Terms of Service for Clients

These Terms of Service ("Terms") set out the basis on which Aligned Therapy Ltd, trading as Aligned / Aligned Therapy ("Aligned", "we", "us", "our"), provides a therapy-matching and introduction service to individual users ("you", "your", "Client").

By using our website, completing an intake (including any voice or AI-assisted intake), or accepting an introduction to a therapist, you agree to these Terms. Our handling of personal data is described in our Privacy Policy (referenced throughout).

Key things to know

• Aligned is a therapy-matching and introduction service, not a therapy provider.
• Therapists are independent. Any therapy relationship is between you and the therapist.
• You pay the therapist directly. We do not process therapy payments.
• You choose whether introductions happen by email or WhatsApp (where available).
• We may use AI tools to help interpret your responses and produce a match summary; AI is not medical advice and can make mistakes.
• We are not a crisis service. If you are in immediate danger, call 999. If you need urgent support, contact NHS 111 or Samaritans 116 123.

1) What Aligned does (and doesn't do)

1.1 What we do. We collect information you provide and use it to suggest one or more potential therapist matches and, if you choose, introduce you to a therapist.

1.2 What we don't do. We do not: provide therapy, diagnosis, medical advice, or clinical supervision; attend, record, observe, or oversee therapy sessions; guarantee that therapy will start, continue, or lead to any outcome.

1.3 Outside our systems. Therapy sessions and ongoing communications typically take place outside Aligned's systems, directly between you and the therapist.

2) Eligibility and age restriction

2.1 You must be 18 or over to use the service.

2.2 If we learn that a user is under 18, we will end the matching process and handle any data in line with our Privacy Policy.

3) How matching and introductions work

3.1 Information you provide. We rely on the accuracy and completeness of the information you provide.

3.2 One match at a time (typical). We typically recommend one therapist profile at a time to keep the process focused. We may suggest alternatives if the first match is unavailable or not suitable.

3.3 Anonymised outreach first (where helpful). To check availability and fit, we may contact therapists using an anonymised summary without sharing your name or direct contact details.

3.4 Sharing your details only with permission. We will only share your identifying details with a therapist after you explicitly agree to be introduced.

3.5 Email vs WhatsApp introductions. You can choose whether we introduce you and a therapist by email or WhatsApp (where available). If you choose WhatsApp, you understand WhatsApp is a third-party service with its own terms and privacy practices. You are responsible for keeping your own device/account secure.

3.6 No guarantee of availability or response. Therapists may be unavailable, may decline, or may not respond. We cannot control therapist response times.

3.7 Closing a request. If we do not hear from you for a period of time, we may close your request. If you come back later, we can usually reopen matching.

4) Therapists are independent

4.1 Therapists are independent professionals and are not our employees or agents.

4.2 Your therapy relationship (including scheduling, fees, cancellations, refunds, complaints about clinical care, and professional conduct) is solely between you and the therapist.

4.3 Professional membership checks. We aim to refer you to therapists who are members of recognised UK professional bodies (e.g., BACP, UKCP, HCPC, BABCP). We are not a regulator and do not guarantee suitability, outcomes, or conduct.

5) No medical advice and no crisis support

5.1 Aligned is not an emergency service and does not provide crisis support.

5.2 If you are in immediate danger or at risk of harm, call 999. If you need urgent help, contact NHS 111 or Samaritans 116 123 (UK & ROI).

6) Fees and payments

6.1 No client fee. Aligned's matching service is currently provided free to clients.

6.2 Therapist fees. You pay the therapist directly. We do not handle therapy payments.

6.3 No responsibility for payment disputes. We are not responsible for cancellations, refunds, missed sessions, chargebacks, or disputes between you and the therapist about fees or payment.

6.4 Our commercial arrangements. We may receive a fee from therapists in connection with successful introductions. This does not change the amount you pay the therapist unless the therapist explicitly agrees otherwise with you.

7) Use of AI and technology-assisted intake

7.1 What AI is used for. We may use AI tools to help structure your intake, summarise your preferences and constraints, and support our internal matching process.

7.2 AI is not clinical advice. AI tools do not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. They may misunderstand or make mistakes.

7.3 Separate AI consent. Where we use AI tools that require consent, we will request that consent separately. If you do not consent, we may offer an alternative intake route or we may be unable to provide the service.

7.4 Human review. A trained member of our team may review summaries to improve match quality.

8) Data protection and privacy

8.1 Privacy Policy. Our processing of personal data is explained in our Privacy Policy. Please read it carefully.

8.2 Health information. Therapy matching often involves information about mental health and wellbeing. Where required, we will ask for explicit permission to process this information.

8.3 Sharing with therapists. We will not share your identifying details with a therapist unless you explicitly agree to an introduction.

8.4 Your rights. You can request access, correction, or deletion of your data as set out in the Privacy Policy.

9) Your responsibilities

You agree to:

• provide accurate, honest information;
• use the service for lawful purposes only;
• not impersonate others, submit misleading information, or misuse the service;
• treat therapists and our team respectfully (we may end the service for abusive behaviour).

10) Our right to decline or end matching

10.1 We may refuse, pause, or stop matching where, for example: the request is outside our scope; information provided is materially incomplete or misleading; there are safety concerns or misuse; continuing would create legal or regulatory risk.

10.2 We may suspend access to the service if we reasonably believe it is being misused.

11) Research, feedback, and service improvement

11.1 Optional research contact. We may contact you to invite you to take part in research or feedback activities.

11.2 Voluntary participation. Participation is entirely voluntary and will not affect your access to the service.

11.3 Incentives. We may offer a small incentive as a thank-you for participating.

11.4 Data use. Research activities will focus on service experience rather than therapy content. Data is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

11.5 Opt-out. You can opt out of research invitations at any time by contacting us at support@aligned.co.uk.

12) Complaints and disputes

12.1 About Aligned. Contact us at support@aligned.co.uk or liam@aligned.co.uk.

12.2 About therapy or the therapist. Complaints about therapy content, clinical care, professional conduct, cancellations, refunds, or fees must be raised with the therapist directly.

12.3 We don't adjudicate clinical disputes. We can help route you to the right place, but we are not responsible for resolving clinical disputes.

13) Liability and disclaimers

13.1 No guarantee. We do not guarantee that we will find a therapist for you, any therapist will be available, therapy will start or continue, or therapy will produce any particular result.

13.2 Aligned's liability. To the maximum extent permitted by law: we are not liable for acts, omissions, quality of care, or conduct of any therapist; we are not liable for any outcomes of therapy.

13.3 Legal limits. Nothing in these Terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or fraud.

14) Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The effective date at the top will change.

15) Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales.

Contact

Questions about these Terms: support@aligned.co.uk or liam@aligned.co.uk.