Effective date: [Oct 20, 2026]

The Relational Studio (“we,” “us,” or “our”) explains in this Privacy Policy how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information through our public website at www.therelationalstudio.ca and through related inquiries and newsletter subscriptions.

Our services are intended for adults aged 18 and older located in Nova Scotia and Ontario. This policy covers website activity and inquiries. Clinical records, therapy sessions, intake assessments, billing, and the confidentiality of therapeutic services are addressed separately through our clinical privacy information and client agreements. Information submitted in an inquiry may still be sensitive or subject to health privacy requirements, depending on its content and circumstances.

1. Information we collect

Information you provide. When you contact us, we collect the information you choose to provide, such as your name, email address, preferred language, telephone number if supplied, and the contents of your message. If you subscribe to our newsletter, we collect your email address, any name you provide, and records of your subscription preferences and consent.

Information collected through the website. Our website and service providers may collect your IP address, browser and device information, operating system, access times, referring website or campaign, pages viewed, and interactions with the site. CookieYES records cookie preferences and related consent information. Google reCAPTCHA processes technical and interaction information to distinguish people from automated traffic.

Sensitive information. Please keep website inquiries brief. Do not include detailed health histories, diagnoses, therapy notes, identification documents, payment information, or sensitive information about another person. If you voluntarily include sensitive information, we use it to handle your inquiry and any related legal obligations; we do not treat it as permission to use that information for marketing. We can discuss an appropriate way to exchange further information when we respond.

2. How we use information

We use inquiry information to respond to questions, communicate about service availability and consultation requests, and maintain a record of our correspondence. We use technical information to operate and protect the website, investigate spam or misuse, and troubleshoot problems. With the appropriate consent, we use analytics and advertising information to understand website use and measure campaign performance. We use newsletter subscription information to send the communications you request and manage subscription preferences.

We may also use information to respond to privacy requests, document consent, meet legal obligations, and establish, exercise, or defend legal claims. We do not use the content of therapy inquiries to create advertising audiences or send it to advertising platforms.

3. Consent and your choices

When you send an inquiry, we use the information you provide to respond to that request. Where express consent is required, including for sensitive information or optional tracking, we obtain it before the relevant collection, use, or disclosure. We do not treat simply visiting the website or reading this policy as consent to optional analytics, advertising, or newsletters.

You can withdraw consent by contacting us or changing your cookie preferences, subject to applicable legal restrictions. We will explain any effect on our ability to respond or provide the requested website function. Withdrawing consent applies to future activity and does not automatically undo processing already carried out lawfully.

4. Website analytics and advertising

We use Google Analytics to understand visits and interactions with the website. We also use Google Ads tracking and Meta Pixel to measure advertising performance. Where enabled with your consent, these services can receive device and browser information, online identifiers, page URLs, referral information, and permitted event data. Google or Meta may associate information they receive with information they already hold, including an account you use with them, in accordance with their own policies.

Visits to a therapy website can themselves reveal sensitive interests. Our advertising measurement must therefore be limited to permitted information and settings. We do not send inquiry text, clinical information, or contact form field contents to Google Analytics, Google Ads, or Meta Pixel, or use sensitive therapy interests for personalized advertising.

Optional analytics and advertising technologies are controlled through our CookieYES preferences. Declining them does not prevent you from contacting us or requesting services. See our Cookie Policy for further information.

5. Newsletters

We send newsletters when you subscribe or when another lawful basis for sending them applies. Contacting us about therapy does not automatically subscribe you. You can unsubscribe using the link in a marketing email or by contacting youmna@therelationalstudio.ca. We may retain a limited record of your opt-out so that we can respect your preference. Operational replies to an inquiry are separate from newsletters.

6. How information is stored and shared

Website contact form submissions are stored in the WordPress database on our hosting environment and are also sent to our email account. DreamHost provides website hosting, WordPress provides the website platform, and Hushmail provides our email service. CookieYES manages cookie choices, Google provides Analytics, Ads, and reCAPTCHA, and Meta provides Meta Pixel. Our newsletter service provider processes subscription information to deliver and administer newsletters; contact us for its current identity and processing details.

Service providers may process information to perform the functions described in this policy. Authorized people who operate or maintain the website may access information where necessary for their work, subject to appropriate confidentiality and access restrictions. Contact us if you would like details about providers with access to your information.

We may disclose information when required or permitted by law, including in response to a valid legal demand, to meet a reporting obligation, or to protect a person against a serious threat where the law permits. We do not sell inquiry contents or newsletter subscription lists. Advertising tools involve the limited disclosures described above and are subject to your choices and applicable restrictions.

7. Processing outside your province or Canada

Depending on the provider and service configuration, information may be stored or processed outside your province or outside Canada, including in the United States. Information processed in another jurisdiction may be accessible to its courts, law enforcement, or government authorities under local law. We remain responsible for information under our control and require appropriate protections from providers acting on our behalf. Contact us for information about the processing locations and protections relevant to your inquiry.

8. Retention

We currently retain website inquiries and related email correspondence without a fixed deletion date, which means they may be kept indefinitely unless deleted following a request or a retention review. Copies may exist in both WordPress and email. This describes our present practice; it does not override legal requirements to limit retention to what is necessary for an identified purpose.

You can ask us to delete an inquiry by contacting our privacy contact. We will assess your request under applicable law and explain any information we must retain, such as information needed for a legal obligation or an ongoing dispute. Backup copies may remain until they are overwritten under the relevant backup cycle and may need to be retained where legally required.

Newsletter information is retained while needed to manage your subscription, with limited consent and opt-out records retained as necessary. Cookie and tracking retention depends on the relevant technology and its configured settings, as described in the Cookie Policy and CookieYES details. Clinical record retention is addressed separately.

9. Security

We use administrative and technical safeguards appropriate to the information we handle, including controls on access to website submissions and email. No website, email system, or transmission method can guarantee complete security. A public contact form is intended for initial inquiries and should not be used to send detailed clinical information. If a privacy incident occurs, we assess it and provide notifications where required by applicable law.

10. Access, correction, and complaints

You may contact us to request access to personal information under our control, information about its use or disclosure, correction of inaccurate information, withdrawal of consent, or deletion where applicable. We may need to verify your identity using information proportionate to the request. Access and deletion rights are subject to legal exceptions; we will explain an applicable refusal or limitation and respond within the time required by law.

Please direct privacy questions and complaints to Youmna Saoud using the contact details below. You may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca or the provincial privacy regulator with jurisdiction over your concern. For matters involving health information, the appropriate regulator may depend on the practitioner, province, and information involved.

11. Adults and external services

We do not direct our services or newsletter to anyone under 18 or knowingly solicit personal information from children through the public website. If you believe a child has submitted information, please contact us so we can assess the appropriate action.

The website links to third-party services, including Owl Practice for booking and social media websites. When you follow those links, the receiving service handles information under its own applicable privacy terms. Our clinical privacy information addresses information collected when you become a client.

12. Changes and contact

We may revise this policy when our practices or legal obligations change. We will update the date shown on the published policy and provide additional notice or obtain fresh consent where required. Changes do not authorize a new use of previously collected information without the consent or other legal authority required for that use.

Privacy contact: Youmna Saoud, The Relational Studio
Email: youmna@therelationalstudio.ca
Telephone: 437-477-9462
Mail: 136 Avon Lane, Greenwich, Nova Scotia, Canada B4P 0H1