At Athulya Counselling Centre, we are dedicated to providing a safe, ethical, and structured therapeutic space. Please review our guidelines regarding booking, confidentiality, and cancellations before your journey begins.
💳 1. Appointment Booking & Financial Terms
Athulya Counselling Centre is a Government of India registered MSME entity operating under strict legal and professional guidelines. All fees are fixed according to the specific tier booked (₹1,200 / ₹1,500 / ₹1,600 / ₹2,000) and must be paid through authorized digital channels (UPI, Net Banking, or Card) to ensure transparent business accounting.
The 24-Hour Payment Rule: Upon requesting an appointment slot, the full session fee must be paid within 24 hours.
Automatic Release: If payment confirmation is not received within this 24-hour window, the system automatically cancels the tentative booking and releases the slot to other individuals on our waiting list.
🛑 2. Cancellation, Rescheduling & No-Show Framework
Because our therapeutic hours are exclusively blocked out for you, cancellations impact other clients waiting for care. We strictly enforce the following timelines:
More than 48 Hours’ Notice: You may cancel for a 100% Full Refund, or choose to reschedule your session to a future date completely free of cost.
Less than 48 Hours’ Notice: If you cancel or request a refund past the 48-hour mark, a 25% late-cancellation fee is automatically deducted to cover the blocked clinical hour, and the remaining 75% is refunded to your account.
The No-Show Policy: If you fail to attend a confirmed session without any prior written notification, or cancel within a few hours of the slot, a 50% no-show fee will be forfeited. The remaining 50% will be refunded or held as partial credit.
Credit Validity: Any session credit allowed due to timely rescheduling must be utilized within 30 days of the original booking date, after which the credit permanently expires.
Processing Windows: All approved refunds are initiated through our business account immediately but may take 5 to 7 business days to reflect in your original mode of payment due to standard banking routing.
🤐 3. Professional Confidentiality & Privacy Safeguards
All information disclosed within therapeutic sessions at Athulya Counselling Centre is strictly confidential and protected under professional psychological ethics. Your personal data, case history, and session discussions will never be shared with any third party without your explicit, written consent.
Legal Exceptions to Confidentiality:
In accordance with Indian federal and state laws (including the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017), the practitioner is legally and ethically mandated to breach confidentiality without your consent only under the following specific circumstances:
Harm to Self or Others: If there is a clear, imminent risk that you may inflict serious harm upon yourself or another identifiable individual.
Abuse of Vulnerable Populations: If there is reasonable suspicion, disclosure, or evidence of ongoing abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a minor child, elderly person, or vulnerable adult.
Judicial Mandate: If a competent court of law issues a direct, legally binding warrant or judicial order demanding specific records.
Practitioner’s Right to Terminate: In the event that an aggressive legal mandate or court order forces a breach of confidentiality that directly clashes with or compromises our Court Immunity guidelines, the practitioner retains the absolute right and power to immediately terminate all therapeutic sessions with the client to preserve professional boundaries and clinical integrity.
👥 4. Third-Party Presence & Age-Based Privacy Rules
To ensure a safe, unbiased, and effective therapeutic environment, the center maintains absolute control over the clinical space and the dissemination of data based on development and age:
Definition of an Adult Client (Age 18+): For all legal, ethical, and clinical purposes, any individual aged 18 years or older is recognized strictly as an adult client.
The "Payer vs. Client" Privacy Rule: The right to absolute confidentiality belongs exclusively to the individual sitting in the therapy room, regardless of who is financially funding the treatment. Even if a parent, spouse, partner, or relative is paying the session fee, they do not gain access to the client's records, progress updates, or session details.
Exclusive One-on-One Sessions: Adult therapeutic sessions are strictly confidential interactions between the practitioner and the client. Parents, spouses, in-laws, or other relatives are strictly prohibited from sitting in on or interrupting a session unless the practitioner explicitly requests a joint family session for specific clinical reasons.
Discretionary Information Sharing: The practitioner will not answer inquiries, provide updates, or discuss session details with parents, spouses, or relatives who call or message the clinic. Information will be shared with family members only if the practitioner deems it clinically necessary, safe, and ethically sound.
