Terms & Conditions

1. About these terms

House of Sam Psychology and Coaching (ABN: 84976019784) and its related bodies corporate (together, we, us, our and other similar expressions) welcome you, the viewer and user of our website. These terms of use apply to your use of our website at www.houseofsam.org, our social media pages and any online facilities made available through those channels.

Before you browse or use any facilities on this website, it is important that you read, understand and agree to these terms of use. By using this website, you agree to be bound by these terms of use. If you do not accept these terms of use, you must not use this website or interact with our online facilities.

We may amend these terms of use from time to time. Amendments will be effective immediately following publication on this website. Your continued use of this website or our social media pages after publication of the amended terms will constitute acceptance of those amended terms.

You must not use this website if you are not of a legal age or capacity to form a binding contract with us.

2. About us and our services

House of Sam Psychology and Coaching is an Australian telehealth-only private practice. We provide psychology, coaching and programs specialising in grief and loss, including death-related and non-death losses, for individuals across the lifespan.

All services are delivered remotely via secure telehealth platforms. We do not operate a physical consulting room.

Our registered psychologists operate in accordance with the requirements of the Psychology Board of Australia, AHPRA and applicable professional and ethical standards.

3. Not a crisis or emergency service

This website, our social media pages and our services are not a crisis or emergency service. If you or someone you know is at immediate risk of harm, call 000 immediately. Crisis support is also available 24/7 from Lifeline (13 11 14), Suicide Call Back Service (1300 659 467) and Beyond Blue (1300 22 4636).

Accessing this website, following our social media accounts, submitting an enquiry or attending an initial consultation does not, of itself, create a therapeutic relationship. A professional relationship is established only once our intake process has been completed, a Client Service Agreement has been entered into and an appointment has been confirmed.

4. Access

You must ensure that your access to this website is not illegal or prohibited by laws that apply to you. We may terminate or suspend your access to this website at any time without notice.

5. Privacy

We treat all personal information submitted to us in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, hold and disclose personal information, including information collected through our website and social media pages. For more information about our Privacy Policy, please click here: privacy policy.

You should not submit sensitive clinical information, personal health information or details of your grief experience through public social media comments or posts. Social media is not a confidential environment. For clinical or sensitive matters, please contact us by email or through the Power Diary client portal.

6. Telehealth services

All psychology and coaching services are delivered via secure telehealth platforms. Telehealth appointments are conducted through Power Diary (Zanda), our secure practice management and video platform.

• You are responsible for ensuring that you have a reliable internet connection and a private, confidential location from which to attend sessions.

• Standard email and social media direct messages are not secure clinical communication channels and must not be used to transmit sensitive clinical information.

• Technical difficulties do not automatically entitle you to a refund. Where a session cannot proceed because of platform issues on our end, we will make reasonable efforts to reschedule.

Our services are available to individuals located in Australia. Some services may have age-specific requirements or require a referring practitioner. Please contact us to confirm eligibility before booking.

7. Appointments, cancellations and fees

Bookings:

Appointments are made through Power Diary (Zanda), our online booking system, or by contacting us directly. Appointment confirmations are sent by email or through the client portal.

Cancellations and late notice:

We require a minimum of 24 hours' notice for cancellation or rescheduling of appointments. Cancellations made with less than 24 hours' notice, or non-attendance without notice, may incur a cancellation fee as outlined in your Client Service Agreement.

Fees, Medicare and rebates:

Current fees are communicated at intake and are available on request. We will provide a fee schedule before services commence. Fees may be updated from time to time with reasonable notice.

Medicare rebates may be available for psychology services where a valid Mental Health Treatment Plan from a GP or psychiatrist is in place. It is your responsibility to obtain and provide a current referral. Coaching services are not eligible for Medicare rebates.

8. Restricted use and acceptable use

You may access and use this website and any content available on or accessible from this website for lawful, personal and non-commercial purposes only, unless we give our prior written approval.

You must not:

• Publish, sell, licence, sublicense or otherwise exploit any part of the website or its content without our prior written approval;

• Modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute any material from this website, including code or software, except as permitted by these terms of use;

• Use data mining, robots, screen scraping or similar tools on this website without our prior written consent;

• Upload or transmit viruses, malicious software or harmful code;

• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your identity or affiliation;

• Post or share content that is abusive, harassing, threatening, defamatory, discriminatory, offensive, misleading or deceptive;

• Share another person’s personal, health or sensitive information without their consent;

• Post or share content that could harm, distress or endanger vulnerable individuals, including people experiencing grief, loss or mental health challenges; or

• Use our website, social media pages or online facilities for unsolicited commercial promotion or spam.

