Terms and Conditions

Last updated: 17th October 2023

1. WHAT THESE TERMS COVER

1.1 At HelloSelf we want our relationship with you to be as clear, simple and trustworthy as our service so here, in plain English, are the terms and conditions on which we supply our services to you through our website (www.helloself.com) (our "Website") and our mobile app (our "App" and, together with our Website, the "HelloSelf Service").

1.2 Please read these terms carefully. This document and any documents referred to within it (collectively, the "Terms of Service") tell you who we are, how we will provide services to you, what to do if there is a problem and how the contract between us can change.

1.3 The current version of these Terms of Service contains the only terms and conditions that apply to our relationship with you. Older versions of the Terms of Service will no longer apply to our relationship and will be completely replaced by the current version.

2. OUR CONTRACT WITH YOU

2.1 You will be asked to confirm you agree to these Terms of Service when you register for the HelloSelf Service. You must accept these Terms of Service before you sign up for, use or access the HelloSelf Service. If you do not agree to these Terms of Service, you cannot use the HelloSelf Service.

2.2 If there is anything within these Terms of Service that you do not understand, please contact us to discuss what this means for you.

3. WHO WE ARE

We are HelloSelf (UK) Limited, a company registered in England and Wales (company number 11492566) with its registered address at 9th Floor 107 Cheapside, London, United Kingdom, EC2V 6DN ("HelloSelf", "we", "our" or "us").

4. PRIVACY & SECURITY

Your privacy is important to us. Please read our Privacy Promise to understand how we collect, use and share information about you.

5. THE SERVICES WE OFFER YOU

5.1 We offer:

  1. a service that gives you access to tools to track your lifestyle, cognition data, emotions and what’s important in your life, and
  2. access to therapy sessions paid for on a session by session basis with Clinical/Counselling Psychologists and CBT Therapists.

5.2 We use feedback from your interactions with our therapists and online tools to make recommendations on how you might make changes that could lead to a more fulfilled life. To find out more on how we use your data please take a look at our Privacy Promise which can be found HERE.

5.3 We are not a crisis or emergency support service. Your therapist is not available 24/7 and therefore if you need urgent support please visit HERE, contact the emergency services, or go to any hospital accident and emergency department instead.

5.4 HelloSelf provides members with the opportunity to record their therapy sessions. There is no requirement to agree to this and your therapist will request your permission at the start of each therapy session. However, if you agree to this, HelloSelf will own all such recordings ("Session Recordings") but may grant you temporary access to them through the HelloSelf Service. We offer this facility to aid you on your therapeutic journey. Session Recordings are not to be duplicated by you or posted/shared/dispersed on to any other media platforms for the wider public to view. This is for your protection as well as our therapists'.

5.5 At our discretion, we may offer certain members access to certain new Platform features on a preview, early access or beta basis at no additional cost ("Beta Services"). Notwithstanding any other terms of the Terms of Service, Beta Services are provided "as is" to allow testing and evaluation of the relevant feature. We make no representations or warranties as to the performance, quality or functionality of Beta Services and we do not guarantee that Beta Services will be generally available, uninterrupted or error-free. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the Terms of Service and to the extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties for Beta Services, including any implied warranties of merchantability, satisfactory quality or fitness for a particular purpose.

6. WHO CAN USE HELLOSELF

6.1 To use HelloSelf you must be a UK resident, over 13, have an email address, and have access to the internet. If you are not a UK resident we will need to assess if we can safely work with you, so please contact us for further details. You must inform us if moving/staying abroad whilst engaging in therapy sessions and take responsibility to provide emergency contact numbers in the country you are residing in/staying in.

6.2 You must be an individual consumer for your own personal and private use. You are not permitted to use the HelloSelf Service for any commercial business or for-profit purpose.

7. ADVICE

7.1 Advice you receive from our website is not medical advice. It is lifestyle advice for the advancement or protection of your mental wellbeing and health.

7.2 If you have sessions with a therapist, your therapist may give you psychological advice, but this advice will not come from HelloSelf. It is up to you if you wish to accept and act on the advice that you are given by your therapist. We accept no responsibility as to the effectiveness, or otherwise, of this advice, and you are under no obligation to follow the advice.

7.3 HelloSelf is extremely proud of the quality of its therapists. However, there can be no guarantee that your sessions will help you achieve your goal.

8. THERAPISTS

8.1 All of our therapists are self-registered with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and/or accredited by the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP). They are DBS checked and individually insured (professional liability insurance). HelloSelf checks all of the above to make sure you have the best experience.

8.2 When you sign up to using our services, we will match you with the therapist that we believe will be best suited to your needs but we cannot guarantee that we will make a suitable match. If you have a particular preference regarding a therapist, one of our senior clinicians may reach out to you to understand your wishes and the reasons for your preference. We will try our best to accommodate your wishes, when is it appropriate to do so and when we are able to. Our priority is to match clinical needs to therapist expertise. We will do our best to signpost you to other services if we are unable to support you. Both you and your therapist have the right to request that you are re-matched to an alternative therapist.

8.3 In order to provide our members with the best tailored care, our therapists use regular clinical supervision. Therapists may discuss members confidentially with a therapist colleague but without sharing personal data.

8.4 We also carry out spot checks of clinical records to monitor quality of care. You can request access to the notes taken by your therapist during your sessions ("Therapist Notes"), but Therapist Notes are the property of HelloSelf and the therapist.

9. CONFIDENTIALITY

9.1 Confidentiality of your information is very important to us. However, there are limited circumstances in which your therapist has a legal, professional or ethical obligation to provide information to a third party, such as in cases where someone is at risk of being harmed in some way.

9.2 If you are referred to us by another health professional we will inform them that you are working with us. Other than in the circumstances detailed in section 9.1 above, we will only share any more detailed information with your consent.

9.3 We may use data you enter on the platform to help ensure you receive the best possible care. Senior clinicians may view clinical notes and other relevant data for ensuring clinical excellence or for safeguarding purposes.

9.4 To ensure connected care with our partners, any concerns or complaints will be investigated and reported back to them.

10. FEES AND PAYMENT

10.1 Members of HelloSelf pay per therapy session for the time spent with a therapist. Members can pay for sessions in one of three ways:

  1. Self-funded;
  2. Insurer-funded; or
  3. Third party-funded (e.g. by the NHS, your employer, or a friend or relative).

10.2 You can cancel or postpone your therapy sessions until 2 working days before the session is scheduled to take place. If you miss your session, or give less than 2 working days notice of cancellation, you’ll be charged, and be liable for, the full price of your session

10.3 The session price varies according to the cost of the therapist and whether you are meeting online or in person, but you will always be informed of the price when deciding which therapist to work with.

10.4 If you intend to use private medical insurance to fund your appointments, you will need to inform your insurance provider who your therapist will be so that invoices can be recognised and processed. You are responsible for telling us that you will be funding through insurance, so we can match you to a therapist who is registered with your insurance provider. Please note some insurance providers do not provide cover for missed or late notice cancellations of sessions. You will be responsible for the payment of any fees (full or part thereof) or excess amount not covered by your policy. We do not guarantee that we will be able to match you to a therapist who is registered with your insurance provider.

10.5 If you intend to use a third party to fund your appointments, you will be responsible for any the payment of any fees (full or part thereof) or excess amount not covered by any such third party.

10.6 We may require you to set up a direct debit to pay for session fees if you decide to fund your appointments yourself or to pay amounts for which you are liable where a third party (such as an insurer) is funding your appointments. We may use the direct debit to collect insurance excesses, cancellation or no-show fees, and other fees that you are liable for. Failure to set up a direct debit may lead to us suspending or cancelling your access to the HelloSelf Service. If you are having problems setting up your direct debit, please let us know as soon as possible.

