In the US the regulations vary by state, but most require private practitioners to keep files for 7 years, and institutions to keep them for 10 years. After that, they are professionally shredded. But a practitioner is required to keep the file whether you leave or not, or whether they retire or not. You can request a copy of the file, but that's in addition to the one kept by the practitioner. Also the privacy of the file--who can see it without specific consent--varies whether the notes are part of a medical file or a psychological one. The medical ones generally carry fewer restrictions on viewing.