9. Content

All content is provided by us or by others in good faith. You accept that content provided by us is general information only and is not psychological, medical, legal, financial or other professional advice. Content relating to grief, loss and mental health is shared for informational and educational purposes only and is not a substitute for personalised professional advice.

While we take care to ensure content is accurate and current, we make no representation about the accuracy, completeness, reliability, suitability or usefulness of the content or its fitness for any particular purpose. You should make your own enquiries and seek advice from an appropriately qualified professional before acting or relying on any content.

Where content provided by others contains opinions or judgements of third parties, we do not endorse those opinions or judgements, nor their accuracy or reliability.

10. Social media and communication facilities

Our social media accounts, including Facebook/Meta, Instagram and LinkedIn, are used to share educational content, service information and community support relating to grief, loss and wellbeing. We may respond to comments or direct messages for general enquiries, moderate comments, remove or hide content, and block or restrict users who breach these terms of use or our community standards.

We do not provide psychological advice, clinical guidance or crisis support via social media. We do not publish, share or comment on information that could identify a person as a client, and we do not enter into or accept a therapeutic relationship initiated through social media direct message.

Our social media activity is conducted in accordance with the AHPRA Social Media Policy and relevant professional board guidelines. We do not publish client testimonials, make misleading claims about our services or share content that could breach our professional or ethical obligations. If you leave a review or testimonial on any platform, we may be limited in how we can respond publicly in order to protect confidentiality.

This website may contain communication facilities, including online enquiry forms, feedback forms, electronic messaging, blog, forum, chat room, notice services or social media functions. You acknowledge that communication facilities may be public and not private communications, and may not be reviewed, screened or approved by us before publication.

11. User-submitted content

If you submit information or material to us, including through contact forms, website feedback, social media comments, direct messages or reviews on any platform, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use that content to operate our website, provide or improve our services, respond to your enquiry, moderate our online facilities and otherwise exercise our rights and comply with our obligations under these terms, subject to our Privacy Policy and applicable professional obligations.

You confirm that any content you submit does not infringe the rights of any third party, is not unlawful, defamatory, misleading or abusive, does not contain malicious code or unsolicited marketing material and does not include another person’s personal or health information without their consent.

Comments and posts made on public social media pages are visible to other users and the general public. We are not responsible for how third parties view, use or respond to publicly submitted content. We reserve the right to remove or decline to publish any submitted content at our discretion.

12. Advertisements and third-party content

Responsibility for the content of any advertisements or third-party content on this website, including hyperlinks to third-party websites, rests solely with the relevant advertiser or third party. The placement of an advertisement, third-party content or hyperlink on this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement by us of that advertiser, third party, product or service.

13. Intellectual property

Copyright in the content and this website, including text, graphics, logos, icons, resources, downloadable materials, branding, sound recordings and software, is owned or licensed by us and is protected by the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and other applicable intellectual property laws.

Other than for the purposes of, and subject to the conditions prescribed under, the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth) and similar legislation which applies in your location, and except as expressly authorised by these terms of use, you must not adapt, reproduce, distribute, print, display, perform, publish or create derivative works from any part of this website or use any content, goods or services obtained from any part of this website for commercial purposes without our prior written approval.

If any of our trade marks are displayed on this website, you must not use them without our prior written approval. This website may also display names and logos that are trade marks of third parties. You must not use those trade marks without the prior written approval of the relevant owner.

14. Territorial restriction

We make no representation that the content is appropriate or available for use outside Australia. If you choose to access this website from other locations, you do so at your own risk and on your own initiative, and you are responsible for compliance with any applicable local laws.

15. Viruses and security of information

You must take your own precautions to ensure that the process you use to access this website does not expose you to viruses, malicious computer code or other forms of interference which may damage your own computer system. We do not accept responsibility for any interference or damage to your computer system arising in connection with your use of this website or any linked website.

