Privacy Policy
Compassion Within Psychotherapy & Mindfulness
610-1125 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC
Effective Date: May 1, 2026
Last Updated: May 1, 2026
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INTRODUCTION
Compassion Within ("we," "us," or "our") is a psychotherapy and mindfulness clinic based in Vancouver, British Columbia. We care deeply about the privacy of the people who reach out to us and the clients who trust us with their personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to information collected through our website (compassionwithin.com), our social media advertising, our intake and booking systems, and any communications you have with our team.
We follow the requirements of:
• The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada's federal private-sector privacy law
• British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)
• Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)
• The professional ethics guidelines of the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC)
If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact our Privacy Officer (details at the bottom of this page).
---
WHO WE ARE
Compassion Within is a small group practice of Registered Clinical Counsellors offering trauma-focused therapy, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, Somatic Therapy, Mindfulness-based approaches, and couples counselling. We provide in-person sessions in downtown Vancouver and online sessions across British Columbia.
Our team includes:
• Sarah Jarvis, MA, RCC — Director and Lead Therapist (also our Privacy Officer)
• Carla Budd, MA, RCC
• Virginia O'Brien, MC, RCC
• Sarah (Sal) Lally, MC, RCC
• Christina Bowe — Administrative Assistant
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WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT
The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. We collect only what we need to provide our services, communicate with you, and meet our professional and legal obligations.
1. WHEN YOU REACH OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME
If you contact us through our website, social media advertising (Facebook or Instagram lead forms), email, phone, or in person, we may collect:
• Your name
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• A brief description of what you're looking for support with (only what you choose to share)
• Your preference for in-person or online sessions
• How you heard about us
You are never required to share clinical information at this stage. Anything you do share is treated as confidential.
2. WHEN YOU BECOME A CLIENT
If you decide to book sessions with one of our therapists, we collect additional information through our intake forms and clinical records:
• Full contact details and emergency contact information
• Date of birth
• Health and mental health history relevant to your therapy
• Reasons for seeking therapy and goals
• Insurance and payment information (if applicable)
• Session notes and clinical documentation created by your therapist
• Records of appointments, communications, and treatment plans
This information is collected and stored in accordance with BCACC professional standards and applicable privacy laws.
3. WHEN YOU VISIT OUR WEBSITE
Our website (compassionwithin.com) is hosted on Weebly. When you visit, basic technical information may be collected automatically, including:
• Your IP address (anonymized where possible)
• Browser type and device information
• Pages you visit and time spent on them
• Referring website
We may use cookies and similar technologies to improve site functionality and understand how visitors use our site. You can control cookies through your browser settings.
4. WHEN YOU INTERACT WITH OUR ADVERTISING
If you click on or submit a form through one of our Facebook or Instagram ads, Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) collects information about your interaction in accordance with Meta's own privacy policy. The information you submit through a Meta lead form is sent to us through Meta's systems.
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HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
We use your information for these purposes only:
• To respond to your inquiries and answer your questions
• To schedule, deliver, and manage your therapy sessions
• To communicate with you about your appointments and care
• To send follow-up texts or emails if you've consented to receive them
• To process payments and submit insurance claims (when applicable)
• To meet our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations
• To improve our services and understand how people find us
• To send you occasional updates about our services, workshops, or resources (only if you've explicitly opted in)
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your information with anyone for marketing purposes outside of our own clinic.
---
CONSENT
Your consent is the foundation of how we handle your information. We ask for consent in different ways depending on what we're doing:
• When you reach out to us, you consent to us using your contact information to respond to your inquiry
• When you book sessions, your therapist will review and confirm consent for treatment, including how your clinical information will be handled
• Before we send you any marketing emails, newsletters, workshop announcements, or non-essential text messages, we ask for your explicit opt-in consent
• You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer or by replying STOP to any text message
For minors (anyone under the age of 19 in British Columbia), we follow BCACC ethics guidelines and applicable laws regarding consent. In most cases, parental or guardian consent is required for clients under 12, and clients aged 12 to 18 may consent on their own behalf if they are deemed mature enough to understand the nature and consequences of treatment. Your therapist will discuss this with you and your family directly.
