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Informed consent for clients undergoing counseling or therapy

 

The delivery of psychology services via technology to mediate the interaction between professional and client for counseling or therapy is a scientifically validated practice.

This practice adheres to and binds professionals to the “Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses” Code of Ethics, as well as all applicable legislation, particularly in matters relating to the protection of individuals in relation to the processing of personal data and the free movement of such data.

It is in compliance with these assumptions that MindFirst provides the following information regarding the interaction to be established within the scope of the therapeutic practice and collects the explicit and informed consent from the clients for the development of the underlying technical and commercial relationship.

 1 - OThe data collected by MindFirst within the scope of the developed activity is intended to: 1) inform professionals in order to prepare for the upcoming sessions; 2) carry out the accounting and invoicing operations inherent to the services provided; 3) carry out the dissemination of campaigns, promotions, and training events organization; and 4) proceed with the clinical process documentation.

2 – The MindFirst platform, within the scope of the developed activity, stores data required for the preparation of the session (increasing their efficiency), data necessary for carrying out accounting andinvoicing operations inherent to the services provided and other data necessary for the dissemination of campaigns, promotions and organization of training events.

3 - The data collected by the MindFirst platform will be kept for a maximum of twenty-four months after the last use, unless required by law to be kept for a longer period.

4 - In order to carry out counseling or therapy sessions, the client authorizes the professional to make audio or video recordings for the purposes of subsequent transcription of information if he considers it strictly necessary, with the professional responsible for destroying that content within 24 hours of obtaining it.

5 - The client is not permitted to record audio or video during the sessions.

6 – Data subjects may request information about their personal data at any time on the MindFirst platform.

7 – Data subjects may request the deletion and/or destruction of personal data stored on the platform at any time, except for those required for legal reasons (for example, data for tax purposes), and without regard to any contrary provisions in applicable legislation.

8 - The use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in psychological intervention may still present a number of challenges and limitations, including technological issues caused by slow connections; issues related to security, privacy, and confidentiality arising from the use of ICT, such as mechanisms for recording and tracking communications or unauthorized access to the content of interventions by third parties. It is critical for the customer to ensure the security of his equipment by installing threat detection software's and not conducting sessions on public computers.

9 – In the event of a data security breach, the respective data holders and their legal representatives will be notified.

10 – The security risks that may occur during or after the use of communication technologies are common to all platforms with an internet presence, namely data theft, data hijacking, or equipment contamination due to customer use of outdated software.

11 – MindFirst disclaims any liability arising from the identified risks or others that cannot be directly and solely attributed to it.

12 – MindFirst is a technological platform that connects clients and professionals. MindFirst develops its activity using the Twillio platform, which adheres to the ISO 27001 standard. ISO 27001 is the standard and international reference for information security management.

13 - The communication servers use encrypted data transfer systems, the security standards and guarantees can be found at https://www.twilio.com/security.

14 – The price for services is fixed by the MindFirst platform at the time the client proceeds to payment. Following payment, the corresponding payment receipt is emailed to the recipient's email address.

15 – Communication between the client and the professional can be either synchronous or asynchronous. Communication, regardless of typology, occurs via the MindFirst platform in one of the following ways: Chat, video, or audio.

16 – By agreement between the professional and the client, different modes of communication may be used in conjunction.

By agreeing to this consent, the customer declares that he has been adequately informed about all matters pertinent to the provision of the contracted services, as well as the preservation of his rights, freedoms, and guarantees.