The Stigman Group

TERMS OF USE

LAST UPDATED: JUNE 1 2024


DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE FOR EMERGENCY MEDICAL NEEDS. IF YOU EXPERIENCE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY. IF YOU ARE THINKING ABOUT SUICIDE OR IF YOU ARE CONSIDERING TAKING ACTIONS THAT MAY CAUSE HARM TO YOU OR TO OTHERS OR IF YOU FEEL THAT YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON MAY BE IN ANY DANGER OR IF YOU HAVE ANY MEDICAL EMERGENCY, YOU MUST IMMEDIATELY CALL THE EMERGENCY SERVICE NUMBER AND NOTIFY THE RELEVANT AUTHORITIES. FOR USERS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA, THE CRISIS LINE PHONE NUMBER IS 604 951 8855 OR 1-877-820-7444. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE CRISIS LINE FOR BRITISH COLUMBIA USERS, PLEASE VISIT: https://www.options.bc.ca/program/fraser-health-crisis-line. FOR USERS OUTSIDE OF BRITISH COLUMBIA OR ANYWHERE IN CANADA, THE CRISIS LINE PHONE NUMBER IS 1-833-456-4566. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THE NATIONAL CRISIS LINE, PLEASE VISIT: https://www.crisisservicescanada.ca/en/.  

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern and apply to your access and use of the Services provided by The Stigman Group (“Stigman”) and/or the Service Provider, and shall apply to all Sessions with your Service Provider.
For greater certainty, Sessions include online Sessions, telephone Sessions, and in-person Sessions. These Terms also govern and apply to your access and use of this Website.

 

By accessing or using the Website and/or by booking a Session, you agree to comply with and to be bound by all of the terms and
conditions described in these Terms. If you do not agree to all of these Terms, you are not authorized to use the Website or book a Session. The terms “you,” “your,” and “yourself” refer to the individual user of this Website and/or a client of The Stigman Group who creates an Account.

 

You hereby certify that you are (i) the Age of Majority in the province/territory that you reside, and that you have the legal ability to
consent to the Sessions, and (ii) physically located or are a resident of the location you have chosen as your current residency when creating your Account. You agree to provide emergency contact information to us (or to your Service Provider upon their request) to act as an information source to be used in case of a mental health crisis or other emergency where knowledge of your location is crucial. You acknowledge that your ability to access Services is conditioned upon the truthfulness of the information you provide when completing an Intake Consent Form as well as the information you provide to your Service Provider. You further acknowledge that your Service Provider will rely upon the information you provide, and your certification of the truth and accuracy
thereof, to interact with you and provide the Services.

 

1. INTERPRETATION

1.1 The following terms have the following meanings:

- “Account” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.1 of these Terms.

- “Account Information” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.1 of these Terms.

- “Age of Majority” means the age at which a person is considered by law to be an adult. For greater certainty, the age of majority is 18 in six provinces: Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, and Saskatchewan. The age of majority is 19 in four provinces and the three territories: British Columbia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, and Yukon.

- “BCACC” means the British Columbia Association of Clinical Counsellors.

- “BCCSW” means the British Columbia College of Social Workers.

- “CCC” means Canadian Certified Counsellor. A person who receives the “CCC” counselling designation in British Columbia has met specific educational and training criteria required by the CCPA.

- “CCPA” means Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association.

- “Clinical Counsellor” means a certified counsellor, duly registered as a member in good standing with the BCACC and/or the CCPA. For greater certainty, the term “Clinical Counsellor” is limited to those certified counsellors presented to you or engaged by you via The Stigman Group.

- “Content” has the meaning set forth in Section 2.1.

- “CPBC” means The College of Psychologists of British Columbia which is the governing regulatory body for the profession of
psychology in British Columbia.

- “CPCA” means the Canadian Professional Counsellors Association.

- “CPO” means The College of Psychologists of Ontario.

- “CRPO” means the College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario.

- “Fees” has the meaning given to such term in Section 6.1 of these Terms.

- “ICF” means the International Coaching Federation.

