Before proceeding with online counselling, you will need to read and agree to abide by the terms and conditions set out below by MAP Counselling.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1. You agree to complete an Introductory Questionnaire and familiarise yourself with the information provided via Route 1, Internet Counselling, and are willing to work within these guidelines.

2. You agree that you are 18 years of age or older.

3. You agree to supply only true information about yourself in the Introductory Questionnaire, which needs to be filled out before commencing online counselling. You also agree to supply true information about yourself throughout your counselling experience with MAP Counselling and you agree to not deliberately leave out significant information.

4. You agree that during initial communications, both counsellor and client will need to evaluate whether they believe they can work together effectively, and in particular the counsellor may choose not to work with you via the internet. You agree that either of us may discontinue our counselling relationship at any time.

5. You agree that an estimate of waiting time, if there is a waiting list in place, will be made on a 'best effort' basis and cannot be guaranteed with precision.

6. You agree that you are seeking services specifically for personal counselling and not in connection with any research project either for publication or for private use.

7. You agree that any services will be provided by Maria Antonietta Palladino under MAP counselling and that the provision of these services will be understood to take place in England, and that the provision of these services and all our work together will be governed under the laws of England and Wales.

8. You agree that MAP counselling does not provide a 24-hour emergency service. You agree to identify appropriate services in your local area which will be able to provide emergency assistance, should it be required.

9. You agree that MAP counselling will not be held responsible for direct or consequential loss due to internet service failures or computer malfunction. You agree to accept all responsibility for the maintenance of your own computer and internet service, as well as for the maintenance of your own financial accounts. These responsibilities include correctly configuring any spam filters or challenge-response systems so as to permit the delivery of email from mapcounselling@hushmail.com as well as maintaining your own financial accounts in good standing so as to permit payments to be made to MAP counselling. You agree that MAP counselling will not provide any computer support or internet service support, or any assistance with maintaining your financial accounts.

10. You agree to have considered alternatives to counselling via the internet, some of which include face-to-face counselling, speaking with a friend or family member, or doing nothing.

11. You agree that the internet-mediated provision of counselling services is still relatively young and relatively less well-researched than other delivery modalities.

12. You agree that MAP counselling may, with full safeguards for individual client privacy and confidentiality, conduct aggregate statistical analysis of email exchanges -- including counting total words exchanged, determining word use frequencies, and performing related statistical analysis for the purposes of research and service development. Where research is published, no information will be revealed at the level of any individual client except where those clients have given explicit written permission for us to do so.

13. You agree that no warranty as to the effectiveness of the counselling service provided by MAP counselling is either expressed or implied.

CONFIDENTIALITY

1. All the information you provide is confidential to MAP Counselling, including whether you are or have been a client.

2. MAP Counselling will not pass on or discuss any information about you. However there are several important exceptions: As part of ongoing professional development all counsellors must regularly engage in supervision. This means MAP Counselling clients will be discussed with another suitably qualified counsellor. Every effort is made to protect your anonymity , unless it is felt necessary to break confidentiality (see 3, 4 and 5 below).

3. The law requires all counsellors to report any suspicion of risk, of child abuse, or neglect. If MAP Counselling believes that a child is at risk of being abused, has already been abused or that someone who previously abused children is still a threat, MAP counselling must report the information to appropriate child protection agencies or police.

4. If MAP counselling believes that a person’s life is, or may be in danger, because of causing harm to themselves or harm to others, MAP Counselling will have to report the situation to the appropriate authorities.

5. Courts of law have the power to demand that MAP Counselling releases your records. If you are involved in a court case where your relationship to MAP Counselling is relevant, any details requested in this instance will have to be released.

6. With your consent or at your request, MAP Counselling will pass on information about you, when needed, in order to consult with other professionals in relation to your care.

DATA PROTECTION

Any information provided to you contains material which is owned or licensed by MAP Counselling. It is protected by intellectual property laws including, without limitation, copyright. You may view, use, download and store the information for your personal use. Commercial use of the information provided by us is not permitted. The re-distribution, republication or otherwise making available of the information provided by MAP Counselling to third parties without our prior written consent is also prohibited.

Unauthorised use of the information provided by MAP Counselling may give rise to a claim against you for damages.

You expressly consent to MAP Counselling using your personal and sensitive data, in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, for the purposes of delivering counselling or other services to you and for managing and quality assuring those services.

I am registered with the Information Commissioner as a controller of sensitive data under the Data Protection Act (1998).