Mothering Minds – Terms of Service
Effective Date: 01/05/2025 | Website: www.motheringminds.uk
Mothering Minds Ltd — Registered in England & Wales
1. Introduction
At Mothering Minds, we believe that having a clear understanding of the terms under which you access our services is key to creating a safe and transparent space for your wellbeing. These Terms of Service (“Terms”) set out the agreement between you and Mothering Minds Ltd (“we”, “us”, “our”), and cover your use of our website www.motheringminds.uk (the “Website”) and any services you access through it.
By using our Website and services, you agree to these Terms. Please read them carefully before booking.
2. About Us & How Our Service Works
Mothering Minds Ltd is a UK-based platform supporting perinatal mental health. Our services include:
- A therapist matching and booking platform connecting clients with qualified, independent psychotherapists and counsellors
- Psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling sessions delivered by those independent practitioners
- Workshops and events
- Peer support groups
- Free and paid mental health resources
Important: Therapy sessions are delivered by self-employed, independent practitioners, not by Mothering Minds Ltd as employees. Each therapist holds their own qualifications, professional registration, and professional indemnity insurance. Clinical responsibility for the therapy relationship rests with your individual therapist, not with Mothering Minds Ltd.
How booking and matching works:
- All new clients begin with a Clinical Assessment session to help us understand your needs and match you with the most suitable therapist.
- Following booking, we aim to match you with a therapist within 48 hours.
- Once matched, your therapist will contact you directly to arrange session details.
- Ongoing therapy sessions are arranged directly between you and your therapist.
Our services are preventative and supportive in nature. We do not provide emergency or acute crisis services.
3. Confidentiality and Data Protection
Confidentiality is at the heart of our therapeutic work. It enables trust and supports the safety of your therapeutic relationship. Our psychotherapy, counselling, and peer support services operate on a confidential basis to help you feel able to speak openly and honestly.
3.1 Limits of Confidentiality
Confidentiality may only be broken in specific circumstances:
- If there is a serious risk to your life or the life of others
- If there is a legal obligation to disclose (for example, child protection concerns or a court order)
- If you disclose information about serious criminal activity
- If required under professional codes of ethics for safeguarding purposes
Wherever possible, your therapist will discuss this with you first and ensure you are fully informed. If it is not possible to discuss beforehand (for example, in an emergency), the therapist will use their professional discretion.
3.2 Internal Sharing for Clinical Reasons
If more than one therapist or facilitator is involved in your care, relevant clinical notes may be shared between practitioners to ensure safe, joined-up support. Only practitioners working directly with you will access your notes, and this will always be done securely and documented appropriately.
3.3 Peer Support Groups — Important Notice
Peer support groups are facilitated open spaces, not therapy groups. While we ask all participants to respect group confidentiality, the nature of peer support means we cannot guarantee complete confidentiality. Please consider this before sharing personal information in group settings.
3.4 Data Protection
We comply with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018 in how we store, use, and protect your personal data. We retain your data only for as long as is necessary for clinical, legal, and audit purposes. For full details, see our Privacy Policy at www.motheringminds.uk.
4. GP and Emergency Contact Details
We require all clients accessing psychotherapy or counselling to provide:
- The name and contact details of your GP (or equivalent primary care provider), and
- An emergency contact in your country of residence
We cannot begin therapy services without this information. Sessions booked without GP/emergency details may be cancelled and charged in line with our Cancellation Policy.
For clients based outside the UK, please provide the equivalent local emergency contact and primary care details. These details will only be used in the event of a serious safeguarding or emergency concern.
5. Suitability
Our services are designed to offer preventative, proactive mental health support and personal development, providing an opportunity to explore life pressures and promote wellbeing.
We are not able to support clients in acute mental health crisis or clients experiencing active suicidal ideation.
If you are in crisis or need immediate help, please contact:
- 999 — UK emergency services
- Samaritans at www.samaritans.org or phone 116 123 (UK, free, 24/7)
- NHS 111 — for urgent (non-emergency) medical concerns
If, following your booking, we assess that our services are not suitable for your current needs, we will contact you directly to discuss this and, where appropriate, arrange a refund or transfer to a more suitable resource.
