Terms & Conditions
Introduction
Hello! This website, humanbeancounselling.com, is owned and operated by Human Bean Counselling, ABN 44992648214. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact me:
Robyn Bean
Human Bean Counselling
PO Box 156
Carina QLD 4152
0411 3939 34
This document sets out the Terms and Conditions you need to be aware of when using this website, using my services, or purchasing from me. Please take a moment to read it, as it sets out the terms of our relationship so that we may both benefit from clear boundaries and knowing what to expect from each other.
When you visit this website, use my services or purchase my products you agree that you are over the age of 18 and willing to be bound by these Terms and Conditions. If you don’t agree, you should not continue to visit this website, use my services, or purchase from me.
This document may be changed or modified from time to time. Please check back regularly to ensure you are aware of any changes.
There may be additional specific terms of service provided to you in relation to my services, products or training. If there is any inconsistency between this document and those specific terms of service, these Website Terms & Conditions are overruled to the extent of the inconsistency.
All products and services advertised on this website are offered in compliance with Australian Consumer Law.
Content Disclaimer
On this website and my social media accounts you may find information about the services I offer clients as a counsellor, the resources I have found personally meaningful or helpful, and content on topics including counselling, self-care and mental health. This content is provided solely for your personal development, to help you develop greater self-awareness and self-compassion through life’s difficulties.
Content Policy
I take lots of care to provide valuable information but I cannot be responsible for the use that you make of that information. Please be aware that the generalized information I provide is not a substitute for specialist advice tailored to your individual circumstances.
There is no professional relationship formed by your visit to my website unless you explicitly choose to work with me by purchasing my services or products. Any testimonials or results I may display on this website are not guarantees that anyone else will achieve the same results.
While I take all reasonable care to ensure that the information I provide is accurate, relevant and up to date, I make no guarantees in this regard and disclaim any legal liability for any inaccuracy, incompleteness or error. If you find something that seems problematic, it would be very helpful if you let me know!
I may modify the content provided on this website at any time, including altering or deleting it without notice.
Visitor Responsibilities
You are responsible for your own safety and wellbeing while browsing the internet. The information I provide in my content is generic and is not a substitute for specialised advice tailored to your unique circumstances. Do not take action or make major life decisions without first seeking independent, appropriately qualified professional advice specific to your individual needs.
Downloads
This site may offer paid and free downloads. While every effort is made to ensure these downloads are safe and hassle-free, I am not responsible for any viruses or other damage which might occur as a result of you downloading material from this site. Please make safety your priority and ensure you have adequate protection against viruses and other malicious attacks that may occur without my knowledge or consent.
External Links
From time to time I may provide links to external sites. I have no control over the information provided on these sites, and the links are solely for your information, education or entertainment.
Third Party Advertisements
I may provide links to the websites of my affiliates and clients. I think they are wonderful, but I do not explicitly endorse any services or products they offer for sale. While I believe them to be reputable businesses, any relationship you enter into with them is at your own risk, and I am not a party to the transaction in any way. If you find a broken link, feel free to let me know!
Disclaimer for Services and Products
There are a number of ways you may choose to work with me. The terms and conditions in this document apply to all of my services and products unless alternative terms are explicitly provided to you.
I offer:
- Phone and online counselling
My intention in offering these services and products is to support you in meeting life’s challenges with greater self-kindness and self-awareness.
Why Work with Me?
I hold postgraduate qualifications in Counselling (Grad Dip Counselling – Australian College of Applied Psychology), Education (PG Dip Ed – University of Queensland) and a Masters in Applied Linguistics (University of New England).
As part of the conditions of my registration with PACFA (Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia) I am committed to ongoing professional development within the field of Counselling and compliance with PACFA’s ethical standards.
Your Responsibility
It is important that you consider your personal circumstances when engaging with the content and services I provide, and their suitability and appropriateness to your needs.
Important Information
Counselling is a form of talk therapy designed to help you compassionately manage the issues causing you distress or concern, improve your self-understanding, and learn effective personal and interpersonal coping strategies in a confidential environment. You may discontinue participation at any time.
Counselling involves sharing sensitive, personal and private information that may at times be distressing or result in periods of increased anxiety or confusion. I will do my best to work with you to achieve the best outcome for your situation. However, if I cannot help you at any point in your counselling, I am required to refer you to another professional who may assist you further. This is especially important in the case of conditions which may require a medical or psychiatric diagnosis.
I seek professional clinical supervision for my work as a counsellor and as such, may have a need to discuss your case. Only details relevant to supervision are discussed – names and specifics are not supplied. This is considered an important aspect of professional practice.