---
WHO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH
We use trusted third-party service providers to operate our practice. Each of these providers handles your information according to their own privacy and security standards, and we have selected them based on their appropriateness for the type of information involved.
CLINICAL SYSTEM (CANADIAN-HOSTED)
Jane App — Our clinical practice management system. Used for appointment booking, scheduling, charting, clinical notes, intake forms, telehealth, and billing. Jane App stores all clinical data on Canadian servers and is fully PIPEDA-compliant. This is where your clinical records live.
WEBSITE & MARKETING TOOLS (SOME US-HOSTED)
Weebly — Hosts our public website (compassionwithin.com). Weebly is owned by Square (now Block, Inc.) and may store website analytics data on servers located in the United States.
GoHighLevel — Our customer relationship management (CRM) system, used for managing inquiries, follow-up communications, and marketing workflows. GoHighLevel stores marketing and communications data on servers located in the United States. We do not store any clinical information in GoHighLevel.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) — When we run advertising on Facebook or Instagram and you submit a lead form, your contact information is processed through Meta's systems before being sent to us. Meta operates on servers located primarily in the United States. Meta's own privacy policy governs how they handle your information on their platforms.
Google — We use Google services for business email, file storage (Google Drive), and analytics. Google may store this information on servers located in various countries, including the United States.
CROSS-BORDER DATA TRANSFER
Some of the service providers listed above store data on servers located outside of Canada, primarily in the United States. While the information stored with these providers is subject to the laws of the country where it is stored (which may include lawful access by foreign authorities), we have chosen these providers based on their security practices and the nature of the data they handle. Your clinical records — including session notes, treatment plans, diagnoses, health history, and insurance details — are never stored with these providers. They remain in Jane App on Canadian servers.
OTHER SHARING
We may also share information in these limited circumstances:
• With your written consent (for example, sharing information with another healthcare provider you've asked us to coordinate with)
• When required by law (such as a court order or subpoena)
• To prevent imminent serious harm to you or another person, where required or permitted by law
• In the event of a medical emergency
We do not share your information with anyone for any other reason without your explicit consent.
---
HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
We take reasonable precautions to protect your personal information, including:
• Storing clinical records in Jane App, which uses encryption and secure Canadian data centres
• Using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication on all systems
• Limiting access to personal information to team members who need it for their work
• Training our team on privacy and confidentiality requirements
• Reviewing our security practices regularly
• Securely disposing of information when it is no longer needed
No method of transmitting or storing information is completely secure. While we work hard to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we ever became aware of a privacy breach that posed a real risk of significant harm to you, we would notify you and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, as required by law.
---
HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION
We keep your information only as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law and our professional obligations.
• Clinical records: Retained for a minimum of 16 years after your last appointment, or 16 years after a minor client's 19th birthday, in accordance with BCACC standards
• Inquiry and lead information (if you contacted us but did not become a client): Retained for up to 24 months, then deleted, unless you've asked to remain on our newsletter list
• Marketing communications data: Retained as long as you remain opted in, plus a brief period after opt-out for record-keeping
• Website analytics: Retained according to the retention settings of our analytics providers
You can request deletion of your information at any time, subject to our legal and professional obligations to retain certain records.
---
YOUR RIGHTS
You have the right to:
• ACCESS your personal information that we hold
• REQUEST CORRECTION of any inaccurate information
• WITHDRAW CONSENT for marketing communications at any time (reply STOP to any text, click "unsubscribe" on any email, or contact us directly)
• REQUEST DELETION of your information, subject to our legal and professional obligations to retain certain records
• ASK QUESTIONS about how your information is being handled
• MAKE A COMPLAINT to our Privacy Officer or to a privacy regulator (see below)
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the contact information at the bottom of this page. We aim to respond to all requests within 30 days.
