Working with Truemind

1. About the Practitioner and the Service

The practitioner is Aravindh Arunachalam, a psychological counsellor and a Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society (GMBPsS). The practitioner holds an MSc in Psychology from Birkbeck, University of London. Prior clinical and professional experience includes training at an NHS Foundation Trust (South London and Maudsley NHS Trust) in London and crisis support volunteering in the United Kingdom.

What the Service Offers

Truemind provides structured, short-to-medium-term, evidence-based low-intensity counselling for adults (aged 18 and over) experiencing:

• Anxiety, Worry, Panic, and Intrusive Thoughts: Chronic overthinking, generalized anxiety, and OCD tendencies.
• Low Mood and Depression (mild to moderate): Emptiness, loss of motivation, feeling stuck, and self-criticism.
• Trauma & Difficult Experiences: Processing distress, emotional overwhelm, and cultivating psychological safety.
• Occupational Stress & Burnout: Work-related exhaustion, perfectionism, and boundary difficulties.
• Grief, Loss, and Life Transitions: Adjustment to personal, relational, or career transitions.

The therapeutic approach draws upon Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Psychoeducation, collaboratively tailored to your presenting concerns.

Scope of Practice & What Is Not Offered

To ensure ethical practice and client safety, certain matters fall outside the practitioner's scope:

• The practitioner is not a psychiatrist. No medical diagnoses are made, and no psychiatric medications are prescribed.
• The practitioner is not registered with the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) as a Clinical Psychologist. Where specialist RCI clinical psychology assessments or severe psychiatric care are required, an appropriate referral will be provided.
• This is an outpatient online counselling practice and cannot provide acute crisis care, active suicidal crisis management, or inpatient treatment.

Counselling at Truemind works harmoniously alongside medical or psychiatric care. Clients currently taking psychiatric medication should keep their prescriber informed and continue under their direct care.

2. How Sessions Are Structured

• First Session (Initial Consultation): 60 minutes. Used to understand your current difficulties, explore your background, clarify goals, and jointly agree on whether this therapeutic approach is the right fit for you.
• Follow-Up Sessions: 55 minutes, scheduled weekly or fortnightly by mutual agreement.
• Delivery Mode: Online via secure Zoho Meeting (video).
• Languages Offered: English and Tamil (தமிழ்). Clients are welcome to switch between languages based on emotional comfort.
• Practice Hours: Monday to Saturday, 09:00 to 18:00 IST. Messages received outside these hours are attended to on the next working day.
• Planned Leave: Any upcoming planned leave or holidays will be communicated at least two weeks in advance.

3. Fees and Payment

Payment Terms: Payment is completed via secure payment link (UPI, Net Banking, Debit/Credit Card) before the session. A formal digital invoice/receipt is issued.

Concessions & Sliding Scale: A limited number of low-cost slots are reserved for students or individuals experiencing acute financial hardship. Please inquire directly via email.

Annual Fee Review: Fees are reviewed annually. Existing clients receive at least 30 days' advance written notice of any fee adjustments.

4. Booking, Cancellation and Rescheduling Policy

Consistent attendance is an essential element of therapeutic progress. When an appointment is scheduled, that specific hour is reserved exclusively for you.

• More than 12 hours' notice: Sessions may be cancelled or rescheduled at no charge.
• Less than 12 hours' notice: Cancellations made with less than 12 hours' notice require either:
  1. Payment of 50% of the session fee, or
  2. Acceptance of an alternative available slot within the same working week.
• Missed Sessions / No-Show: Non-attendance without prior written notice is charged at the full session fee.
• Cancellation by the Practitioner: In the rare event the practitioner must cancel with less than 12 hours' notice (short of unforeseen emergency), your next session will be offered free of charge.

5. Confidentiality: Protections and Limits

Everything you share during counselling sessions is confidential. Your identity, clinical records, and session discussions will not be disclosed to any third party without your explicit consent, except under specific statutory and safeguarding obligations:

• Imminent Risk of Harm: Where there is a serious, immediate risk to your life or the life/safety of another person.
• Child Safeguarding: Under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 (POCSO), Section 19, practitioners are legally mandated to report disclosures of sexual offences against a child.
• Vulnerable Adults: Disclosures of serious physical abuse or violence against vulnerable adults, including under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
• Legal Compulsion: Where required by a formal order from a competent court of law in India.