10.7 You are required to pay for your therapy sessions in line with the payment terms set out on the invoices we send to you. Failure to do so may lead to us suspending or cancelling your access to the HelloSelf Service. If you are having problems paying your invoices please let us know as soon as possible.

10.8 We may change the price of future therapy sessions at any time, but we will always give you at least 30 days' prior written notice. If you do not wish to pay the amended price, you may cancel your membership as described in section 18.3.

10.9 We may also use a third party payment processing provider (e.g. Stripe, GoCardless) to process payments and your use of such third party's services is subject to their terms and conditions. We do not process or store any of your financial information.

11. MEMBERSHIP

11.1 Members need to register at HelloSelf.com to access the HelloSelf Service, including to register for and attend sessions with our therapists. We are required to collect some personal information about you in order for us to work with you safely and effectively. You cannot start therapy or otherwise use the HelloSelf Service until we have these details. You are responsible for ensuring that any information that you provide to us is accurate and up to date.

11.2 2 You agree not to create an account to use the HelloSelf Service or otherwise use our Website or App if you have been previously removed by, or if you have been previously banned by us.

11.3 HelloSelf has the right to remove or deny entry to the platform to any individual and we reserve the right to disable or delete that member’s account.

11.4 We have a zero-tolerance approach to all forms of offensive and discriminatory behaviour. You may be unable to access our services if staff/therapists experience such types of behaviour in their interactions with you.

11.5 Your right to use the HelloSelf Service is personal to you and you are not allowed to give this right to another person. Your right to use the HelloSelf Service does not stop us from giving other people the right to use the HelloSelf Service. You agree that you have no rights in or to any portion of the HelloSelf Service other than the right to use the HelloSelf Service in accordance with the Terms of Service.

12. RESTRICTIONS AND USER CONTENT

12.1 The materials and content comprising the HelloSelf Service belong to us, our therapists or our third party licensors and, subject to your payment of any invoices in accordance with section 10, we give you permission to use these materials and content for the sole purpose of accessing and using the HelloSelf Service in accordance with the Terms of Service.

12.2 Any material you upload, submit or contribute to the HelloSelf Service in order to help match you with a therapist or use any other features we offer from time to time (including text, audio and images) ("User Content") must comply with the Rules of Acceptable Use in section 13 below and any other content standards that we notify you of from time to time. User Content does not include Session Recordings.

12.3 By submitting User Content to the Platform, you confirm and agree that:

  1. the User Content complies with the Rules of Acceptable Use;
  2. you are responsible for backing up and securing your User Content; and
  3. you have the right to use and submit your User Content to the Platform.

12.4 As between HelloSelf and you, you are the owner or licensee of your User Content. By submitting User Content to the HelloSelf Service, you give us permission to use and store such User Content (anywhere in the world and on a perpetual and royalty-free basis) to maintain, provide, develop and improve the HelloSelf Service and other products and features we may offer from time to time (including by sharing the User Content with our third party partners for data analysis). This is carried out with strict access controls and policies in place to protect your privacy – please read our Privacy Promise for further information on how we process and protect your personal data.

13. RULES OF ACCEPTABLE USE

13.1 In addition to the other requirements within these Terms of Service, this section describes specific rules that you must follow when using the HelloSelf Service (the "Rules of Acceptable Use").