---
CHILDREN AND MINORS
We provide therapy services to clients of all ages, including children and adolescents. When working with minors, we follow BCACC ethics guidelines and applicable BC laws regarding consent, confidentiality, and information sharing with parents or guardians.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13 through our website or marketing forms without parental or guardian involvement. If you believe a minor has provided us with information through our website or a lead form without appropriate consent, please contact our Privacy Officer and we will take appropriate action.
If you are a parent or guardian seeking therapy for your child, your therapist will discuss with you in detail how confidentiality and information-sharing will work in your child's specific case.
---
YOUR CHOICES ABOUT MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
We will only send you marketing emails, newsletters, workshop announcements, or non-essential text messages if you have explicitly opted in. You can opt out at any time:
• For text messages: Reply STOP to any message you receive from us
• For emails: Click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any marketing email
• For all communications: Contact our Privacy Officer
We may still send you essential communications related to your care or appointments, even if you've opted out of marketing.
---
CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other reasons. The effective date at the top of this page will indicate when the policy was last updated. For significant changes, we'll do our best to notify current clients directly.
---
CONTACT US
For any questions, concerns, requests, or complaints about your privacy or this policy, please contact:
PRIVACY OFFICER
Sarah Jarvis, MA, RCC — Director
Compassion Within Psychotherapy & Mindfulness
610-1125 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K8
Email: [email protected]
Website: compassionwithin.com
If you are not satisfied with our response, you also have the right to contact:
OFFICE OF THE INFORMATION AND PRIVACY COMMISSIONER FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA
PO Box 9038, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9A4
Phone: 250-387-5629
Toll-free: 1-800-663-7867
Website: oipc.bc.ca
OFFICE OF THE PRIVACY COMMISSIONER OF CANADA
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, QC K1A 1H3
Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376
Website: priv.gc.ca
610-1125 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC
Effective Date: May 1, 2026
Last Updated: May 1, 2026
---
INTRODUCTION
Compassion Within ("we," "us," or "our") is a psychotherapy and mindfulness clinic based in Vancouver, British Columbia. We care deeply about the privacy of the people who reach out to us and the clients who trust us with their personal information.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. It applies to information collected through our website (compassionwithin.com), our social media advertising, our intake and booking systems, and any communications you have with our team.
We follow the requirements of:
• The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada's federal private-sector privacy law
• British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)
• Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)
• The professional ethics guidelines of the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors (BCACC)
If you have questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact our Privacy Officer (details at the bottom of this page).
---
WHO WE ARE
Compassion Within is a small group practice of Registered Clinical Counsellors offering trauma-focused therapy, including Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, Somatic Therapy, Mindfulness-based approaches, and couples counselling. We provide in-person sessions in downtown Vancouver and online sessions across British Columbia.
Our team includes:
• Sarah Jarvis, MA, RCC — Director and Lead Therapist (also our Privacy Officer)
• Carla Budd, MA, RCC
• Virginia O'Brien, MC, RCC
• Sarah (Sal) Lally, MC, RCC
• Christina Bowe — Administrative Assistant
---
WHAT INFORMATION WE COLLECT
The information we collect depends on how you interact with us. We collect only what we need to provide our services, communicate with you, and meet our professional and legal obligations.
1. WHEN YOU REACH OUT FOR THE FIRST TIME
If you contact us through our website, social media advertising (Facebook or Instagram lead forms), email, phone, or in person, we may collect:
• Your name
• Your email address
• Your phone number
• A brief description of what you're looking for support with (only what you choose to share)
• Your preference for in-person or online sessions
• How you heard about us
You are never required to share clinical information at this stage. Anything you do share is treated as confidential.
2. WHEN YOU BECOME A CLIENT
If you decide to book sessions with one of our therapists, we collect additional information through our intake forms and clinical records:
• Full contact details and emergency contact information
• Date of birth
• Health and mental health history relevant to your therapy
• Reasons for seeking therapy and goals
• Insurance and payment information (if applicable)
• Session notes and clinical documentation created by your therapist
• Records of appointments, communications, and treatment plans
This information is collected and stored in accordance with BCACC professional standards and applicable privacy laws.