Under most circumstances, I will not release any information you have disclosed within a counselling session without your consent unless I am obliged to do so by law, or by the ethical standards of my professional body. Some of my obligations to report include (but are not limited to) illegal activity, domestic violence situations involving children, suspicion of serious intent to harm self or others, cases of known or suspected abuse, harm or neglect, and court subpoena. Please note that as a registered teacher, I am also a mandatory reporter of known or suspected physical and sexual child abuse.
I have clients fill out an Intake Form prior to our first session, which allows me to conduct a preliminary assessment of each individual’s suitability for the type of Counselling which I offer. I also ask clients to read, sign and return my Consent for Services document. If you have any concerns or queries relating to these documents, please contact me.
Please note that I offer Counselling services by appointment only and am unable to provide emergency assistance. If you are in danger or are experiencing crisis, please immediately contact emergency services in your area.
It is important that you do not stop any existing medical treatment/s without consulting your doctor, as Counselling is not intended to replace medical advice for your unique circumstances.
Counsellors are not medical professionals and it is important to get clearance from your doctor before making major changes to your lifestyle. In addition, deep emotional work can be triggering, so if you experience any concerning symptoms or a desire to harm yourself or others, please seek appropriate medical or emergency assistance as necessary.
My ideal client is someone who is feeling overwhelmed, anxious or bogged down by self-criticism, and who wants to work with a supportive, compassionate partner to uncover their own inner wisdom, purpose and a sense of hope. Having spent years living in Japan and working with refugees, I also welcome clients who are experiencing cross-cultural issues.
As I operate a fully online and phone Counselling service, this will not be the right fit for you if you do not have a reliable phone or internet connection, or if you do not have a safe and private place available to talk. Online Counselling is also not suitable for clients in crisis, and for those suffering from serious psychiatric illnesses or complex mental health conditions.
Please be sure to tell me if you are away from your home address during our session, so I will know how to reach you if any issues arise. It is also essential that you only talk in an environment that is private (earphones may help with this) and safe (no moving vehicles or operating machinery please)!
Limitation of Liability
We all know that technology can be a fickle thing. If, during the course of a Counselling session our phone or internet connection is broken, I will immediately attempt to contact you on the phone number you have provided. Your session can be rescheduled due to technological difficulties or we can continue it by phone. If my attempt to reach you is unsuccessful, I will send you an email. If I have not had a reply from you within 24 hours, I will then contact your emergency contact, as your safety is a priority to me.
If you are concerned about whether or not my services are suitable for your needs, I offer a free 15 minute phone consultation to discuss your questions.
I take my obligations under Australian Consumer Law seriously and will do my best to address any issues that arise. However, even if there is a major problem, my liability is strictly limited to:
– replacing the goods or providing the services again; or
– if I am unable to do so within a reasonable time, paying the cost of having the relevant goods or services supplied to you again.
If you feel that there is any problem with goods or services I have provided, please let me know within 7 days of the purchase or counselling session. I am always keen to understand what has gone wrong if you are unhappy so that I can address your concerns and try to find a mutually acceptable solution.
I do not make any guarantees or warranties about the accuracy of any material displayed on this website, with the exception of any non-excludable consumer guarantees and other consumer protection provisions set out in the Australian Consumer Law.
I am human and errors creep in despite the best of intentions. If you see something that doesn’t seem right, please let me know.
While I make all reasonable efforts to ensure that this website and my services and products meet with the highest standards of best practice, if something does go wrong that is not a direct result of my negligence, misrepresentation or deliberate fault, you agree that ,to the fullest extent permitted by law, I will not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of or related to my website, any products or services purchased through it, or any material posted on it, irrespective of whether such damages were foreseeable, and regardless of the nature of the claim.
You take full responsibility for your implementation of any suggestions that I may make while providing my services. You understand that my advice is limited to providing you with options for your consideration, and that you are solely responsible for any actions that you choose to take. Always consult your own values and vision, do your own research, and check with appropriately qualified professionals before making major decisions or making significant changes. You agree to indemnify me against all consequences arising directly or indirectly from your choices.
You expressly agree that if this limitation of liability is unenforceable for any reason, my total cumulative liability for all causes of action of any kind shall not exceed the amount that you have paid to me for my products and services.
Intellectual Property
Copyright
The content of this website and all of my resources is protected by copyright laws and treaties around the world, with all rights reserved.
You may store, print and display the publicly available content supplied solely for your own personal use.
Commercial exploitation of my content in any way that competes with my business is strictly prohibited.
You are welcome to share blog posts or other publicly available content through social media, but you must provide a link back to this website.
You may link to my home page, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage my reputation or take advantage of it, but you must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on my part where none exists.