13.2 When using the HelloSelf Service, you shall not:

  1. circumvent, disable or otherwise interfere with any security related features of the HelloSelf Service or features that prevent or restrict use or copying of the content or materials accessible via the HelloSelf Service;
  2. give any false or misleading information or permit another person to use the HelloSelf Service under your name or on your behalf;
  3. impersonate any person, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person or give the impression they are linked to us, if this is not the case;
  4. use the HelloSelf Service other than for its intended purpose as set out in these Terms of Service;
  5. use the HelloSelf Service if we have suspended your access to it, or have otherwise banned you from using it;
  6. modify, interfere, intercept, disrupt or hack the HelloSelf Service or collect any data from the HelloSelf Service other than in accordance with these Terms of Service;
  7. misuse the HelloSelf Service by knowingly introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material which would harm the HelloSelf Service or the equipment of any user of the HelloSelf Service, or using any automated system, including without limitation "robots", "spiders" or "offline readers" to access the HelloSelf Service in a manner that sends more request messages to the HelloSelf Service than a human can reasonably produce in the same period of time;
  8. submit or upload any User Content:
  9. containing personal information (including images or voice clips) of people without their consent. If you upload any User Content containing personal information of anyone under the age of 18, you confirm that you are their parent or guardian and consent, or that you have the permission of their parent or guardian to do so; or
  10. in respect of which you do not hold appropriate usage rights; or
  11. submit or upload any User Content which in our reasonable opinion is:
  12. defamatory to any person, deceptive, obscene, offensive, harmful or inflammatory;
  13. bullying, insulting, threatening, intimidating or humiliating;
  14. promoting or depicting sexually explicit material, violence, discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age, or is otherwise prejudicial to human dignity;
  15. material depicting child sexual abuse; and/or
  16. unlawful in any way or in breach of another party's rights (including intellectual property rights), or advocating, promoting or inciting any party to commit or assist any unlawful or criminal act.

13.3 If you fail to comply with the Rules of Acceptable use, we may take all or any of the following actions (with or without notice):

  1. immediate, temporary or permanent withdrawal of your right to use the HelloSelf Service;
  2. issuing of a warning to you;
  3. legal action against you including proceedings for reimbursement of all costs (including, but not limited to, reasonable administrative and legal costs) resulting from the breach; and/or
  4. disclosure of such information to law enforcement authorities as we reasonably feel is necessary.

These actions are not limited and we may take any other action we reasonably deem to be appropriate.

14. COMMUNICATIONS

Communications about the HelloSelf Service

14.1 We have 3 types of communications:

  1. Those that are specific to you and tailored for you based on your interactions with HelloSelf. We will never include any sensitive personal information in these communications – instead you will be notified that there is a message waiting for you on HelloSelf. These messages are an essential part of our service.
  2. Messages from our matching team to understand your requirements, match you to a therapist and support with any questions once you have started therapy. These messages are an essential part of our service.
  3. ‘Of interest’ messages – this is information that we think you might want to read, like a story about another member or an update about HelloSelf. We will only send you these messages if you have 'opted in' to them. You can opt out of these by clicking the unsubscribe link at the bottom of the ‘you might be interested in’ email

14.2 We will contact you through the channel that you have selected on your HelloSelf profile as your preferred channel. We are bound by laws that control what and how we can communicate to you.

14.3 We value hearing from our users, and are always interested in learning about ways we can improve the HelloSelf experience. By providing your feedback you agree that you are giving up any rights you have in your feedback so that we may use and allow others to use it without any restriction and without any payment to you.

Communications about these Terms of Service

14.4 If you need to contact us in relation to the Terms of Service or any other document mentioned in them, please email us at hello@HelloSelf.com.

14.5 If we have to contact you about these Terms of Service, we will do so by writing to you at the email address associated with your account or by other legally permitted means. Please ensure your details are kept up to date. When we use the words “writing” or “written” in these terms, this includes emails.

15. APP STORE TERMS

15.1 This section 15 applies when you download and use our App.

15.2 These Terms of Service set out the terms of your agreement with us, and do not apply to your relationship with Apple, Inc, Google Ireland Limited or any other provider of an app store or distribution platform (an "App Store") from which you download the App (the "Store Provider").

15.3 HelloSelf, and not the Store Provider, will be solely responsible for the HelloSelf Service, any content that HelloSelf makes available through the HelloSelf Service and any support or maintenance in respect of the HelloSelf Service. The Store Provider will have no obligation to provide any maintenance or support services with respect to the HelloSelf Service.

15.4 HelloSelf, not the Store Provider, will be solely responsible if the HelloSelf Service does not comply with any warranties or other promises (including any promises made in respect of its functionality, suitability or fitness for purpose). To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Store Provider will not be responsible to you for any claims in relation to the HelloSelf Service.

