Heima Therapy currently only provides tele-psychotherapy. All sessions happen on Google Meet or Zoom.

About Tele-Psychotherapy:

Tele-psychotherapy refers to the provision of psychotherapy services using telecommunication technologies including email, text messaging, video conferencing, online chat, messaging, or internet phone. Tele-psychotherapy would typically involve all aspects of psychotherapy, except that it would be offered using telecommunication technologies.

• Each preliminary call (to assess suitability between client and therapist) will be for a duration of 15 minutes. Each full therapy session will be for a duration of 50-60 minutes.

• Therapy sessions usually take place on a weekly basis, however, the frequency of sessions for each client is decided on the basis of the individual therapist’s judgment.

• The client is requested to join a session from an environment that is private, and as free of distractions as possible. This is to ensure that there is no hindrance to the therapy process and a free-flow of thought and communication is maintained.

• Progress in therapy depends on several factors, both on the part of the therapist and the client. Both the client and the therapist hold mutual responsibility to ensure that the therapy process yields significant results. In keeping with this, the clients are requested, as far as possible, to attend therapy regularly once started, complete any homework given, and respond to any between-session communication by the therapist promptly. In case the client experiences any difficulties with the same, they may bring it up with their therapist so a mutual solution can be reached.

  1. Canceling or Rescheduling Sessions

  In case of cancellation or rescheduling a session:

• The client is expected to inform the therapist at least 12 hours prior to the scheduled session time. This is to ensure that the therapist’s slot does not go vacant, and another client who may need a session may benefit from it. If the client is unable to inform the therapist about a cancellation/reschedule request 12 hours prior to the session time, the session fees would not be refundable, and the client will have to make a fresh booking in order to meet the therapist again. 

  Note: Medical emergencies will be treated as exceptions on a case by case basis.

• The therapist will wait for up to 15 minutes in the meeting for the client to join the session. In case there has been no prior intimation of delay on the client’s part, after 15 minutes, the session would be considered a no-show. The session fees would not be refundable, and the client will have to make a fresh booking in order to meet the therapist again.

  2. Confidentiality

  Confidentiality forms the foundation of a therapeutic relationship. 

• Anything shared in the setting of therapy is considered strictly confidential, and will not be shared outside the therapy room by the therapist. This includes the client’s identifying information, the therapist’s notes about the client’s concerns, progress made in sessions, and any email correspondence between the client and the therapist. 

• The therapist will not audio or video record (either on mobile, using an app or online) any therapy sessions. The proceedings of the consultations will not be shared with any other individuals or agencies by the therapist. 

• Notes of therapy consultations will be maintained by the therapist and stored in a safe, confidential location.

• The proceedings of these consultations shall not be recorded, shared, or disseminated by the client, their relatives, or other contacts to any third party or through social media. However, despite the safety measures taken, there is always a risk of security breaches in technology. In such instances, neither the client nor the therapist will hold the other responsible for the breach.

  3. Exceptions to Confidentiality

• All therapists at Heima Therapy work under supervision, meaning they receive guidance from a more experienced professional to ensure that the best practices are applied in their clients’ care. In this context, information about a client’s concerns may be shared with the therapist’s supervisor. However, to protect client privacy, no identifying information will be disclosed.

• If the therapist believes there is a significant, real, or imminent risk to the client’s health, safety, or life, or to the health, safety, or life of any other person or the public by the client, they are legally bound to inform the client’s emergency contact or relevant authorities, depending on the circumstances.

  4. Contact and Communication Between Sessions

• To ensure an ethical and structured therapy process, the therapist will be available via email for any necessary communication between sessions, including scheduling, cancellations, and important updates.

• The therapist will make every effort to respond to client emails within 24 hours. However, replies may occasionally take longer due to personal circumstances.

• To protect the therapist’s privacy, their personal contact information will not be shared with clients under any circumstances. Clients are requested to use email as the primary means of communication with their therapist.

• Heima Therapy values the privacy of its therapists and its clients equally. We understand that clients may experience curiosity about their therapists’ lives, however, the clients shall not make attempts to reach out to any of the therapists at Heima Therapy through their personal social media accounts or through any means other than emailing them on their official Heima email IDs. Therapy will immediately be terminated if such attempts are made by the client.

  5. Emergencies and Adverse Events

• I understand that the services of the therapists at Heima Therapy are by appointment only and that these consultations are not suitable for help during a crisis or emergency. Therapists may not be available in real time during an emergency. They can, however, provide resources for the client to use or redirect them to a crisis helpline or the nearest available mental health services.

  Here are some helplines that you can reach out to in case of an emergency:

1. Aasra- 91-9820466726 (24x7)

2. Call- 022-25521111, +91-9152987821 (Monday to Saturday, 8 am-10 pm)

3. Sangath- 011-41198666 (10 am-6 pm)

4. Vandrevala Foundation- 9999 666 555 (24x7)

• The therapist would use their professional discretion to provide required recommendations about the type of professional service that may be required at any given point of time. At the same time, the client shall not hold their therapist responsible, should any adverse events, such as lack of improvement, deterioration or situations of potential risk of harm to the client or others, occur during video/audio consultation.

• The therapy process with any of the therapists at Heima Therapy is not valid for any medico-legal purposes. The therapists at Heima are not liable to appear in court or become involved in any legal matters at the client’s request.

  6. Financial Terms and Payments

• The session fee of each therapist at Heima Therapy is decided on the basis of their years and areas of experience. Therapists’ earnings from their sessions go towards taking regular supervision as well as pursuing further trainings to broaden their skill-set to serve their clients better.

• The client is required to make the full payment for a requested session at the time of booking. The session will not be considered confirmed until the payment is made.

• The individual session fees for each therapist will apply as mentioned on the Heima Therapy website or as decided mutually during the consultation call. Concessions can be considered on a case by case basis, and an agreement regarding the same will be reached between the client and the therapist prior to the commencement of the therapy process.

• The therapists at Heima Therapy reserve the right to set and amend session fees as per their discretion. Heima Therapy is also responsible for providing clients with prior information about any changes in session fees for their therapists.

  7. Additional Boundaries

• The therapists at Heima Therapy may work/have previously worked with other organisations in consulting roles. Clients from any of these other organisations are requested to only approach their therapist through said organisation, and not Heima Therapy. Heima Therapy is an independent entity.