Trade Marks
Unless explicitly stated to the contrary, all persons (including their names and images), third party trade marks and content, services and/or locations featured on this website are in no way associated, linked or affiliated with me and you should not rely on the existence of such a connection or affiliation.
Any trade marks or names mentioned on this website remain the property of the respective trade mark owners. Where a trade mark or brand name is referred to, it is used solely to describe or identify the products and services and is in on way an assertion that such products or services are endorsed by or connected to me.
Payment Terms
You will be sent an invoice by email prior to your session. Payment of these invoices is processed using Stripe. Please let me know if you would prefer to pay by EFT deposit to my bank account and allow time prior to your session to ensure payment has been cleared.
I do not have access to your account details. Any financial information you enter is stored under Stripe’s security policy: https://stripe.com/docs/security/stripe.
As noted above, payment for goods and services I provide is taken in advance due to the nature of the online work which I do.
Delivery
I run Counselling sessions by phone or online, via Zoom. You may find Zoom’s Privacy Policy here: https://explore.zoom.us/en/privacy/.
Please arrange a quiet, safe place with no interruptions for your session. Many people prefer to use earphones to ensure good sound quality and privacy. Perhaps you’d also like to prepare a notepad and pen to jot down any insights, and have some tissues and a cuppa nearby. Then take time to set the mood for self-care in whatever way feels right. That might mean lighting a candle, using some essential oils, gathering some soft cushions, taking 5 minutes to focus on your breathing, or listening to some relaxing music before we begin. This time is all about you.
Zoom can easily be used on your computer, tablet or phone. It allows us to communicate via video, audio only (like a phone call) or with instant chat. After you’ve sent me back your counselling contract and your payment is confirmed, I will send a Zoom link for you to access our virtual session. Most clients find it quite intuitive, but in case it’s your first time using Zoom, you can find a helpful user’s guide here:
https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193.
With that said, we all know technology glitches happen, so please don’t worry if you strike difficulties. Allow yourself some time in advance to resolve any technical issues so that they don’t take away from your valuable counselling time. But if technical problems occur, please call me on 0411 3939 34 to sort things out or continue the session by phone.
Please understand that in order to protect your privacy as much as possible online, sessions must not be recorded, either in part or in full.
Appointment Policies
Because I work completely online and I really want to focus on supporting my clients instead of nagging them about payment, I only take payment for sessions in advance. Making this payment confirms the time and date of your appointment.
If you have not paid by 5pm AEST on the day prior to your appointment, your session may be given to someone else on my waiting list. If you have paid for your appointment in advance but need to cancel, please contact me by 5pm AEST the day prior to your appointment and I will provide a full refund or reschedule your appointment according to your preference. No-shows will result in forfeiture of the prepaid session fee.
If you experience sudden illness or an emergency situation on the day of your appointment, please contact me in advance so we can negotiate a resolution – I understand that life can be unpredictable, and I will show you the same courtesy by informing you as soon as possible if I need to reschedule your appointment.
On the other hand, repeated cancellations at the last minute may result in my regretfully declining any future appointments.
Refund Policy
I do not offer a refund if you change your mind about your purchase after your session. However, I will happily meet with you to discuss your concerns and attempt to negotiate a win/win solution. Please be sure to contact me by email within 7 days of payment.
Respectful Communication
I reserve the right to delete any comment on my website or social media accounts which is rude, offensive or which I consider to be unacceptable.
To maintain client confidentiality, I cannot accept social media friend/contact requests from clients. I appreciate your understanding that it is inappropriate for either of us to discuss any details of your sessions on these platforms.
Any third party content on my site from guest bloggers, affiliates and collaborators is representative only of their opinion and not mine.
Dispute Resolution & Jurisdiction
If you have any concerns, issues or complaint arising out of your use of this website, my products or services, or these terms and conditions, you agree to communicate with me with the intention of making a genuine effort to seek a win/win solution and trying to resolve the dispute in good faith through negotiation and discussion. Please email me and expect a response within 7 days.
If we are unable to resolve a dispute by negotiation and discussion, you may access the complaints procedure offered by PACFA here: https://pacfa.org.au/portal/Portal/Community/Complaints.aspx
If a dispute arises, we all agree that we will not engage in any public discussion about the issues, we will behave politely towards each other and we will avoid any conduct or communication which might reasonably be expected to unreasonably interfere with any other person’s business or personal interests.
This agreement is subject to the governing law of Queensland, Australia. Regardless of where you live in the world, you irrevocably agree that if the dispute resolution processes fail, the courts of Queensland and the Commonwealth of Australia, will have exclusive jurisdiction.
