ANY USER ACCESSING THIS ARCOTHERAPY.COM WEBSITE NEED TO ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS LISTED BELOW. KINDLY READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CAREFULLY BEFORE REGISTERING FOR ONLINE COUNSELLING THERAPY. BY USING THIS SITE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. THESE TOR IS EFFECTIVE FROM 01 JANUARY 2022.

1. Registration with the site:

One need to register with the ARCOTHERAPY.COM website for availing  online counseling, medical or psychiatric services from registered medical practitioners, and addiction therapy. However, any member should be at least 18 years old to register.  Children can get counseling assistance and guidance from a professional Counsellor, but they need to be registered by their parents and have consent before using our services. Any identity cards approved by the Government of India is acceptable as an identity proof.

2. Privacy policy:

Any personal information collected will be kept strictly confidential and will not be provided to a third part except the Counsellor assigned. The website will collect basic information such as name, age, address, email id and the whatsapp mobile number at the time of registration and will require an identity proof while getting connected to a Counsellor. However, we may be compelled to pass on such information to the relevant authorities only if there is a threat to any life, whether suicidal or involving a third party.

3. Confidentiality:

Confidentiality is a fundamental right of the clients and counselors in the online counseling process and both the parties are bound by the protection of confidentiality. The information collected during the counseling process will remain with the respective counselor who are assigned. The information will not be shared with even ARCOTHERAPY.COM management.

4. Payments:

All payments to the services in ARCOTHERAPY.COM need to be paid in

advance prior to each session or as a package fee towards a fixed number of sessions.

The payments are classified into three categories: 1) Registration fee,  2) Therapy Package fee 3) Certificate course fee. All payments are channeled through the current account of the ARCO-India. The payments are routed through internet transfer to our HDFC account, by means of deposit by cash or cheque from anywhere in India, or by UPI channels such as PhonePe, google pay, etc.  The sessions will be scheduled only after the payment is received. A payment gateway may be created in future to make payment easier. No payments to be made directly to any therapists under ARCOTHERAPY.COM at any circumstances, unless instructed by the management.

5. Appointments & Cancellations:

The clients are given option to choose their own convenient time for a counseling session, but  the preferred time suggested at the time of booking is subjected to the availability of a therapist on the same time. Our Counsellor/ therapist will contact you for a mutually agreeable time for the video session. If the client is not available for the session, it may be postponed to a new date and time. Failure to attend the counseling session at three repeated schedules will result in cancellation of the appointment without reimbursement.

6. Referral services:

If a particular Counsellor finds it difficult to manage an allotted case  on any professional reasons, the client may be referred to a different Counsellor who has more expertise in the field. This decision could be taken by the assigned Counsellor in consultation with Managing Director of ARCOTHERAPY.COM. A client who is uncomfortable with a particular Counsellor also could suggest a change of therapist, but it will be at the full discretion of the management.

7. Website Content:

All the content described in the website are for information only and not for any research, referrals, or study purpose. The pictures used in website are only for representation and they are in no way indicating to any particular individuals. The clients can download the articles in the Psycho-education section only for the personal use. Most articles are either reproduced from expert writers and professionals solely for the purpose of awareness and education.The psycho education in ARCOTHERAPY.COM is taken from the Universal Treatment Curriculum of the Colombo Plan Drug Advisory Program and the INL, US Department of State.

8. Online Counseling for children:

Any teenage children or adolescents under the age of 18 should be attending to the counseling services only with the consent of their parents, with or without their presence during sessions. Parents who  refer to their teenage children for counseling should agree to this TOR and attend an introductory session themselves before making their children to attend online counseling. Only qualified counselors will be dealing with child counseling.

9. Eligibility for Online Counselling:

Online Counselling under ARCOTHERAPY.COM is open to only addiction related issues, co-occurring disorders and  mild mental health issues, relationship issues, and other substance induced disorders. Severe mental health issues like acute depression, Class 1 bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or those having suicidal tendencies, etc. are not covered in online counseling, even if they are related to substance use disorder.    Any clients attending a Counselling session under an intoxicated stage will be terminated from session at any stage and NO refunding shall be claimed.

10. Screening and Exclusions for Online Counselling:

Any clients with history of major psychiatric episodes, severe  dependence over alcohol or drugs without detoxification,  having any major psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia, major depression, suicidal attempts, violent behavior, etc will not be fit for online counseling. They will be referred to a psychiatrist or a hospital for inpatient care. Any clients showing symptoms of major mental illnesses will not be admitted to the Online counseling or they can be blocked from continuing in counseling if they exhibit any such symptoms during sessions. Clients using any abuse languages, violence or disrespect to the Counsellor will be terminated from our services. Clients will be allotted with a specialized Counsellor only after the initial screening for tele-therapy is done by the resident counselors at ARCOTHERAPY.COM

11. Internet connectivity:

Online counseling will be effective only if the video conferencing quality is good. A good internet connectivity is the basic requirement for imparting online services and both Counsellor and client should have a reasonably good internet connectivity from a reliable service provider. If any counseling process is interrupted from the week connectivity from the side of the Counsellor, the session could be rescheduled. If the connectivity problem is experienced from the client side, the counselor could consider a rescheduling, but not mandated. No refunding will be considered on such inciences.

12. Limitations of online Counselling:

Online counseling is effective subjected to several conditions such as good internet connectivity, privacy, an appropriate mental condition to receive counseling, basic technical knowhow on IT,  good motivation to change, and confidentiality. It is not a 100 percent substitute for one-to-one counseling in physical setting, but also has its merits like reduced social stigma and easy availability at any time from anywhere. A real person conduct this counseling and therapy sessions by fully being available to each other through the platform of internet.

13. Changes and Modifications:

ARCOTHERAPY.COM can make any changes or modifications to the terms and conditions mentioned above at any time and clients signing in for counseling are bound by the conditions. If any clauses are not acceptable to the client, he or she can avoid using our services.

14. Mutual Respect:

In ARCOTHERAPY.COM both the Counsellor and the client are bound by ethical boundaries and mutual respect. No breach of this condition be tolerated by the company. Any abusive languages from the clients, sexual comments or reactions that might interfere with the dignity of the counselor will be valid reason for termination of the session without consulting with the management of the company. No refunding will be done for the sessions terminated on the above reasons.

15. Video or audio recording of the session:

Neither the Client nor the Counsellor will be allowed to record the counseling session, either full or part, take screen shots, or snaps at any cost.  This is against the confidentiality and privacy policy of the Online counselling principles and any breach of this condition could result in discontinuation of the session and therapy.

16. Medical or Psychiatric consultation at ARCO:

ARCO is only an online therapy platform, specialized in addiction management. However, since addiction management requires medical or psychiatric consultations and tele-medicine support for withdrawal management and detoxification, ARCOTHERAPY.COM have engaged the professional services of registered doctors and psychiatrists who will be bound by the medical ethics and online tele-medicine policy for doctors. ARCO only connects the clients with a Psychiatrist or a Doctor and facilitate the process, but not responsible for the medical management of the clients. Clients have to sign a separate consent form and bound by the terms and conditions of the consent for tele –therapy with a doctor.