Terms of use

Sample text for review — to be replaced by your legal counsel. These terms are a draft for demonstration and review only and are not legal advice.

1. About these terms

These terms govern your use of the CounselRoute website and mobile apps (the "service"). By creating an account or using the service you agree to them. If you do not agree, please do not use the service. Questions can be sent to support@counselroute.com.

2. What CounselRoute is, and is not

CounselRoute is a marketplace that lets clients find, compare, book and pay independent therapists, and provides tools for sessions, messaging and record keeping.

• Therapists are independent professionals. They are not employees or agents of CounselRoute, and they are responsible for the care they provide and for holding the licences and insurance their work requires.
• We check the credentials therapists submit before they are listed, but we do not supervise or guarantee the quality or outcome of any therapy.
• CounselRoute is not an emergency, crisis or medical service. If you or someone else is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency number. Support links are available from the "Get help now" link on the site.

3. Eligibility and accounts

• You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter into a binding agreement.
• You must give accurate information and keep it up to date.
• Keep your password private. You are responsible for activity on your account, and you should tell us promptly if you think it has been accessed without your permission.
• One person, one account. Do not share your account.

4. Booking and attending sessions

• Each therapist profile shows the session types, price and open times. A booking is made when you confirm a time, and some therapists may need to confirm it first.
• Sessions take place online through the service. You need a device, a stable connection and a private space.
• You can join a few minutes before the start time. Late arrivals do not extend the session.
• You may reschedule or cancel within the notice rules shown when you book. Cancelling closer to the start time is recorded as a late cancellation, and a session you do not attend may be recorded as a no-show.
• Therapists may cancel or move sessions when they have to. We will tell you, and you will not be charged for a session that does not take place.

5. Prices, payments and refunds

• Prices are shown before you book, in the currency displayed. Payments are processed by our payment provider; we never see or store your full card details.
• Subscriptions renew automatically until you cancel. You can cancel at any time and keep access until the end of the paid period.
• Promotion codes apply only to the offers they are issued for and can be withdrawn.
• If something went wrong with a session or a charge, contact support@counselroute.com. Refunds are decided case by case and, where approved, are returned to the original payment method.
• Therapists receive the price of completed sessions minus the platform commission set out in their agreement with us.

6. Your content and your privacy

You own what you write. You give us the limited permission needed to store it and show it to the people you choose, such as your therapist. How we handle personal information, including health information, is described in our Privacy policy.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• harass, threaten or abuse a therapist, a client or our staff;
• record sessions or share another person's messages or session content without their consent;
• impersonate anyone, or give false qualifications or identity information;
• use the service to provide or request anything unlawful;
• upload malware, probe the service for weaknesses or interfere with its operation;
• take clients or therapists off the platform in order to avoid fees that apply to bookings made through the service.

8. Reviews

Clients can rate and review completed sessions. Reviews must be honest, relate to your own experience and must not include personal details about anyone. We may hide reviews that break these terms.

9. Additional terms for therapists

• You confirm that your licence, registration and qualifications are valid, that you are allowed to practise where you and your clients are located, and that you will tell us promptly if they lapse or change.
• You are responsible for your clinical judgement, your notes and your professional obligations, including confidentiality and safeguarding.
• If a credential expires, we may suspend your listing until it is renewed.
• Listing is free. A commission applies to completed paid sessions, as shown in your agreement. Earnings are based on completed sessions and are reduced by any refunds.

10. Suspension and ending your account

You may close your account at any time from your settings. We may suspend or close accounts that break these terms, put others at risk or are used for fraud. Where possible we will tell you why and give you a chance to respond.

11. Availability and changes to the service

We aim to keep the service available but cannot promise it will always be uninterrupted or error free. We may change or remove features, and we will give notice of changes that significantly affect you.

12. Liability

To the extent permitted by law, CounselRoute is not liable for the content or outcome of therapy sessions, for indirect or consequential loss, or for events outside our reasonable control. Nothing in these terms limits liability that cannot be limited by law, such as for fraud or for death or personal injury caused by negligence.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. When we make an important change we will notify you in the app or by email before it takes effect. Continuing to use the service afterwards means you accept the updated terms.

14. Governing law

The governing law and the courts that can hear disputes will be set out here by your legal counsel.

15. Contact

CounselRoute support: support@counselroute.com.