Welcome to the English section of my website.
Please know that upon request, I will provide in the English language, any additional information you may need in order to better understand my services. Do not hesitate to contact me.
MY TRAINING
I studied clinical sexology at “Université du Québec à Montréal” between 1989 and 1995. I hold a master’s degree in clinical sexology and am a licensed psychotherapist. I am qualified to offer educational and therapeutic services for any issue concerning your relationships, your love life and your sexuality.
MY VISION
Since the beginning of my practice, I have had the opportunity to work with a variety of people and I understand that every person is unique and deserves a personalized approach which can answer his or her particular needs. In my opinion, one single approach cannot be applied to everyone. It is therefore very important for me to get training from different schools of thought in sexology and psychology in order to offer my clientele a wide range of clinical tools adapted to their needs. That is why I pursue continued education activities on a regular basis, allowing me to develop a global and integrated vision of relational and sexual difficulties.
WHAT CAN I EXPECT IF I CHOOSE TO SEEK COUNSELLING?
Therapy is a trust-based relationship unfolding in a secure setting where every person will be treated with empathy and respect. The first step of the therapeutic process is the EVALUATION. Between one and three sessions are usually required to gather as much information as possible about the person / couple who is consulting and their difficulty, in order to establish a TREATMENT PLAN based on their objectives. This crucial stage of co-creation / collaboration also allows the development of a strong therapeutic alliance which is an essential factor in a successful treatment outcome.
The next step is the THERAPEUTIC PROCESS during which the person will be helped in understanding the nature of his or her difficulty as well as the interrelations between the latter and other aspects of their life. Depending on the approach of the sexologist and psychotherapist, techniques may vary. In general, therapeutic work will encourage thought reframing in order to promote change strategies which will allow the client to modify his or her personal life, love life and sexual life.
Certain people want to seek counselling to get information and answers to some of their questions. These sessions of educational nature are quite frequent and appropriate in certain cases. However, most schools of thought consider that therapy requires a certain amount of sessions in order to concretely work on attaining therapeutic goals. This being said, rest assured that your therapy belongs to you and can last for the duration of your choice. Each person is unique; therefore no two therapies are exactly alike.
HOW MUCH DOES A SESSION COST?
The fees vary according to the experience, expertise or specialization of each sexologist. However, you can expect to pay between $100.00 and $150.00 per session (approximately 50 minutes). The fees are tax deductible and certain private insurance cover psychotherapeutic services offered by sexologists, members of the “Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec” and licensed psychotherapists. You may verify your coverage with your employer or insurance company.
READY TO MAKE AN APPOINTMENT?
∙ Please contact me on info@sexologuemontreal.com. I usually reply to all emails, within 24 business hours. Please check junk mail if necessary.
∙ Since no one can guarantee the absolute confidentiality of communications transmitted over the Internet, I recommend that you remain brief, when explaining your reason for consultation.
∙ To facilitate making an appointment, please tell me your availability within my calendar:
∙ In accordance with Bill 25: Prior to requesting my services, please make sure that my privacy policy suits you.
BILL 25 AND PRIVACY POLICY
On September 22nd, 2022, Bill 25 - the protection of personal information law came in effect and various obligations will be added by 2024. As the sole self-employed service provider in my practice, I am responsible for the application of this law and the rules that flow from it, in the course of my professional activities.
If you have any questions, I can be reached at 514-286-0062 or on info@sexologuemontreal.com
Protecting Your Personal Information (Bill 25)
Under Bill 25, all professionals and businesses must have a Privacy Policy and make it available to their clients.
This privacy policy is personalized to represent the practice of Josée Leboeuf, B.A., M.A. sexologist, psychotherapist and may not be copied or reproduced in whole or in part, without prior written authorization.
This Privacy Policy is written to the best of my knowledge and skills and will be updated as necessary to include any new variables required by law or any changes to my practice. Please consult it periodically by paying attention to the date of the current version. By using my services, you consent to this privacy policy.
*If you notice any errors and omissions, please contact me to let me know so that I can make the necessary corrections, if necessary.
