Terms & Conditions

These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") form a legally binding agreement between you ("the client") and Rashmi Poduval ("the counsellor", "we", "us"), governing your use of this website and the counselling services we provide.

By using this website, completing our intake form, or booking a session, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India, including the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

If you do not agree to any part of these Terms, please do not use our website or services.

Rashmi Poduval provides professional mental health counselling services for individuals. These services may include, but are not limited to:

• Individual counselling sessions (in-person and online)
• Structured support for anxiety, stress, grief, life transitions, and relationship challenges
• Psychoeducation and self-management skill-building
• Brief assessments and personalised care planning

Important distinction: Counselling is not the same as psychiatry or clinical psychology. We do not diagnose mental illness, prescribe medication, or provide psychiatric treatment. If you need a psychiatric assessment, diagnosis, or medication, please consult a qualified psychiatrist or medical doctor.

We reserve the right to decline or discontinue services where we assess that our scope of competence is insufficient to meet your needs, and in such cases we will endeavour to provide you with appropriate referrals.

For mental health crisis support in India, you may also reach:

• iCall (TISS): 9152987821 — Mon–Sat, 8 am–10 pm
• Vandrevala Foundation: 1860-2662-345 — 24×7
• NIMHANS Helpline: 080-46110007 — 24×7
• iCall WhatsApp: Available through the iCall website

We are not able to guarantee immediate response to enquiries outside of session hours or working days. Please do not rely on this website or email communication for urgent mental health support.

Our services are available to individuals who meet the following conditions:

• You are 18 years of age or older; or
• If you are under 18, a parent or legal guardian must provide written consent before services commence and may be required to be involved in the process as clinically appropriate.
• You are accessing services voluntarily and are not under a court order that contradicts the terms of engagement.
• You are located within India at the time of receiving online sessions (certain regulatory and ethical obligations apply to cross-border teletherapy; please enquire if you are outside India).

We reserve the right to decline or end services where engagement is not voluntary, where safety cannot be maintained, or where the presenting issues are outside our clinical competence.

Booking: Sessions may be booked via the website booking form, email, or telephone. A session is confirmed only when you receive written confirmation from us and, where applicable, payment has been received.

Session duration: A standard individual session is 50 minutes unless otherwise agreed in writing at the outset of your engagement.

Rescheduling and cancellations:

• Please give at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to reschedule or cancel a session.
• Cancellations with less than 24 hours’ notice, or non-attendance without notice, may be charged the full session fee at our discretion.
• We will provide as much notice as possible if we need to cancel or reschedule a session. Where we cancel, your session fee will be refunded in full or the session will be rescheduled at no additional charge.

Lateness: If you are late, your session will end at the scheduled time and the full fee will apply. If we are late, the session will be extended or rescheduled at your preference.

Repeated non-attendance may result in termination of the therapeutic relationship at our discretion, and where appropriate, referral to another provider.

Session fees are as communicated to you during the booking or intake process. Fees are subject to periodic review, and we will give you at least 30 days’ advance notice of any change in fees.

• Payment is accepted via bank transfer (NEFT/IMPS/UPI) or such other method as agreed at the time of booking.
• Payment is due prior to or at the time of the session unless an alternative arrangement has been agreed in writing.
• GST or any applicable taxes will be charged in addition to the session fee as required by Indian law.
• Receipts or invoices are available on request.

Financial hardship: We believe that cost should not be an insurmountable barrier to mental health support. If you are experiencing genuine financial difficulty, please speak with us — we will do our best to discuss options, which may include a reduced rate for a limited period.

Refunds: Fees paid for a session that has already taken place are non-refundable. Advance payments for future sessions that are cancelled in accordance with our cancellation policy (Section 5) will be refunded within 7 working days via the original payment method.

The therapeutic relationship is a professional one with ethical boundaries that protect both the client and the counsellor. You agree to the following:

• Sessions are to be conducted with mutual respect. We reserve the right to terminate a session if verbal abuse, threats, or other inappropriate conduct occurs.
• The relationship between client and counsellor is strictly professional. We do not engage in personal, social, financial, or romantic relationships with clients during or after the therapeutic relationship.
• You will not contact us through personal social media channels or share session content publicly in a way that could identify us, other clients, or the practice without consent.
• We may provide psychoeducational resources or exercises between sessions. These are supplementary to, not a substitute for, the session itself.
• We practise within the ethical guidelines of our professional membership bodies, including but not limited to the Rehabilitation Council of India or such other applicable body.

We reserve the right to end the therapeutic relationship if we assess that it is no longer clinically appropriate, is causing harm, or if ethical guidelines require it. In such cases we will provide adequate notice and, where appropriate, referrals to other professionals.

Online sessions are conducted using secure video platforms (e.g., Google Meet, Zoom, or another agreed platform). By participating in online sessions, you agree to the following:

• You will be in a private, confidential location for the duration of the session.
• You will use a reliable internet connection. Technical issues on your side that prevent or disrupt a session do not entitle you to a refund or replacement session; however, we will try to reconnect or, if this is not possible, reschedule where reasonable.
• You will not record any part of a session without our express prior written consent. Any unauthorised recording is a breach of these Terms and may have legal consequences.
• You understand and accept the inherent limitations of online communication, including reduced ability to observe non-verbal cues and potential technology failures.
• You confirm that you are located in India at the time of the session, or have disclosed your location to us in advance.

All content on this website — including text, graphics, logos, worksheets, exercises, assessment tools, and other materials created by us — is the intellectual property of Rashmi Poduval and is protected under the Copyright Act, 1957.

You may:

• View and download content for your own personal, non-commercial use.
• Share links to this website.

You may not:

• Reproduce, republish, or distribute our content without written permission.
• Use our name, logo, or brand for any purpose without consent.
• Claim authorship of any materials or tools created by us.

Any worksheets or resources provided to you as part of your counselling sessions are for your personal therapeutic use only and are not to be reproduced or distributed.

We provide counselling services with care, skill, and professional diligence. However:

• We cannot guarantee a specific outcome from counselling. Therapeutic progress depends on many factors, including the client's own engagement and circumstances.
• The information on our website is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute professional clinical advice. Do not rely on website content as a substitute for professional consultation.
• To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Indian law, our total liability to you for any claim arising from or related to the provision of services or the use of this website shall not exceed the fees paid by you for the specific session(s) to which the claim relates.
• We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential losses, except in cases of gross negligence or wilful misconduct.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable Indian consumer protection law.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of India. Any dispute arising from or in connection with these Terms or the services provided shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in Bengaluru, Karnataka.

Resolution process: Before initiating any formal dispute, we encourage you to contact us directly so that we may attempt to resolve the matter informally. Most concerns can be addressed promptly and without formal proceedings.

If informal resolution is not possible, disputes may be referred to mediation or arbitration as agreed between the parties, or to the appropriate consumer forum under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.

If you have any questions about these Terms or the services we provide, please contact us:

We aim to respond to all written enquiries within 5 working days. For data and privacy related requests, please see our Privacy Policy.