3. WHEN YOU VISIT OUR WEBSITE
Our website (compassionwithin.com) is hosted on Weebly. When you visit, basic technical information may be collected automatically, including:
• Your IP address (anonymized where possible)
• Browser type and device information
• Pages you visit and time spent on them
• Referring website
We may use cookies and similar technologies to improve site functionality and understand how visitors use our site. You can control cookies through your browser settings.
4. WHEN YOU INTERACT WITH OUR ADVERTISING
If you click on or submit a form through one of our Facebook or Instagram ads, Meta (the parent company of Facebook and Instagram) collects information about your interaction in accordance with Meta's own privacy policy. The information you submit through a Meta lead form is sent to us through Meta's systems.
---
HOW WE USE YOUR INFORMATION
We use your information for these purposes only:
• To respond to your inquiries and answer your questions
• To schedule, deliver, and manage your therapy sessions
• To communicate with you about your appointments and care
• To send follow-up texts or emails if you've consented to receive them
• To process payments and submit insurance claims (when applicable)
• To meet our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations
• To improve our services and understand how people find us
• To send you occasional updates about our services, workshops, or resources (only if you've explicitly opted in)
We do not sell your personal information. We do not share your information with anyone for marketing purposes outside of our own clinic.
---
CONSENT
Your consent is the foundation of how we handle your information. We ask for consent in different ways depending on what we're doing:
• When you reach out to us, you consent to us using your contact information to respond to your inquiry
• When you book sessions, your therapist will review and confirm consent for treatment, including how your clinical information will be handled
• Before we send you any marketing emails, newsletters, workshop announcements, or non-essential text messages, we ask for your explicit opt-in consent
• You can withdraw consent at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer or by replying STOP to any text message
For minors (anyone under the age of 19 in British Columbia), we follow BCACC ethics guidelines and applicable laws regarding consent. In most cases, parental or guardian consent is required for clients under 12, and clients aged 12 to 18 may consent on their own behalf if they are deemed mature enough to understand the nature and consequences of treatment. Your therapist will discuss this with you and your family directly.
---
WHO WE SHARE YOUR INFORMATION WITH
We use trusted third-party service providers to operate our practice. Each of these providers handles your information according to their own privacy and security standards, and we have selected them based on their appropriateness for the type of information involved.
CLINICAL SYSTEM (CANADIAN-HOSTED)
Jane App — Our clinical practice management system. Used for appointment booking, scheduling, charting, clinical notes, intake forms, telehealth, and billing. Jane App stores all clinical data on Canadian servers and is fully PIPEDA-compliant. This is where your clinical records live.
WEBSITE & MARKETING TOOLS (SOME US-HOSTED)
Weebly — Hosts our public website (compassionwithin.com). Weebly is owned by Square (now Block, Inc.) and may store website analytics data on servers located in the United States.
GoHighLevel — Our customer relationship management (CRM) system, used for managing inquiries, follow-up communications, and marketing workflows. GoHighLevel stores marketing and communications data on servers located in the United States. We do not store any clinical information in GoHighLevel.
Meta (Facebook and Instagram) — When we run advertising on Facebook or Instagram and you submit a lead form, your contact information is processed through Meta's systems before being sent to us. Meta operates on servers located primarily in the United States. Meta's own privacy policy governs how they handle your information on their platforms.
Google — We use Google services for business email, file storage (Google Drive), and analytics. Google may store this information on servers located in various countries, including the United States.
CROSS-BORDER DATA TRANSFER
Some of the service providers listed above store data on servers located outside of Canada, primarily in the United States. While the information stored with these providers is subject to the laws of the country where it is stored (which may include lawful access by foreign authorities), we have chosen these providers based on their security practices and the nature of the data they handle. Your clinical records — including session notes, treatment plans, diagnoses, health history, and insurance details — are never stored with these providers. They remain in Jane App on Canadian servers.