Date of this version: September 25th, 2023 (translated by Microsoft Word and verified and corrected by me)
USE OF COOKIES AND GOOGLE ANALYTICS
My website’s URL is: https://www.sexologuemontreal.com/. It is designed, updated and referenced by https://www.innomatiques.com/seo/, secured via SSL and hosted on a server located in Quebec, Canada. My website also uses Google Analytics. Upon your first visit, you are prompted to consent to the use of cookies while visiting my website. Cookies are small files stored on your device, that provide an anonymized overview of your navigation on the various pages on it. These files are used for statistical purposes and to improve the browsing experience. These files which are part of the architecture of many websites allow traffic analysis (for example: the type of device used to reach us, browser, region or language of display etc.). Each visitor can choose to accept, refuse or block the use of cookies through their browser settings.
OFFICES
I have a sublet office on Mondays and Wednesdays to see clients face-to-face. The office is located at 1030, Cherrier Street, Suite 403 in Montreal, Qc H2L 1H9
I have a home office that contains what I need to offer my services by videoconference and work on my files (locked filing cabinet for open and archived paper files – password-protected computer in a locked filing cabinet etc.).
CONTACT
Most people contact me via a mailto link, linked to my email address info@sexologuemontreal.com on my website or via the website of the Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec or the Ordre des psychologues du Québec. My email address is managed by the Google Workspace platform. This platform requires me to log in via a username and password, in addition to offering dual authentication. Any unusual login attempt would be communicated to me on an email address other than the one I use for clients.
Occasionally, I am contacted by phone (cell: 514-286-0062). My telephone service comes from Videotron located in Quebec, Canada. In order to transmit my detailed service offer and offer my potential clientele, the time to read my framework and consent to it, I suggest they contact me by email, so that I can send it to them.
So, I have from the onset, the email address of each person who contacts me or a phone number on my call-display. Most people include their first and last name and sometimes their phone number on their service request email.
I keep emails of requests and offers of services for a certain period of time, in order to facilitate retracing, if the person wishes to follow up and make an appointment. Usually, I delete emails without follow-up within 3 months.
OPENING OF THE FILE
When an individual chooses to do business with me, they must complete a file opening/consent form and provide the following personal information:
- Name and surname (check a box if the gender identification is other than M or F)
- Postal address
- Phone number
- Email address
- Date of birth
- Professional occupation
- Relationship status
- Sexual orientation
- Children (yes or no + age)
- Medical or other health professional follow-up (yes or no + which professional)
- Medication
- Insurance (yes or no)
- Reason for consultation
When clients consult face-to-face, they can bring me their completed form in paper version or send it to me in digitized format. When clients consult by videoconference, they send me their completed form by email only. I suggest anyone who so wishes, to protect their completed form with a password to secure the transmission OR to omit certain information that we can complete orally (for example, their date of birth and address), in order to minimize the transfer of personal data via the internet.
Upon reception, I save (for about 3 months - less if the file is closed before this deadline) the email containing the form, in the "forms" folder that I created in my email on Outlook (linked to my Google Workspace account that manages my email address); I print a copy of the form and keep it in the paper file and save the digital version to my computer (secured with BitDefender with daily update monitoring and password protected) as well as to a USB key. The USB key is in a locked filing cabinet where I also store my computer (turned off) in my absence and if I am not using it.
CONTENTS OF THE FILE
Each intervention (assessment, establishment of therapeutic goals, follow-up notes, statement of fees/payments or any other information related to the process) requires a note on file. As I work with paper files, these notes are not saved on the internet in any way.
For some archived files, I may have information relating to an assistance program (EAP/PAP).
CONSERVATION / RETENTION OF THE FILE
As provided for in the code of ethics and the regulation respecting file keeping of the Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec, each file must be kept for 5 years following the last intervention recorded therein.
CONSULTATION OF THE FILE AND CORRECTIONS
As a self-employed worker, the only service provider in my practice, I am the only person who has access to my files (active and archived). In the event of a professional inspection, a person mandated by the Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec may have access to my files; however, it is good practice to blackout the nominal information. Also note that professional secrecy is not absolute. Exceptions exist in the law, allowing a professional to derogate from professional secrecy in certain circumstances.