No data transmission over the internet can be guaranteed as totally secure. While we strive to protect information we transmit and receive, we do not warrant and cannot assure the security of any information that you transmit to us.

16. Linked sites and third-party platforms

This website and our social media pages may contain links to external websites, including Power Diary (Zanda), crisis support services, professional resources and other third-party platforms. Links are provided for convenience only and may not remain current or be maintained.

We do not sponsor, endorse, adopt, confirm, guarantee or approve the content or representations made on linked websites or third-party platforms. We are not responsible for their content, accuracy, availability, privacy practices, data handling or moderation decisions. You should review the terms and privacy settings of any third-party platform you use.

No links from external websites to this website are permitted without our prior written approval.

17. Limitation of liability

Nothing in these terms of use is intended to modify, limit or exclude any right, remedy, guarantee, term, condition, warranty, undertaking, inducement or representation implied or imposed by law which cannot lawfully be modified, limited or excluded, including under the Australian Consumer Law in Schedule 2 of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 (Cth).

To the extent permitted by law, we exclude all other guarantees, terms, conditions, warranties, undertakings, inducements or representations, whether express or implied, statutory or otherwise, which would otherwise be implied into these terms of use concerning the activities covered by these terms of use.

Subject to our obligations under any non-excludable provisions, we do not accept responsibility for any loss or damage, however caused, which you may directly or indirectly suffer in connection with your use of this website, our social media pages, linked websites, third-party platforms or any content, nor do we accept responsibility for any loss arising out of your use of or reliance on content.

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable to you or any third party for any economic loss, loss of profits, revenue, savings, production, business, opportunity, access to markets, goodwill, reputation, credit, publicity, data, use or interest, business interruption, or any special, indirect, consequential, incidental, punitive, exemplary or unforeseeable loss arising in connection with any use of, access to, inability to use, or misuse of this website, our social media pages or any content.

18. Indemnity

You agree to hold harmless and indemnify us and our officers, agents, practitioners, employees and contractors against any loss, damage, costs or expenses that we or they may incur in connection with your breach of these terms of use or any other legal obligation, your use of this website, your use of our social media pages or any use of this website through an account registered in your name.

This indemnity is a continuing obligation, separate and independent from the other obligations under these terms of use, and includes legal costs and disbursements on a full indemnity basis to the extent permitted by law.

19. General

Headings in these terms of use are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation. A reference to a statute or other law includes regulations and other instruments under it and consolidations, amendments, re-enactments or replacements of any of them.

Except as expressly provided to the contrary, we may give or withhold an approval or consent in our absolute discretion and subject to any conditions determined by us. We are not obliged to give our reasons for giving or withholding a consent or approval, or for giving a consent or approval subject to conditions.

None of your rights or obligations under these terms of use may be assigned or transferred without our prior written consent. Nothing in these terms of use or your use of this website will constitute you and us as principal and agent, employer and employee, partners or otherwise liable for the acts or omissions of each other.

These terms of use record the entire agreement between you and us in relation to your use of this website and supersede all prior contracts, arrangements, understandings or negotiations in relation to your use of this website. You may also be subject to additional terms and conditions that apply when you use particular services available on or through this website, including any Client Service Agreement.

All warranties, releases, exclusions and limitations of liability, indemnities, and terms with respect to intellectual property and confidential information in these terms of use will remain valid and binding following expiry or termination of these terms of use. Any other provision which by its nature is intended to survive expiry or termination also survives expiry or termination.

A failure, delay or omission by us to exercise, or partially exercise, a right, power or remedy under these terms of use does not operate as a waiver of that right, power or remedy. We only waive a right, power or remedy by explicitly doing so in a written notice to you, and the waiver is strictly limited to the matters specified in the notice.

If any provision of these terms of use is determined by a court or other competent tribunal or authority to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable, then where possible the provision must be read down to the extent necessary to make it legal, valid and enforceable. If it cannot be read down, it must be severed and the remaining provisions continue to operate.

20. Governing law

These terms of use are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. Each party submits to the jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales, Australia in connection with matters concerning these terms of use.

21. Contact us

For questions or concerns about these terms of use, please contact:

House of Sam Psychology and Coaching

Email: info@houseofsam.org

Website: www.houseofsam.org

By using this website or interacting with our social media pages, you confirm that you have read, understood and agreed to these terms of use.