Counselling Terms & Informed Consent

01About This Document

This document explains what to expect when you engage in counselling or listening sessions with Heal & Revive, and forms part of your informed consent to receive these services. By booking or attending a session, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these terms.

02Nature of Our Services

Heal & Revive offers two related but distinct types of support:

• Counselling — structured, professional support provided by licensed or supervised counsellors/psychologists, oriented around specific goals.
• Listening Sessions — supportive, non-clinical conversations provided by trained listeners, intended to complement, not replace, professional therapy.

Both services are offered free of charge. Neither is a substitute for emergency or crisis care (see Section 8).

03Confidentiality

What you share during a counselling or listening session is treated as confidential. Session content is not shared with anyone outside of the professional or trained listener directly supporting you, except as described in Section 4, or where necessary for clinical supervision, always handled with the same standard of confidentiality.

04Limits of Confidentiality

Confidentiality is not absolute. We may need to break confidentiality, with or without your consent, in the following circumstances:

• You disclose a serious, credible risk of harm to yourself
• You disclose a serious, credible risk of harm to another identifiable person
• A child or vulnerable adult is disclosed to be at risk of abuse or neglect (see our Safeguarding Policy)
• We are legally required to disclose information by a court order or applicable law

Where possible and safe to do so, we will discuss any decision to break confidentiality with you first.

05Online Sessions

Sessions are typically conducted online via video or voice call. You are responsible for ensuring you have a private, safe space and a stable internet connection for your session. While we take reasonable steps to use secure platforms, no online communication method is completely free of risk, and you participate in online sessions with this understanding.

06Session Duration & Format

Counselling sessions typically run 45–60 minutes; listening sessions are more flexible in length, guided by what you need on a given day. Exact scheduling and format will be confirmed with you directly during your initial consultation.

07Missed Appointments & Lateness

We ask that you provide as much notice as possible if you need to reschedule or cancel a session, so that time can be offered to someone else. Repeated missed appointments without notice may affect the continuity of your ongoing support, and our team may reach out to check in or discuss alternative arrangements.

08Crisis Situations

If, during a session, you disclose that you are in immediate danger, your counsellor or listener may take reasonable steps to help ensure your safety, which may include encouraging you to contact emergency services, providing crisis resources, or, in serious situations, breaking confidentiality as described in Section 4. Outside of session hours, please use our Crisis Resources page or contact emergency services directly — we are not able to provide real-time crisis monitoring between sessions.

09Client Responsibilities

• Provide accurate information during intake and throughout your sessions
• Attend sessions in a private, safe setting, free from immediate danger
• Communicate openly with your counsellor or listener about your needs and concerns
• Reach out to emergency services or crisis resources if you are in immediate danger, rather than relying solely on scheduled sessions
• Treat your counsellor, listener, and any other Heal & Revive staff or volunteers with respect

10Counsellor/Listener Responsibilities

• Provide support with professionalism, care, and respect for your autonomy
• Maintain confidentiality as described in Sections 3 and 4
• Practice within the scope of their training, and refer you elsewhere when your needs exceed that scope
• Maintain appropriate professional boundaries at all times, as described in our Code of Ethics
• Take reasonable steps to support your safety when a serious risk is disclosed

11Consent to Participate

By booking or attending a counselling or listening session with Heal & Revive, you confirm that you have read and understood this document, that you are voluntarily choosing to participate, and that you understand the limits of confidentiality described above. If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, participation may require parental or guardian consent, consistent with our Safeguarding Policy.