If you wish to consult, obtain a summary or request changes or corrections to your file, you must send me a written request and I will respond according to the protocols provided by the Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec. Do not forget to notify me if your contact information changes to ensure the accuracy of your personal information at all times.
ARCHIVING THE PAPER FILE
"Inactive" files (pause or end of therapy) are archived by year of opening in a locked filing cabinet.
DESTRUCTION OF THE PAPER FILE
Once a year (minimum), I destroy closed files (after 5 years of inactivity) by shredding. I check each file to ensure the last date an intervention is recorded before proceeding with its destruction.
CESSION
In the event of my sudden death, a serious illness or any other situation preventing me from continuing my professional activities, an assignee has been appointed to take over and comply with the same regulations, standards and laws on the conservation / retention of my files. You can find out, if applicable, the contact information of my assignee by contacting the Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec.
ACCOUNTING
My bookkeeping, annual income tax declarations and GST/HST AND QST declarations are done by an external accountant. Excel files containing my income/billing information is anonymized, since I only use each client's file number for my accounting/fee declarations received for each client. My accountant has no access to my files or my clients' fee statements.
AGENDA
When I write down a client's appointment on my paper agenda AND on my cell phone, I only write down the client's user/file number and initials. If someone finds my agenda, they won't know who my clients are. Fictional example: 23024 AB
CELL PHONE
My cell phone is password locked. I can access my emails through the Gmail app. Clients can also contact me by text / SMS for brief factual information (example: to cancel an appointment) and the thread is deleted as soon as the exchange ends. The contact card of each customer in the phone book of my cell phone identifies them only with their first name and their user / file number. That way, if a client calls me and someone sees the display on my cell phone screen, they won't know who's calling me, beyond those two data. (Fictional example: Alexander 23024) A client's contact card is deleted when the file is closed or destroyed.
PAYMENTS
Since March 2020, I only accept Interac e-Transfers. I deposit transfers only through my computer (to better protect data, including mine) and passwords are different for each client.
VIDEO CONFERENCING AND OTHER CONNECTED SOFTWARE
For videoconferencing consultations, I currently use the Zoom platform. I cannot absolutely attest to the security of your data on this platform; however, I believe I have put in place the modalities required to ensure the confidentiality of our virtual sessions (for example: virtual waiting room to minimize as much as possible any intrusion – no transmission of documents containing personal information via the "chat" tab – no screen sharing). I recommend my clients to use only a secure internet connection (avoid free Wi-Fi in public places – also to protect the confidentiality of the session).
Most commonly used software that many people work with requires some connectivity (for example, linking to an email address). Every person who uses web-connected software accepts a certain level of risk. I try to minimize these by connecting my software with an email address other than the one used in my communications with my customers and avoiding cloud backup as much as possible when using Microsoft Office suite software, Adobe products or Google account software. The security and privacy policies of these software programs indicate how they use and store their users' data.
LIMITATION
While we do everything in our power to ensure that our personal data is protected on the Internet, hackers may intercept and misuse communications. You understand, by using my services, that I cannot guarantee total and absolute security during our communications on the Internet / sending documents by email or any other context that may put your personal information at risk (for example: fire, theft or vandalism where your personal information is stored). The only thing in my power is to act diligently and react promptly in the event that I suspect any intrusion or leakage of data (physical or computer). Bill 25 comes to regulate these "confidentiality incidents" and all enterprises are currently in the process of learning and adjusting to these realities that concern us all.
PROFESSIONAL CONTACT INFORMATION
My business contact information can be found on some sites that list various services without being asked. There may be errors on these rarely updated pages. Please always refer to the contact information on my website, on the written communications I send you and on the websites of the Ordre professionnel des sexologues du Québec / l'Ordre des psychologues du Québec.
By Josée Leboeuf, B.A., M.A. sexologist, psychotherapist OPSQ Permit # 201311-124 Psychotherapist Permit OPQ # 60245-13