If something in your therapy records is wrong, you have the right to ask for it to be corrected. That right is not just a courtesy your therapist can choose to extend or deny. In Nova Scotia, requesting a correction to your clinical records is a formal process protected under provincial privacy law. Most people don’t know this, and many therapists don’t explain it unless asked. This post walks you through exactly what to do: how to identify what needs correcting, how to put your request in writing, what your therapist is required to do in response, and what happens if they disagree with you.
Why your right to correct clinical records matters more than you think
Clinical records are not just administrative paperwork. They follow you. A therapy note that misidentifies your diagnosis, misquotes something you said, or records the wrong date of an event can affect insurance claims, disability applications, custody proceedings, and future treatment decisions. A therapist who reads an inaccurate intake summary may start your relationship with a wrong impression that takes months to undo.
Most clients assume that once a note is written, it’s permanent and untouchable. That’s not accurate. Under the Personal Health Information Act, S.N.S. 2010, c. 41 (PHIA), which came into force in Nova Scotia on June 1, 2013, clients have a formal right to request corrections to their personal health information. This isn’t a favour. It’s a legal mechanism.
The misconception worth correcting here is that “correction” means rewriting history. It doesn’t. The goal is accuracy, not revision. If a record states you reported no history of trauma and that’s factually wrong, you can ask for it to be corrected. If a record reflects your therapist’s clinical opinion and you simply disagree with that opinion, the process works differently, and that distinction matters a great deal.
Understanding this difference before you make a request will save you frustration and help you frame your ask in a way that’s more likely to succeed.
What counts as a correctable error in your therapy records
Not every inaccuracy in a clinical record qualifies for correction under PHIA, and knowing the difference will help you decide how to proceed.
Factual errors versus clinical opinions
Factual errors are the clearest cases. Examples include: your date of birth recorded incorrectly, a medication listed that you’ve never taken, a session note that attributes a statement to you that you never made, or a record that lists the wrong presenting concern from your intake. These are objective errors that can be verified.
Clinical opinions are different. If your therapist wrote that they observed signs of dissociation during a session and you feel that characterization is unfair, that’s a disagreement about interpretation, not a factual error. PHIA does not require a custodian to delete or rewrite their professional judgment. What it does allow is for you to submit a statement of disagreement, which gets attached to your record so that anyone who reads it in the future sees both the clinician’s note and your response.
What falls in between
Some cases are genuinely ambiguous. A note that says “client reports no support network” when you actually said “my support network is limited” is close enough to a factual error that it’s worth raising. A note that summarizes a conversation in a way that changes its meaning is also worth challenging. When in doubt, ask. The worst outcome is that your therapist explains their reasoning and you decide not to pursue it further.
How to make a formal written request to correct your clinical records
Under PHIA, a request to correct personal health information must be made in writing. A verbal conversation with your therapist about an error is a good starting point, but it does not trigger the formal 30-day response window that the law requires. To start that clock, you need to put your request in writing.
Your written request doesn’t need to be a legal document. It does need to be clear. Include the following:
- Your full name and date of birth so your file can be identified
- The specific record or note you believe contains an error (include the date of the session if you know it)
- A description of what the record currently says
- A description of what you believe it should say, and why
- Any supporting information you can provide (for example, a prescription record that contradicts a medication entry, or a document that confirms a date)
You can submit this by email, by mail, or in person. Ask for written confirmation that your request was received. That confirmation matters if there’s ever a dispute about timing.
Once your therapist or their clinic receives your written request, PHIA requires them to respond in writing within 30 days. If you have questions about how this process works at a specific clinic, the FAQ page is a good place to start.
What your therapist is required to do after receiving your request
Once a written correction request is received, your therapist, as a regulated health professional in private practice, is considered a “custodian” under PHIA. Their staff or contractors who handle records on their behalf are considered “agents,” and both have defined obligations under the law.
The custodian has three options in response to your request:
- Make the correction. If they agree the record contains a factual error, they correct it and notify you in writing.
- Decline to make the correction. If they believe the record is accurate or that the information reflects professional judgment rather than a factual error, they can decline. But they must tell you in writing that they are declining and explain why.
- Attach a statement of disagreement. If the correction is declined, you have the right to submit a written statement of disagreement. The custodian must attach that statement to your record so it travels with the file.
One edge case worth knowing: if your therapist makes a correction, they are also required to notify any other parties they previously shared that information with, where it’s reasonable to do so. If your records were sent to a family doctor or an insurance company, the corrected version should follow.
What to do if your therapist refuses your correction request
A refusal is not the end of the road. If your therapist declines your request and you believe they are wrong, you have options.
First, submit your statement of disagreement. Write a clear, factual account of what you believe the record should say and why. Keep it focused on the specific error rather than on your broader feelings about the therapeutic relationship. This statement becomes part of your permanent record.
Second, you can file a complaint with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia. The Commissioner’s office oversees compliance with PHIA and can investigate whether a custodian has met their obligations under the law. This is a formal process, and it’s worth understanding before you start it, but it exists precisely for situations where a client and a custodian cannot resolve a disagreement on their own.
Third, if your therapist is a regulated professional, you may also have the option of raising a concern with their regulatory college. Regulatory colleges in Nova Scotia oversee professional conduct, and a pattern of poor record-keeping or refusal to engage with legitimate correction requests could be relevant to a professional conduct complaint, though that is a separate process from a PHIA complaint.