Collaborative Care on Thoughts of Suicide

Sharing thoughts of distress or suicidal ideation in session is met with calm compassion, not judgment or alarm. Under Section 115 of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, experiencing suicidal distress is understood as a consequence of severe stress and is decriminalized. Safety planning is developed collaboratively with you. Emergency contacts are engaged only when risk is immediate and unmanageable, and whenever possible, in full transparency with you.

6. Clinical Supervision and Ethics

As an ethical practitioner affiliated with the British Psychological Society, regular clinical supervision is maintained with a qualified senior clinician. Supervision ensures therapeutic quality, objectivity, and patient safety.

• Anonymised by Default: All case discussions in supervision are strictly anonymised. Identifying details (name, employer, family specifics) are completely removed.
• Specific Consent: If an in-depth review of specific materials is recommended, your explicit written consent will be sought beforehand. You are entirely free to decline without affecting your care.

7. Online Sessions (Video Counselling)

Online video sessions are conducted through Zoho Meeting. Zoho adheres to enterprise-grade security standards with TLS encryption in transit and ISO/IEC 27001 certification.

• No Secret Recording: Sessions are never recorded by the practitioner. Clients are required to agree not to record audio or video of sessions.
• Client Environment: To protect your psychological safety and privacy, attend sessions from a private room where you cannot be overheard. Headphones are strongly recommended. Avoid public Wi-Fi networks.
• Jurisdiction: Online sessions are available to clients who are physically situated within India at the time of the session. Please notify the practitioner in advance if traveling abroad.
• Technical Difficulties: If a connection fails during a session, the practitioner will attempt reconnection for up to 10 minutes. If the connection cannot be restored, the session will continue via telephone or be rescheduled without additional cost.

8. Personal Information & Privacy Notice (DPDP Act 2023)

This section constitutes Truemind's Privacy Notice pursuant to the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) and international best practices (including GDPR principles). Aravindh Arunachalam acts as the Data Fiduciary.

• Information Collected: Name, contact details, date of birth, emergency contact, relevant health and psychotherapeutic notes, and payment receipts.
• Purpose & Lawful Basis: Clinical assessment and delivery of therapy, scheduling, legal compliance, and tax records. Processing is based on explicit client consent.
• Storage & Security: Clinical notes and communication are maintained on Zoho's secure enterprise cloud infrastructure with two-factor authentication, end-to-end encryption, and role-based access.
• Data Retention: In line with healthcare standards, clinical records are retained securely for seven (7) years following the final session, after which they are permanently destroyed.
• Your Rights: Under the DPDP Act, you have the right to request access to your personal data, request correction of inaccurate data, withdraw consent, or nominate an authorized representative.

9. Communication Boundaries Between Sessions

• Administrative Use: Email (care@truemind.co.in) is used exclusively for appointment scheduling, rescheduling, and billing invoices.
• No Clinical Messaging: Email and messaging platforms are not monitored continuously and are not suitable for therapeutic processing or crisis messages. Clinical reflections should be brought directly to your scheduled session.
• Social Media: To maintain therapeutic boundaries and protect your privacy, the practitioner does not accept social media friend or follow requests from current or former clients.

10. Ending Counselling

You have the autonomy to end counselling at any time. Because closure is a valuable therapeutic experience, dedicating an agreed final session to review progress, consolidate insights, and plan next steps is strongly recommended.

11. Feedback & Grievances

If any aspect of the service falls short of your expectations, please raise it directly with the practitioner at care@truemind.co.in. All concerns will be acknowledged within two working days and addressed thoughtfully within ten working days. You also maintain all statutory recourse available under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 and the DPDP Act, 2023.

12. Capacity and Agreement

By scheduling and attending sessions with Truemind Counselling, you confirm that you are at least 18 years of age, have the mental capacity to enter into this agreement freely, and have read and understood the service framework and policies outlined above.