Our services are offered to adults aged 18 and over. If you are under 18 and seeking support, you can contact Childline at www.childline.org.uk or phone 0800 1111.
6. Client Conduct
While we understand that our sessions may bring up strong emotions, threatening or abusive behaviour towards our staff, therapists, facilitators, or other clients will not be tolerated.
Such behaviour may result in:
- The immediate ending of the session
- Liability for the full session cost
- Termination of access to our services
7. Bookings, Payment & Session Packages
Payment for psychotherapy, counselling, workshops, and events must be made in advance via our secure booking system or payment processor.
Fees for peer support groups (where applicable) are payable in advance.
7.1 Session Packages
Where sessions are purchased as a package or bundle:
- Purchased sessions must be used within six (6) months of the date of purchase. Sessions not used within this period will expire and no refund will be issued for unused sessions.
- Refunds on partially used packages will not ordinarily be given, except where we have assessed that our services are not suitable for your needs (see Section 5) or where required by law.
- All package terms, including expiry, will be confirmed at the time of purchase.
7.2 Corporate and Company Packages
For company or corporate packages, a separate written agreement will be provided prior to services commencing, which may include different terms regarding payment, cancellation, and session allocation.
8. Cancellation Policy
It is important to us that sessions work well for both you and your therapist. When a session is booked, that time is reserved exclusively for you. Late cancellations or missed sessions mean that this time cannot be offered to others.
8.1 Client Cancellations
- Please provide at least 48 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule without charge.
- Cancellations with less than 48 hours’ notice, or missed appointments, will be charged the full session fee.
- If a session is booked less than 48 hours in advance, cancellation will automatically incur the full fee.
- Missed session fees will be charged to your card on file or deducted from any pre-purchased session package.
8.2 Therapist Cancellations
We expect our therapists to provide as much notice as possible. Where a therapist cancels or is significantly delayed (more than 15 minutes without prior notice), you will be offered a rescheduled session at no additional charge. We aim to minimise disruption to your therapeutic relationship.
9. Complaints Procedure
Mothering Minds welcomes feedback and takes all complaints seriously. We aim to resolve concerns promptly, fairly, and in a way that preserves the therapeutic relationship where possible.
If you have a concern or complaint:
- In the first instance, please raise your concern directly with our team by emailing therapy@motheringminds.com.
- We will acknowledge receipt of your complaint within 5 working days.
- We will provide a full written response within 20 working days.
- If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate to the relevant professional body (for example, BACP, UKCP) of the therapist involved.
Therapists registered with BACP or UKCP are bound by their respective codes of ethics, which include independent complaints processes available to clients.
10. Disclaimer
The content of our Website is provided for information purposes only. While we take great care to ensure accuracy, we cannot guarantee that information is complete or up to date.
Nothing on our Website constitutes medical or crisis advice. Decisions based on information found here are your responsibility, and we do not accept liability for any outcomes.
11. Limitations of Liability
Mothering Minds Ltd does not accept liability for:
- Loss of access to the Website due to technical issues
- Any injury, loss, damage, or costs arising from use of the Website
- Third-party links or external content
- Technical difficulties related to a user’s device or internet connection
- Viruses or data corruption arising from use of the Website or services
Therapist liability: Therapy and counselling sessions are delivered by independent, self-employed practitioners who are responsible for their own professional practice. Each therapist holds their own professional indemnity insurance. Mothering Minds Ltd does not accept liability for the acts, omissions, or professional decisions of independent therapist contractors. Clinical outcomes remain the professional responsibility of your individual therapist.
Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited under English law.
12. Equal Opportunities
Mothering Minds is committed to equality, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our service delivery. We work to ensure every client is treated with dignity and respect regardless of age, disability, gender, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.
13. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. The latest version will always be published on our Website with the updated Effective Date. Continued use of the Website and services after changes are published indicates your acceptance of the revised Terms. We will notify existing clients of material changes where reasonably practicable.
14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.
15. Contact Us
If you have questions about these Terms or our services, please contact our team:
Email: hi@motheringminds.com
Website: www.motheringminds.uk
Registered address: Mothering Minds Ltd, 86-90 Paul Street, London EC2A 4NE