OTHER SHARING
We may also share information in these limited circumstances:
• With your written consent (for example, sharing information with another healthcare provider you've asked us to coordinate with)
• When required by law (such as a court order or subpoena)
• To prevent imminent serious harm to you or another person, where required or permitted by law
• In the event of a medical emergency
We do not share your information with anyone for any other reason without your explicit consent.
---
HOW WE PROTECT YOUR INFORMATION
We take reasonable precautions to protect your personal information, including:
• Storing clinical records in Jane App, which uses encryption and secure Canadian data centres
• Using strong passwords and multi-factor authentication on all systems
• Limiting access to personal information to team members who need it for their work
• Training our team on privacy and confidentiality requirements
• Reviewing our security practices regularly
• Securely disposing of information when it is no longer needed
No method of transmitting or storing information is completely secure. While we work hard to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security. If we ever became aware of a privacy breach that posed a real risk of significant harm to you, we would notify you and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia, as required by law.
---
HOW LONG WE KEEP YOUR INFORMATION
We keep your information only as long as we need it for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law and our professional obligations.
• Clinical records: Retained for a minimum of 16 years after your last appointment, or 16 years after a minor client's 19th birthday, in accordance with BCACC standards
• Inquiry and lead information (if you contacted us but did not become a client): Retained for up to 24 months, then deleted, unless you've asked to remain on our newsletter list
• Marketing communications data: Retained as long as you remain opted in, plus a brief period after opt-out for record-keeping
• Website analytics: Retained according to the retention settings of our analytics providers
You can request deletion of your information at any time, subject to our legal and professional obligations to retain certain records.
---
YOUR RIGHTS
You have the right to:
• ACCESS your personal information that we hold
• REQUEST CORRECTION of any inaccurate information
• WITHDRAW CONSENT for marketing communications at any time (reply STOP to any text, click "unsubscribe" on any email, or contact us directly)
• REQUEST DELETION of your information, subject to our legal and professional obligations to retain certain records
• ASK QUESTIONS about how your information is being handled
• MAKE A COMPLAINT to our Privacy Officer or to a privacy regulator (see below)
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the contact information at the bottom of this page. We aim to respond to all requests within 30 days.
---
CHILDREN AND MINORS
We provide therapy services to clients of all ages, including children and adolescents. When working with minors, we follow BCACC ethics guidelines and applicable BC laws regarding consent, confidentiality, and information sharing with parents or guardians.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13 through our website or marketing forms without parental or guardian involvement. If you believe a minor has provided us with information through our website or a lead form without appropriate consent, please contact our Privacy Officer and we will take appropriate action.
If you are a parent or guardian seeking therapy for your child, your therapist will discuss with you in detail how confidentiality and information-sharing will work in your child's specific case.
---
YOUR CHOICES ABOUT MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS
We will only send you marketing emails, newsletters, workshop announcements, or non-essential text messages if you have explicitly opted in. You can opt out at any time:
• For text messages: Reply STOP to any message you receive from us
• For emails: Click the "unsubscribe" link at the bottom of any marketing email
• For all communications: Contact our Privacy Officer
We may still send you essential communications related to your care or appointments, even if you've opted out of marketing.
---
CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other reasons. The effective date at the top of this page will indicate when the policy was last updated. For significant changes, we'll do our best to notify current clients directly.
---
CONTACT US
For any questions, concerns, requests, or complaints about your privacy or this policy, please contact:
PRIVACY OFFICER
Sarah Jarvis, MA, RCC — Director
Compassion Within Psychotherapy & Mindfulness
610-1125 Howe Street
Vancouver, BC V6Z 2K8
Email: [email protected]
Website: compassionwithin.com
If you are not satisfied with our response, you also have the right to contact:
OFFICE OF THE INFORMATION AND PRIVACY COMMISSIONER FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA
PO Box 9038, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9A4
Phone: 250-387-5629
Toll-free: 1-800-663-7867
Website: oipc.bc.ca
OFFICE OF THE PRIVACY COMMISSIONER OF CANADA
30 Victoria Street
Gatineau, QC K1A 1H3
Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376
Website: priv.gc.ca