Confidentiality and Consent to Services at The Whitestone Clinic

Course Terms and Conditions

Thank you for your interest in The Whitestone Clinic’s courses, including your first registration! Please read over all the terms of confidentiality and consent below before creating your account. These terms pertain to course programs and facilitated services offered by The Whitestone Clinic, including a course program disclaimer.

Confidentiality and Risks

1. There are reasons (goals) & risks (painful consequences) involved in undergoing course programs for mental health healing.
2. There are other options or alternatives available outside of, or alongside, course programs.
3. The course facilitator(s) and mentors are those named as teachers specified in Moodle under the course you are enrolling in.
4. My course facilitator(s) or mentor(s) are not providing psychotherapy or any clinically regulated services (including, but not limited to, medical or psychiatric diagnoses, assessments, and clinical treatment) through any course program or module, even though they may be qualified to offer these services in the state or province they reside in.
5. By continuing with account creation, I agree to not hold The Whitestone Clinic and anyone in service to The Whitestone Clinic (such as, though not excluded to, course facilitators and mentors) liable for any financial compensation or indemnity due to adverse mental health outcomes as a result of the course programs, including (though not limited to) emotional disturbances (e.g., traumas), consequences these emotional disturbances may have on my life, and any other challenges aligned with the risks that come with mental health healing.
6. The Whitestone Clinic does not provide medical or psychiatric care, nor does it offer treatment for the issue of pedophilia.
7. The Privacy Policy and my rights pertaining to privacy including the partner information exchange requirements, if applicable.
8. That my sharing in course programs (e.g., submitting written answers) is confidential except when:

9. I agree to keep confidential the identity of other members in the course programs or modules where their names may be displayed, as well as the content of what they share in the courses, and that breach of that confidentiality will mean dismissal from the program.
10. I agree to not hold The Whitestone Clinic, or its representatives (e.g., facilitators and mentors), responsible for any breach of confidentiality committed by another course participant for matters discussed within or outside of the course program between members.

Time Commitment

11. I understand that missing any part of a course program or module will have an impact on the quality of learning.
12. I understand that it is my responsibility to catch up on any readings and tasks (e.g., journal reflections, short videos) I’ve missed.
13. Each course program is structured differently, and setting aside an optimal amount of time for learning will vary. I am aware I should set aside enough time to meaningfully engage in the course, and that it is my responsibility to commit an optimal degree of time to make the most of my learning.

14. The course program or module fee is the same regardless of how much I participate in the course program or module.

Course Closure (Completion, Dismissal, or Termination)

15. I am aware that purchasing a course will grant me access to that course and all relevant content insofar as the course remains available on the platform it is offered in (e.g., Moodle).
16. I understand there are particular behaviors or conditions (e.g., breaching confidentiality) that may lead to my dismissal from a course program or module before completion, and that these behaviors or conditions are explicitly stated either in this agreement or on particular sections of the course program or module I’m enrolled in.
17. My decision to complete this course program or module is at my discretion. There will be no credits or money returned, and I am aware that my decision to discontinue the course program or module may affect any therapeutic gain due to incompletion of the program.

Class Sessions

Relationships Between Members Outside of Facilitated Class

18. If course members exchange emails, phone numbers, or personal information, The Whitestone Clinic, its representatives, and those in service to The Whitestone Clinic are not responsible for how that information is used by others.
19. When communicating member to member, outside of the course program and its platforms, each member is expected to keep confidence by not speaking about members who are not present for that conversation.

20. If I have signed up for class sessions, I agree not to lend money, hire, live with, or engage in romantic or sexual relations with any other class participant, as dual relationships of this nature can bring conflictual dynamics into the facilitated class setting. Entering a dual relationship with another class participant will lead to one or both members being dismissed from the class.

Confidentiality within a Facilitated Class

21. If I have signed up for class sessions, I accept that the use of any recording device is prohibited in a facilitated class session. Taking personal written notes for my own treatment goals is permitted, and I accept that I am prohibited from recording in writing the personal information of another unless consent has been given by that individual.

Exceptions to Regular Times for Facilitated Classes

22. There are no class sessions that fall on the day or the eve of Christmas, New Year’s, or other Federal Statutory Holidays in Canada.
23. If a class session is postponed because of a Statutory Holiday, it will resume on the following session date agreed upon by the group and the facilitator or mentor in continuation of the curriculum.
24. A class session is by an online platform such as ZOOM. When online, participating members are expected to speak from secure lines where no other party can listen in, and to be in a physical place that allows them to speak freely. A participating member must not use speaker phone or Bluetooth options unless they are alone (e.g., in a private space where they cannot easily be heard outside of that space).

Missed Classes and Course Fee

25. The missing of a class session, either in whole or in part, will not be financially compensated as class fees cover all sessions paid for (and is not a fee per session). There will be no receipt issued for insurance purposes for class sessions that a course member misses.

Additional Terms

26. Failure to recall the conditions of this agreement does not constitute an exception to the agreement.

Course Program Disclaimer

The Use of the Term, ‘Therapy’

The term ‘Therapy’ in course programs (e.g., in title or in specific components of the readings) will never refer to ‘psychotherapy’ or its use thereof, even if the facilitator or mentor qualifies as a practicing psychotherapist as legally defined in the area the course member lives in.

In the event that a course program offers psychotherapy as part of a package (or ‘add on’), the course will explicitly communicate that psychotherapy is being practiced. The service of psychotherapy is subject to legal and regulatory standards in the state or province where it is practiced, if applicable, including whether a course member qualifies to receive psychotherapy from the legally regulated practitioner offering it.

The Use of Clinical Terminology

While the course content may touch on or address themes relevant to specific psychological disorders and personal development, it is not designed to diagnose, treat, or address specific psychological disorders in a clinically regulated way (e.g., by medical and mental health professionals legally regulated in their area of practice).

While certain course mentors and facilitators may be regulated health professionals that can legally practice or provide clinical services in the state or province where they reside, their facilitating and mentorship in the courses do not constitute any clinically regulated acts such as – but not excluded to – diagnoses, assessment, and psychotherapy.