If you’re unsure which path makes sense for your situation, contact us and we can help point you in the right direction.
Nova Scotia-specific considerations for clients in Atlantic Canada
Nova Scotia’s PHIA is the primary law governing how regulated health professionals in this province handle your personal health information. It applies to your therapist whether they work in a large clinic or a solo private practice. PHIA came into force on June 1, 2013, and it governs how your information is collected, used, disclosed, retained, and eventually destroyed.
There is also a federal layer. The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) applies to commercial health activities, including private psychotherapy practices in Nova Scotia. In practice, PHIA and PIPEDA overlap significantly in this context, and most correction rights you’d find under PIPEDA are also covered by PHIA. For most clients, PHIA is the more directly relevant law and the one your therapist is most likely to reference.
One practical consideration specific to smaller communities in Atlantic Canada: many clients in rural Nova Scotia or in smaller towns see therapists who are the only provider for a significant distance. Raising a correction request can feel riskier when you can’t easily switch providers. That’s a real concern, and it’s worth knowing that the formal written process exists partly to protect you in exactly that situation. A written record of your request and your therapist’s response creates accountability that a verbal conversation doesn’t.
If you’re receiving EMDR therapy or another specialized treatment and your records reflect something inaccurate about your trauma history or treatment progress, the same correction process applies.
Honest limits: when a correction request won’t solve your problem
Correction requests are a useful tool, but they have real limits. If the core issue is that you and your therapist have a fundamentally different understanding of what happened in your sessions, a formal correction process may not resolve that. It may clarify it, and it may create a paper trail, but it won’t repair a therapeutic relationship that has broken down over trust.
If you find yourself in a situation where you feel your records consistently misrepresent you, that may be a signal that the therapeutic fit isn’t right, not necessarily that your therapist is acting in bad faith. Therapists are human, and their notes reflect their perceptions. Sometimes those perceptions are shaped by theoretical frameworks that don’t fit your experience. That’s worth raising directly in session before escalating to a formal process.
It’s also worth being honest with yourself about what you’re hoping to achieve. If the goal is to remove a clinical opinion you disagree with, a correction request won’t accomplish that. If the goal is to ensure that a factual error doesn’t follow you into future care, a correction request is exactly the right tool.
Finally, correction requests don’t erase records. They add to them. The original note typically remains, with a notation that a correction was made or that a statement of disagreement was attached. That’s by design: clinical records are meant to be a complete account, not a curated one.
How to take the next step with your therapy records
If you’ve identified something in your records that you believe is inaccurate, the most practical first step is a direct conversation with your therapist. Many errors are genuine mistakes that a clinician will correct without any formal process once they’re aware of them. Bring the specific concern, be clear about what you believe the record should say, and give your therapist the opportunity to respond.
If that conversation doesn’t resolve it, or if you’re not comfortable raising it verbally, move to a written request. Keep a copy of everything you send and everything you receive in response. Note the date you submitted your request, because the 30-day response window starts from that date.
If you’re unsure whether what you’ve found in your records qualifies as a correctable error, or if you want to understand your rights before starting the process, the FAQ page covers common questions about records and privacy at Wholetherapy. You can also contact us directly if you’d like to talk through your situation before deciding how to proceed.
Your records should reflect your reality as accurately as possible. When they don’t, you have both the right and the tools to do something about it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I request a correction to my therapy records in Nova Scotia?
Yes. Under the Personal Health Information Act (PHIA), S.N.S. 2010, c. 41, clients in Nova Scotia have a formal right to request corrections to their personal health information. The request must be made in writing, and your therapist, as a custodian under PHIA, is required to respond in writing within 30 days. This right applies to clients of regulated health professionals in private practice, including psychotherapists and counsellors.
What happens if my therapist refuses to correct my clinical records?
If your therapist declines your correction request, they must tell you in writing and explain why. You then have the right to submit a written statement of disagreement, which must be attached to your record. You can also file a complaint with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia, which oversees compliance with PHIA. That office can investigate whether your therapist met their legal obligations in handling your request.
How do I write a correction request for my therapy records?
Your request doesn’t need to be a formal legal document, but it does need to be in writing. Include your full name and date of birth, the specific record you believe contains an error (with the session date if you know it), what the record currently says, what you believe it should say, and any supporting information you can provide. Submit it in a way that gives you a record of delivery, such as email with a read receipt or in-person with written confirmation.
Can I request a correction to my therapy records if I disagree with my therapist’s clinical opinion?
Not in the same way. PHIA allows corrections to factual errors, not to a clinician’s professional judgment or interpretation. If your therapist wrote that they observed a particular symptom and you disagree with that characterization, you can submit a statement of disagreement, which gets attached to your record. But the original note will remain. The correction process is designed to fix objective errors, not to resolve differences in clinical perspective.
Does my therapist have to notify other people if they correct my records?
Yes, where it is reasonable to do so. If your therapist previously shared the inaccurate information with another party, such as your family doctor or an insurance company, they are required to notify those parties of the correction. This is an important protection, because inaccurate information in a referral letter or insurance submission can have real consequences. If you’re concerned about where your records have been shared, you can ask your therapist to provide an account of disclosures as part of your request.