a third-party platform, their privacy policy may also apply. Gaia is not responsible for the privacy practices of websites or services we do not operate.

10. International Processing and Transfers

Personal information may be stored, processed, or accessed in Canada and in other countries where Gaia, its personnel, contractors, or service providers operate. This may include the United States, Mexico, and other jurisdictions depending on the services and platforms used.

Privacy laws in other countries may differ from those in Canada. When we use service providers or transfer personal information outside Canada, we take reasonable steps to use appropriate contractual, technical, and organizational safeguards and to handle personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy and applicable law.

11. Security Safeguards

We use physical, organizational, and technical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the personal information we handle. These may include access controls, secure accounts, password practices, administrative restrictions, encryption where available, confidentiality expectations, security updates, and limiting access to those who need the information for authorized purposes.

No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable steps to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.

12. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, or as required for legal, professional, regulatory, insurance, accounting, tax, reporting, and record-keeping obligations.

Website inquiries, marketing records, and administrative communications may be kept for as long as needed to respond, manage business records, maintain consent records, or support legitimate business purposes. Client, clinical, financial, or professional records may be retained for longer periods where required by applicable laws, standards, professional obligations, insurance requirements, or service agreements.

When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, anonymize, or de-identify it, unless we are required or permitted to retain it.

13. Your Privacy Choices and Rights

Subject to legal and professional limitations, you may have the right to:

  • Request access to personal information we hold about you.
  • Ask us to correct inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal information.
  • Withdraw consent for certain collection, use, or disclosure activities.
  • Unsubscribe from marketing or promotional emails using the unsubscribe link in the message or by contacting us.
  • Ask questions or make a complaint about our privacy practices.

Requests for access or correction should be made in writing using the contact details below. We may need to verify your identity before responding. Under PIPEDA, access is generally provided within 30 days at free or minimal cost, subject to lawful extensions and exceptions. If we cannot provide access, correct information, or meet the usual timeframe, we will explain why, where required by law.

We may not be able to delete information where retention is required or permitted for legal, professional, regulatory, safety, accounting, insurance, or record-keeping reasons.

14. Privacy Breaches

If a privacy breach occurs, we will assess the situation and take reasonable steps to contain, investigate, and reduce the risk of harm. Where required by PIPEDA or other applicable law, we will notify affected individuals and report the breach to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or another appropriate authority if the breach creates a real risk of significant harm. We will also keep records of breaches as required by law.

15. Marketing Communications

We may send newsletters, educational resources, event notices, free-session invitations, or other marketing communications where you have consented or where permitted by law. You may unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link in the communication or by contacting us. Even if you unsubscribe from marketing messages, we may still send service-related or administrative communications, such as appointment confirmations, receipts, policy updates, or responses to your inquiries.

16. Children and Minors

Our website and services are intended for adults unless otherwise stated in a specific service agreement. We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors through the website without appropriate consent. If you believe a minor has provided personal information to us without appropriate consent, please contact us so we can review and take appropriate steps.

17. Links to External Websites and Social Media

Our website may contain links to external websites, booking tools, payment platforms, social media pages, videos, articles, or other third-party content. We do not control those external services and are not responsible for their privacy practices. Please review their privacy policies before providing personal information to them.

18. Business Transfers

If Gaia is involved in a business transfer, merger, reorganization, financing, sale of assets, or similar transaction, personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction where permitted by law and subject to appropriate confidentiality and privacy safeguards.

19. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices, technologies, services, legal obligations, or regulatory guidance. The updated version will be posted on our website with a revised “Last updated” date. If changes are significant, we may take additional steps to notify you where required by law.

20. Contact Us

For questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy or Gaia’s privacy practices, please contact:

Gaia Psychotherapy Services Inc. Privacy Officer: Priscila Coleff

Email: [email protected]

Website: gaiacounselling.com

21. Complaints to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

If we do not resolve your concern to your satisfaction, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, QC K1A 1H3
Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376
Website: www.priv.gc.ca