Professional Qualifications  
Ahil Nageswaran has a M.Ed. in Counselling Psychology from the University of Toronto and a B.A. in Psychology from Simon Fraser University. He is a Registered Psychotherapist (RP) with the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario. He is also a certified member of the Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.  

Potential Benefits and Risks of Psychotherapy   
While there is no guarantee of a definite outcome, there are benefits that can result from engaging in psychotherapy. Psychotherapy may assist you in improving your ability to manage and/or cope with interpersonal concerns, and may enhance your awareness of personal thoughts, feelings, behavior, needs and wants. Risks of Psychotherapy can occur from talking and processing your memories, experiences, feelings, thoughts and behaviors as you work towards your goals in treatment. Trying to change may result in experiencing a range of emotions, including negative ones. Feelings of discomfort can be experience before, during and/or after a psychotherapy session.

Fee 
Fees will be billed in accordance with the fees approved in the initial session and/or treatment plan.  

Cancelled and Missed Appointments   
In order to maximize the effectiveness of psychotherapy services, I will make therapy a high priority and will not cancel sessions except in cases of emergency. If I cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice in advance or miss a scheduled session, I will be charged a no-show fee. 

E-mail / Text  
I understand that e-mail/text is not a secure form of communication and submitted information is not 100% secure.  If I decide to communicate with Ahil Nageswaran, M.Ed., RP by e-mail or text, I will limit e-mailed information to that which I would be comfortable discussing in a public place. I understand that I am responsible for safeguarding any electronic communications I download, print or access and I will not forward, give or copy (in whole or in part) email messages or electronic communications from my treating therapist to any other person, except with the prior written agreement of my treating therapist.

In Case of an Emergency  
Emergency services are not available. In the case of an emergency, I should dial 911, contact a mobile crisis unit, call my local distress centre, contact my family doctor, or go to the emergency department of any hospital.

Confidentiality    
All psychotherapy services constitute a professional relationship and is bound by client-therapist privilege.  All efforts are made to protect the client and avoid undue invasion of privacy. All information obtained or disclosed in an assessment or therapy is strictly confidential and will not be revealed to any other persons without the client’s authorized consent or the consent obtained by the client’s legal representative except in those unusual circumstances in which not doing so would result in clear danger to the client or to others, or unless mandated by a court order, the health professional’s regulatory body, or law.

Limits to confidentiality  
Normally, a member may only disclose personal health information with the consent of the client or their authorized representative. However, in law, there are a limited number of circumstances where disclosure of personal health information is required without consent. Notable limits to confidentiality include:

1.  Where the member believes on reasonable grounds that disclosure is necessary to eliminate or reduce significant, imminent risk of serious bodily harm (includes physical or psychological harm) to the client or anyone else, e.g. suicide, homicide. Note: If the member believes a significant, imminent risk of serious bodily harm exists (this includes physical or psychological harm), there may be a professional and legal duty to warn the intended victim to contact relevant authorities, such as the police, or to inform a physician who is involved in the care of the client.*

2.   Where disclosure is required under the Child and Family Services Act, 1990 for example, where the member has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child is in need of protection due to physical harm, neglect or sexual abuse by a person having charge of the child;

3.  Where necessary for particular legal proceedings (e.g. when the member is subpoenaed);

4.   To facilitate an investigation or inspection if authorized by warrant or by any provincial or federal law (e.g. a criminal investigation against the member, his/her staff, or a client);

5.   For the purpose of contacting a relative, friend or potential substitute decision-maker of the individual, if the individual is injured, incapacitated or ill and unable to give consent personally; and

6.   To a college for the purpose of administration or enforcement of the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991 (e.g. providing information about your client to the College if a complaint has been made against you, assessment of the member’s practice as part of the Quality Assurance Program; mandatory reporting where the member’s client is a regulated health professional and the member has reasonable grounds to believe that the client has sexually abused a patient/client).

7.   Share information with another practice associate,  for supervision or auditing purposes.