15.5 In the event of any claim that the HelloSelf Service infringes another person's intellectual property rights, HelloSelf, not the Store Provider, will be solely responsible for investigating, defending, settling or otherwise dealing with any such intellectual property infringement claim.

15.6 You acknowledge that you are not:

  1. located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a "terrorist supporting" country; and
  2. listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.

15.7 Each Store Provider (and members of its corporate group) is a third party beneficiary under these Terms of Service and has the right to enforce these Terms of Service against you.

16. ANY ISSUES

16.1 Sometimes we might have to suspend our service to deal with technical problems or make minor technical changes. These suspensions should be brief, but we will not be liable for any such periods of suspended service, or any losses incurred by you as a result of the suspension, irrespective of the length of that suspension.

16.2 Sometimes our therapists may be delayed or miss sessions for reasons they can’t control. If this happens, we will contact you as soon as possible to let you know, and we will take steps to minimise the effect of the delay. Provided we do this we will not be liable for delays caused by the event, but if there is a risk of substantial delay you may contact us to receive a refund for any services you have paid for but not received.

16.3 We will not issue any refund if you are not able to use our platform because of technical issues with your equipment or your internet connection.

17. IMPORTANT NOTE ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

HelloSelf is the owner or licensee of all intellectual property rights in the HelloSelf Service, including all Session Recordings and Therapist Notes. These works are protected by copyright and other laws and treaties around the world. All such rights are reserved. Except as expressly set out in these Terms of Service, HelloSelf does not grant you any rights to or licenses in respect of the HelloSelf Service.

18. ENDING OUR RELATIONSHIP

Your right to end our relationship

18.1 The Terms of Service take effect from when you first use the HelloSelf Service and will remain in effect until terminated.

18.2 If at any time you do not feel that you can agree to the Terms of Service or any changes made to the Terms of Service or the HelloSelf Service, you must immediately stop using the HelloSelf Service.

18.3 You can cancel your membership at any time.

Our right to end our relationship

18.4 If we determine that you have clearly, seriously or repeatedly breached the Terms of Service, including, in particular, the Rules of Acceptable Use, we may suspend or permanently disable your access to the HelloSelf Service and/or terminate your membership. We may also disable or delete your account or terminate your membership if you repeatedly infringe other people's intellectual property rights or where we are required to do so for legal reasons.

18.5 We may also withdraw the HelloSelf Service or terminate your membership for any reason as long as we give you at least 30 days' written notice that we plan to do this.

What happens if you or we end our relationship

18.6 We will stop providing services to you when one of us ends our contract.

18.7 If we suspend, disable or terminate your use of the HelloSelf Service or we withdraw the HelloSelf Service as described in this section 18, we may delete or modify any information we hold about you. You may also lose any rights you have to use the HelloSelf Service.

18.8 If you cancel your membership, we reserve the right to delete your account after 90 days from the date your cancellation takes effect. Please see our Privacy Promise for further details on how long we keep your personal information for.

18.9 We will not offer you any other compensation for any losses incurred by you on our ending of your right to use the HelloSelf Service.

18.10 If we terminate your membership or you cancel your membership, you will still be responsible for paying any invoices we issue to you in respect of therapy sessions scheduled before your membership has been terminated or cancelled.

19. OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO YOU

19.1 We are responsible to you for foreseeable loss and damage caused by us. If we fail to comply with these Terms of Service, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaching these Terms of Service or our failing to use reasonable care and skill. Loss or damage is foreseeable if either it is obvious that it will happen or if, at the time the contract was made, both we and you knew it might happen.

19.2 We do not exclude or limit in any way our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so. Nothing in the Terms of Service is intended to exclude or limit our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence or the negligence of our employees, agents or subcontractors; for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation; or affect your statutory rights in the laws in your country of residence.