Child & Adolescent Boundaries (Under 18):
Children Under 13: Parents or legal guardians will be updated routinely on overall progress and recommendations to help support the child at home.
Teenagers (Aged 13 to 16) – The Transparency & Trust Rule: Teenagers in this age range deeply value trust. To preserve a strong therapeutic alliance, no updates or feedback will be shared with parents behind the teenager's back. Any necessary clinical updates or progress reviews will be conducted fully in the presence of the teenager to ensure absolute transparency.
Adolescents (Aged 16 to 17): Confidentiality behaves almost identically to adult sessions. Parents will only be briefed on general progress if the adolescent consents.
The Safety Exception: Across all minor age brackets, if an immediate, life-threatening safety risk comes to light (such as severe self-harm or active suicidal intent), the practitioner is legally bound to break confidentiality to ensure safety, and parents will be notified immediately.
🛡️ 5. Absolute Court Immunity & Non-Dispute Clause
Our services, assessments, and case notes are not designed, intended, or structured for use in legal disputes, civil lawsuits, criminal cases, divorce proceedings, or child custody battles.
Agreement to Non-Subpoena: By engaging our services, you explicitly agree that neither you, your legal representatives, nor your family members will request, subpoena, or legally compel the practitioner to testify in court, provide legal depositions, or submit clinical case files for any judicial or administrative proceeding.
Indemnity for Legal Costs: If the practitioner is legally forced to appear or produce records by an absolute, non-negotiable court order despite this agreement, you (the client) agree to fully indemnify the practitioner. This means you will bear all associated legal fees, corporate losses, loss of professional hours (the practitioner's time will be billed at our standard hourly rate), and attorney expenses incurred by the center.
📝 6. Issuance of Reports & Assessment Policy
Athulya Counselling Centre maintains strict protocols regarding the creation and issuance of clinical documents, session updates, and psychological reports:
No Mandatory Legal/Session Reports: The center will not provide clinical updates, session summaries, or progress reports to clients, family members, or legal representatives for personal use, employment disputes, or legal evaluation.
Psychiatric Referral Only: Session summaries or progress notes will only be shared directly with a registered, licensed Psychiatrist upon their official medical request. This data is shared strictly doctor-to-doctor to ensure a comprehensive clinical understanding and to optimize the client's treatment plan.
Clinical Purpose of Progress Tools: All internal session reports, checklists, and tracking metrics are generated solely as tools to measure ongoing therapy progress and are not valid as forensic or legal evidence.
Educational Assessment Protocols: Psychological assessments conducted at the center (including IQ testing and Learning Disability/LD screenings for children) are executed strictly for educational placement, remedial planning, and school-based support purposes. By booking an assessment, parents/guardians explicitly agree that these reports are invalid for custody disputes or any form of litigation.
🚫 7. Limitation of Liability & Crisis Disclaimer
Client Autonomy: Counseling is a collaborative process. The client retains full personal autonomy and absolute responsibility for all lifestyle choices, actions, medical decisions, and behaviors exhibited during or after the course of therapy. Athulya Counselling Centre and its practitioners shall not be held legally liable for any direct or indirect outcomes of the client's personal decisions.
No Emergency/Crisis Services: This practice functions strictly on an appointment-only basis and does not provide 24/7 crisis intervention or psychiatric emergency services. If you are experiencing acute suicidal ideation, severe self-harm urges, or a psychiatric crisis outside of scheduled hours, you agree to immediately contact national helpline numbers (such as Kiran: 1800-599-0019) or present yourself to the nearest hospital emergency department.
⚖️ 8. Governing Law & Jurisdiction
This agreement, its terms, and the professional relationship between the client and Athulya Counselling Centre shall be governed by, interpreted, and enforced in accordance with the federal laws of the Republic of India. Any legal dispute, clarification, or proceeding arising directly or indirectly from our services shall be subject exclusively to the jurisdiction of the courts located in Kannur, Kerala.