- “Intake Consent Form” means an agreement between you and The Stigman Group which you will be required to complete and execute prior to booking any Sessions. For greater certainty, the Intake Consent Form will be presented to you through our designated software platform prior to booking a Session with a Service Provider. The Intake Consent Form incorporates these
Terms, and by agreeing to the Intake Consent Form, you acknowledge and agree that you agree to these Terms. You acknowledge and agree that this is not the same as the intake consent form provided to you by your Service Provider.

- “Jane Software Inc” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.1 of these Terms.

- “Jane Software Inc Privacy Policy” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.4.

- “Jane Software Inc Terms” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.4.

- “Stigman Group Privacy Policy” has the meaning given to such term in Section 3.4.

- “Personal Coach” means a certified coach with accreditation from ICF as one of the following: Associate Certified Coach (ACC), Professional Certified Coach (PCC), or a Master Certified Coach (MCC). A person who receives accreditation through ICF has met specific theoretical and training criteria required by ICF.

- “Personal Health Information” with respect to an individual, whether living or deceased, means:

(a) information concerning the physical or mental health of the individual;

(b) information concerning any health service provided to the individual;

(c) information concerning the donation by the individual of any body part or any bodily substance of the individual or information derived from the testing or examination of a body part or bodily substance of the individual;

(d) information that is collected in the course of providing health services to the individual; or

(e) information that is collected incidentally to the provision of health services to the
individual.

- “Personal Information” means information about an identifiable individual, including without limitation, Personal Health
Information.

- “Psychologist” means a registered psychologist in British Columbia having completed doctoral level study and supervised practice experience or the equivalent.

- “Psychologists Regulation” means the Health Professions Act Psychologists Regulation B.C. Reg. 289/2008.

- “RCC” means Registered Clinical Counsellor. A person who receives the “RCC” counselling designation in British Columbia has met specific educational and training criteria required by the BCACC.

- “RP” means Registered Psychotherapist. A person who receives the “RP” certification with CRPO (College of Registered
Psychotherapists of Ontario) or with CPCA (Canadian Counselling and Psychotherapy Association).

- “RPC” means Registered Professional Counsellor. A person who receives the “RPC” certification with the CPCA (The Canadian Professional Counsellors Association).

- “RSW” means Registered Social Worker. A person who receives the “RSW” certification with the BCCSW (British Columbia College of Social Workers) for Registered Social Workers providing service in BC or with the OCSWSSW (The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Worker) for Registered Social Workers providing service in Ontario.

- “Services” means the counselling or psychology services you receive from a Clinical Counsellor or a Psychologist, as applicable, via Sessions booked through The Stigman Group.

- “Service Provider” means Clinical Counsellor or Psychologist, as applicable.

- “Sessions” means each counselling session between you and a Service Provider as booked by you through The Stigman Group, including without limitation, online/virtual, in-person, or telephone sessions.

- “Terms” means these terms and conditions.

- “Website” means this Stigman Group website.

 

2. SITE CONTENT

2.1 Other than the advice you receive directly from your Service Provider, the other educational, graphics, research sources and other incidental information on the Website (the “Content”) should not be considered medical advice. You should always talk to an appropriately qualified health care professional for diagnosis and treatment, including information regarding which medications or treatment may be appropriate for you. None of the Content represents or warrants that any particular medication or treatment is safe, appropriate, or effective for you.

 

3. ACCOUNT & JANE SOFTWARE INC

3.1 To access the Services, you will be required to establish an individual user account (“Account”) through a third-party software
provider that we use, Jane Software Inc (“Jane”).

3.2 You acknowledge and agree that by creating your Account, you will be required to complete the Intake Consent Form, and provide certain information, including without limitation, your Personal Information (collectively, your “Account Information”). You agree that you will not create more than one Account, or create an Account for anyone other than yourself. You acknowledge and agree that you will:

(a) provide true, accurate, current and complete Account Information as required when enrolling for an Account through the Site; and

(b) each time you log on, maintain and promptly update such Account Information to keep it true, accurate, current and complete.

