Terms and Conditions

This is a Terms of Service of agreement between the therapists at the Co-Bear Collective and you, the client. Please read this document carefully and feel free to reach out to us for any queries.

 

• Scope of work:

  1. We are committed to ensuring the mental health and well being of our clients. In order to achieve this, we have an indefinite period of engagement that is mutually settled between the therapist and the client.

  2. The focus remains on offering a personalized and unique treatment plan that suits each client’s needs as they are expressed and explored in the course of therapy. As such, we are unable to provide a median estimate on the duration or length of therapy as this is dependent on the requirements of each case.

  3. A typical therapy session is usually 50 minutes long. A session begins when the client has settled and will be announced by the therapist. The duration of the session is consistent across both offline and online* platforms of engagement. Longer sessions may be made available upon discussion with the assigned therapist. If and when this occurs, financials will be readjusted to reflect the scope of the engagement.

  4. We do not offer any psychiatric or medical facilities. We, therefore, will not be recommending nor discussing any forms of mood medication, psychoactive drugs or any such related medical paraphernalia. If any client is on any prescribed mood medication, they will be required to share their prior or ongoing treatment as highlighted in the following section on client data collection given below.

 

*Due to the continuing risk posed by Covid 19 and the restrictions imposed therein, the Co-Bear Collective is currently meeting clients only through online modes of engagement. In case an applicant absolutely cannot attend sessions using online platforms and, instead, prefers in-person sessions, we may make exceptions after discussion with the applicant about both their (and our) possible exposure to Covid 19 in the last two months and if there were any positive cases in their family or close social networks.

 

• Required information from client prior to commencement of therapy:

  1. In order to ensure that any treatment plan that is envisioned for a client in therapy adequately addresses the requirements of the client, it is essential for the client to disclose particular facts pertinent to their life which may assist the therapist in better understanding the needs of the client. These include basic identification information such as name, age, gender and occupation, as well as a brief summary of the issues the client is experiencing and for which they seek therapy.

  2. Additionally, if the client has sought therapy or psychiatric treatment in the past, a brief summary of the same is also required.

  3. Any psychiatric medication that the client has been prescribed in the past, and whether they are still on the same medication, needs to be disclosed to the therapist.  

 

• Session attendance, continuity and cancellation policy:

  1. At the Collective, we value the time and efforts of both our clients as well as the therapists. In order for the client and therapist to optimally work with one another to create a sustainable and fruitful therapeutic relationship, we find it imperative that both client and therapist respect and adhere to session timings and commence each session at the scheduled hour. In case of a delay in commencement of a session, the client may either have to make do with the remaining time left in the scheduled session duration (but payment will remain that for the complete scheduled session) or may ask for extra time to make up for the lost time depending on therapist availability.

  2. To ensure the maximum results from therapy, continuity of sessions is important.

  3. In lieu of the therapists’ commitments to other clients, we require prior notice - at least 12-24 hours before a scheduled appointment - in case a client wishes to cancel or reschedule the session. Clients will not be charged for the cancelled session unless the therapist is notified of the cancellation in less than the stipulated time.   

  4. In case the client wishes to extend their session, this is subject to the availability of the therapist and will incur additional charges if the extension exceeds 15 minutes.

  5. For sessions conducted online, if there are technical glitches or equipment failures, session times will be adjusted accordingly and no extra charges will be incurred by the client. 

 

• Fee structure and mode of payment:

  1. At the Co-Bear Collective, we offer two financial brackets for clients – a regular slot with our standard rate applicable, and a low fee/pro bono slot wherein clients can pay a reduced fee or not pay at all depending on their financial circumstances. The decision to sign up for one or the other bracket is contingent on the following – availability of slots in either bracket and the financial position of the client as ascertained in discussion with the therapist.

  2. The standard rate for a 50 minute session is Rs. 2200 for Indian nationals living in India. Non-Indian citizens and clients not based in India are charged on a case to case basis. The therapists at the Collective operate on the basis of a sliding scale and may offer a negotiable amount for clients who may need a certain discount to avail our services.

  3. Every financial year, the therapists at the Collective will review their charges and increase them by at least 20% for existing clients.

  4. Every 9 months of work with a client, the therapist may discuss an increase in fee payment with the client. This increase is mutually agreed upon by the client and therapist. In case the therapist is unavailable for a period longer than four weeks during the therapeutic process, this period will not be counted in the 9 months.

  5. Clients who have availed of our pro bono/low fee services will have a maximum, continuous therapeutic engagement of 6 months. This period may be extended on the discretion of the therapist. This is a requirement to ensure that we are able to make these services available to as many clients as possible on our waitlist. A client who has reached the end of their six-month engagement may re-apply for therapy, but their application may be waitlisted depending on the list of existing waitlisted applicants.  

  6. For in-person sessions, clients can pay the therapist at the end of the session or make the payment through online modes of payment. For sessions conducted online, fee payments can be made through online modes of payment at the end of each session. The therapists at the Co-Bear Collective recognize and accept online payments made through Google Pay (GPay), Paytm UPI transfers, and net banking transfers. The client can discuss with the therapist to decide on the best mode of payment.  

 

• Confidentiality Policy:

  1. Our therapists strictly follow the rules of confidentiality, and everything said and done in sessions will remain confidential between client and therapist. However, in exceptional circumstances, confidentiality may be broken. These circumstances include the following:

     1. Where the client gives consent for the confidence to be broken.

     2. Where the therapist feels it necessary/appropriate to inform members of the client’s family or the listed emergency contact, or consult with another medical professional, in cases where it is felt that the client may cause serious injury to themselves or others. The therapist may do so without consultation with the client if the client is not in a position to discuss alternative options with the therapist. However, the therapist will attempt to discuss any action with the client and seek to gain their cooperation first.

     3. Where in extreme cases, such as a client’s admission of partaking in serious criminal offenses, the therapist is compelled by a court of law.

  2. Our therapists may consult their supervisors on pertinent issues/matters emanating from the therapeutic engagement with the client, but the client’s anonymity will be strictly maintained.  

 

• Client rights:

  1. The client has the right to end a session whenever they feel it necessary. The client may also terminate the therapist’s services at any point the client deems necessary. While an explanation for ending a session or terminating the therapeutic relationship would be helpful, it is not compulsory for the client to provide any explanation.

  2. If at any time the client is left with concerns or discomfort from a session, it is very important that they tell their therapist about this either when it is happening or in the next session. If the client feels uncomfortable or unable to discuss these things with the therapist directly, they may email the therapist outside of session time with details of their concerns.

  3. If the client wishes to report their therapist for inappropriate behaviour or other misconduct, they may write to cobearcollective@gmail.com to register their complaint. Clients will receive a reply within 24 hours of the registration of their complaint and may be contacted further for follow up and adequate redressal of their grievance.   

 

• Termination of therapy:

  1. When the client feels ready to conclude therapy, it is important to bring this up with the therapist so that, together, the client and therapist can plan for terminating the therapeutic engagement in a satisfactory way. This may take multiple sessions to accomplish.

  2. In case a client is dissatisfied with the progress of therapy, or are dissatisfied with their therapist, they may discontinue therapy at their own convenience.

 

• Liability:

  1. Suicide, or ending one's own life, is a tragic event with strong emotional repercussions for its survivors and for families of its victims. Every therapist’s attempt is to prevent such an unfortunate event from occurring. However, it is an impulsive act and under such unpredictable circumstances, the therapist or Co-Bear Collective cannot be held liable for it.

  2. Any client at the Co-Bear Collective that may engage in self-harm, or their family members cannot hold the therapist or Collective liable for the same. It remains the therapist’s endeavour to work with the client to reduce and, eventually, cease partaking in this act altogether.

 

• Miscellaneous:

  1. If the client wishes to contact their therapist in case of an emergency, it is permissible to do so provided that this occurs within working hours (9 am to 7 pm) and is dependent on therapist availability. The Co-Bear Collective does not offer crisis-response services, and therefore it is advised that clients establish emergency contacts – other than their therapist – among their family and friends. 

  2. For offline art therapy sessions, clients are not obliged to bring any art tools, unless special material is requested by the therapist.