19.3 If we fail to comply with these terms, we are responsible for loss or damage you suffer that is a foreseeable result of our breaking this contract or our failing to use reasonable care and skill, but the maximum amount of our liability will be equal to the session fees that you have paid HelloSelf. We do not, however, exclude or limit our liability to you where it would be unlawful to do so.

19.4 Limits on liability. We will exercise reasonable care and skill in providing the HelloSelf Service to you but, due to the nature of the internet and technology, the HelloSelf Service is provided on an "as available" and "as is" basis. This means that we are unable to promise that your use of the HelloSelf Service will be uninterrupted, without delay, error-free, or meet your expectations and we do not give any commitment relating to the performance or availability of the HelloSelf Service in these Terms of Service and, to the extent we are able to do so, we exclude any commitments that may be implied by law.

19.5 Security. We care about the integrity and security of your personal information and User Content. However, we cannot guarantee that unauthorised third parties will never be able to defeat our security measures or use your personal information or User Content for improper purposes.

19.6 Links to other websites. The HelloSelf Service may contain links to web sites that we do not own or control. We bear no responsibility for the content or practices of any such web sites or services.

20. CHANGES TO THE HELLOSELF SERVICE

20.1 We are constantly updating and improving the HelloSelf Service to try and find ways to provide you with new and innovative features and services. Improvements and updates are also made to reflect changing technologies, tastes, behaviours and the way people use the internet and the HelloSelf Service.

20.2 In order to do this, we may need to update, reset, stop offering and/or supporting a particular part of the HelloSelf Service, or feature relating to the HelloSelf Service ("changes to the HelloSelf Service"). These changes to the HelloSelf Service may affect your past activities on the HelloSelf Service and features that you use ("service elements"). Any changes to the HelloSelf Service could involve your service elements being deleted or reset.

20.3 You agree that a key characteristic of our HelloSelf Service is that changes to the HelloSelf Service will take place over time and this is an important basis on which we grant you access to the HelloSelf Service. Once we have made changes to the HelloSelf Service, your continued use of the HelloSelf Service will show that you have accepted any changes to the HelloSelf Service. You are always free to stop using the HelloSelf Service.

20.4 We will try, where possible and reasonable, to contact you to let you know about any significant changes to the HelloSelf Service.

21. CHANGES TO THE DOCUMENTS

21.1 We have the right to change or amend the terms of this contract at any time, however we will notify you of such changes by way of updates to these terms on our website. It is your responsibility to regularly check these terms and make yourself aware of any changes.

21.2 Changes will usually occur because of new features being added to the HelloSelf Service, change in the law or where we need to clarify our position on something

22. SOME NECESSARY FINAL DETAILS

22.1 Third party rights and transfer. This contract is between you and us. It is private and no one else has any rights to enforce its terms. All of our rights and obligations under the Terms of Service are freely assignable or otherwise transferable by us in connection with a merger, acquisition or sale of assets, or by operation of law or otherwise.

22.2 Entire agreement. The Terms of Service make up the entire agreement between you and HelloSelf regarding your use of the HelloSelf Service. They supersede any prior agreements.

22.3 Invalidity. Each of the paragraphs of these terms operates separately. If any court or relevant authority decides that any of them are unlawful, the remaining paragraphs will remain in full force and effect.

22.4 Delays. If we do not insist immediately that you do anything you are required to do under these terms, or if we delay in taking steps against you in respect of your breaking this contract, that will not mean that you do not have to do those things and it will not prevent us taking steps against you at a later date. For example, if you miss a payment, and we do not chase you, but we continue to provide the services, we can still require you to make the payment at a later date.

22.5 Disputes between us. If you are ever unhappy or dissatisfied by your experience on HelloSelf you can always let us know at hello@HelloSelf.com. You can find our Clinical Compliments, Complaints and Feedback Policy HERE. In the unlikely event that we are not able to resolve a dispute informally, we will discuss and agree with you the most effective way of resolving the dispute

22.6 Governing law. These terms are governed by English law, and you can bring legal proceedings in the English courts.

We hope that you have a good experience on HelloSelf and that we can help you on your journey towards being your best self.