3.3 If you provide any Account Information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, or if The Stigman Group or a Service Provider has reasonable grounds to suspect that such Account Information is untrue, inaccurate, not current or incomplete, The Stigman Group reserves the right to transition your treatment to another health care provider outside of The Stigman Group and refuse any future request(s) for Services. You shall at all times remain responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your Account password and username (if any) and any other security information related to your Account. The Stigman Group will not be liable for any loss that you incur as a result of anyone accessing and using your Account either with or
without your knowledge.

3.4 You recognize that Jane is a third-party software used to provide online booking, charting, scheduling, and billing
services to The Stigman Group. You acknowledge and agree that your use of the Jane is subject to the terms and conditions of use found at Jane's website https://jane.app/legal/terms-of-use; the Jane's Privacy Policy found at https://jane.app/legal/privacy-policy, as well as The Stigman Group’s Privacy Policy found at https://thestigmangroup.com/privacy) (the “Stigman Group Privacy Policy”).

 

4. SESSIONS

4.1 The Site can be used to connect you with a Service Provider who will provide Services to you through an online/virtual, telephone, or in-person Session. We require every Service Provider providing Services through The Stigman Group to be an accredited, trained, and experienced licensed Clinical Counsellor or Psychologist, pursuant to the laws of British
Columbia.

4.2 You acknowledge that while the Services may provide significant benefits for you, the results are not guaranteed, and your progress depends on various factors.

4.3 You agree to comply with the relevant professional codes of ethics and standards, such as those from BCACC, CPBC, and other applicable regulatory bodies, during your Sessions.

4.4 You acknowledge and agree that your Sessions with Service Providers may be monitored and/or recorded by The Stigman Group for quality assurance, training, and supervision purposes.

 

5. PAYMENT AND FEES

5.1 You agree to pay all applicable fees related to your Sessions (“Fees”). Fees are determined at the time of booking, and you will be charged based on the rates provided to you during the booking process.

5.2 Fees must be paid at the end of each session. If fees are not paid at the end of the session, no future appointments can be made until fees are reconciled.

5.3 All Fees are non-refundable, except in cases where a Service Provider is unavailable for a scheduled Session, in which case you may receive a full refund or the option to reschedule your Session at no additional cost.

 

6. CANCELLATION AND RESCHEDULING

6.1 If you need to cancel or reschedule a Session, you must do so at least 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged the full Fee.

6.2 Cancellations or rescheduling requests made less than 24 hours before the scheduled Session may result in you being charged the full Fee for that Session.

6.3 The Stigman Group and/or your Service Provider reserves the right to cancel or reschedule Sessions as necessary. In such cases, you will be notified as soon as possible, and you will not be charged any Fees for the canceled Session.

 

7. DISCLAIMERS

7.1 The Services provided by The Stigman Group and its Service Providers are not medical services, and the Content on the Website is not medical advice.

7.2 The Stigman Group makes no representations or warranties regarding the availability, accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any information or Content provided on the Website or through the Services.

7.3 You acknowledge that using the Services involves risks, and The Stigman Group is not liable for any direct or indirect damages arising from your use of the Services.

 

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

8.1 To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Stigman Group and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, and licensors
will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including without limitation, loss of profits, data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses resulting from (i) your access to or use of or inability to access or use the Services; (ii) any conduct or content of any third party on the Services, including without limitation, any defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of other users or third parties; and (iii) unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content.

 

9. INDEMNIFICATION

9.1 You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Stigman Group, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents,
licensors, and suppliers from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, expenses, fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from or related to (i) your use of the Services; (ii) your violation of these Terms; and (iii) your violation of any rights of another.

 

10. GENERAL PROVISIONS

10.1 These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and The Stigman Group regarding your use of the Services and supersede any prior agreements or understandings.

10.2 The failure of The Stigman Group to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of such right or
provision.

10.3 If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions of these Terms will remain in full
force and effect.

10.4 These Terms and your use of the Services will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of
British Columbia, without regard to its conflict of law principles. You agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in British Columbia to resolve any disputes arising out of these Terms or the Services.

 

11. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact The Stigman Group at

[email protected]  

By accessing the Website and/or using the Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms.