Professional practice guidelines for counsellors

Do

• List degrees, certifications, and RCI/licensing numbers exactly as they appear on the original document.
• Distinguish clearly between 'counsellor', 'psychologist', 'clinical psychologist', and 'psychiatrist' — these are not interchangeable in India.
• Upload current, verifiable credentials during onboarding. Re-upload when they are renewed.

Don't

• Do not use titles (e.g., 'Dr.', 'Clinical Psychologist', 'Psychotherapist') that your qualification does not entitle you to.
• Do not claim memberships, fellowships, or licenses you do not currently hold.

Do

• Work within the client populations, presentations, and modalities you have been trained and supervised in.
• Refer out — to a Clinical Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or RCI-registered Rehabilitation Professional — when the client's needs exceed your competence.

Don't

• Do not diagnose mental disorders unless you are qualified and legally permitted to do so.
• Do not prescribe, recommend, adjust, or comment on psychiatric medication. Only a registered medical practitioner may do this.
• Do not offer clinical psychology services (psychological assessment, formal diagnosis, clinical formulation) unless you are an RCI-registered Clinical Psychologist.

Do

• Treat every client with respect regardless of caste, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, language, or socio-economic status.
• Use the client's preferred name, pronouns, and language of comfort wherever possible.
• Commit to cultural humility — assume you don't know, and ask.

Don't

• Do not offer or imply 'conversion therapy' or any practice aimed at changing a client's sexual orientation or gender identity. This is prohibited on HopeNow and condemned by the Indian Psychiatric Society and the NMC.
• Do not impose personal religious, political, or moral views on clients.

Do

• Explain your qualifications, approach, and any limits to the modalities you offer.
• State your fee, session length, cancellation window, and refund policy.
• Describe how session notes are stored (on HopeNow), who can access them, and the client's right to request a summary.
• Explicitly name the circumstances where confidentiality may be broken (see below).
• Obtain the client's affirmative consent to proceed and record it on the platform.

Do

• Confidentiality may be broken where there is imminent risk of serious harm to the client or to another person.
• Confidentiality may be broken to fulfil mandatory reporting obligations (e.g., POCSO Act disclosures of child sexual abuse).
• Confidentiality may be broken where required by a court order or by law.
• Confidentiality may be broken in the context of your clinical supervision — identifying details should be anonymised where possible.

Don't

• Do not promise 'complete' or 'absolute' confidentiality. It does not exist in professional practice and it is unethical to imply it.

Do

• For clients under 18, obtain consent from a parent or legal guardian in addition to the minor's assent, and document both.
• For adults with impaired decision-making capacity, involve a legally authorised representative where appropriate.
• Discuss confidentiality boundaries with the minor and the guardian separately, and agree in advance what will and will not be shared.

Do

• Record a session only with explicit, written consent from the client, and only where there is a clinical or supervisory reason.
• Store any recording inside HopeNow or on an encrypted, access-controlled device you own.
• Delete recordings on a clear retention schedule communicated to the client.

Don't

• Do not record sessions covertly, under any circumstance.
• Do not upload session audio or video to personal cloud accounts, social media, or messaging apps.

Do

• Decline to take on clients who are close friends, family, subordinates, students, or business partners.
• Where a dual relationship is unavoidable (e.g., a small community), document it, discuss it in supervision, and consider referring.

Don't

• Do not enter into any romantic or sexual relationship with a current client. This is an absolute prohibition.
• Do not enter into romantic or sexual relationships with former clients. Even with time elapsed, the power asymmetry may persist — seek supervision.
• Do not enter into business or financial arrangements with clients beyond the agreed fee.

Do

• Conduct all client communication through HopeNow's secure messaging.
• Set explicit, realistic expectations about response times and what between-session messages are for (logistics and check-ins, not therapy).

Don't

• Do not give clients your personal phone number, WhatsApp, personal email, or social media handles.
• Do not accept, send, or respond to friend requests from clients on personal social media.
• Do not conduct therapeutic conversations over chat between sessions.

Do

• Decline gifts of material value. A token gesture (a handmade card, a small cultural offering) may be accepted with judgement — discuss in supervision.

Don't

• Do not solicit, accept, or offer referral kickbacks.
• Do not ask clients for testimonials, reviews, or endorsements during active treatment in a way that could feel coercive. Invite feedback only after a natural endpoint.

Do

• Monitor your caseload, emotional load, and vicarious trauma. Attend your own therapy or peer support as needed.
• Do not see clients when you are unwell, intoxicated, significantly sleep-deprived, or otherwise impaired.
• Take planned leave. Give clients reasonable notice and arrange continuity of care.

Do

• Ask about suicidal ideation, self-harm, and thoughts of harming others directly — do not avoid the question.
• Screen for risk of violence from a partner, family member, or other party.
• Document your risk assessment in your session notes on HopeNow.
• Repeat risk screening whenever mood, context, or presentation shifts.

Do

• Collect the name and phone number of an emergency contact at intake and confirm you may contact them in the event of imminent risk.
• Confirm the client's current physical location at the start of every session so you can direct help there if needed.
• Ask for the nearest hospital and a trusted person who could reach the client quickly.

Do

• Stay on the call. Do not end the session until the immediate risk has been de-escalated or help is on the way.
• Work with the client on a safety plan: means restriction, coping tools, people to call, places to go.
• If risk is imminent and the client cannot commit to safety, inform them you are contacting their emergency contact or an emergency service.
• Escalate to emergency services (112), the AASRA helpline (9820466726), Vandrevala Foundation (1860-2662-345), or iCall (9152987821).
• Share the HopeNow crisis page with the client: /crisis.
• Document the event, your actions, and your clinical reasoning in the session note before you end your working session.

Don't

• Do not leave a client in acute crisis alone on a call to 'go and find help' — stay with them while you coordinate help.
• Do not assume another professional will follow up. Verify the handover and record it.

Do

• Arrange a follow-up session within a short window.
• Debrief with your supervisor.
• Review the care plan and update the client's risk documentation.

Do

• Any person — including counsellors — who has knowledge of a sexual offence against a child (under 18) must report it to the local Special Juvenile Police Unit or police under Section 19 of the POCSO Act.
• Failure to report is itself an offence under Section 21.
• Where possible, explain to the minor and their non-offending caregiver what you are legally required to do, and offer to support them through the process.

Do

• Believe the client. Do not pressurise them to act immediately.
• Inform the client of their protections under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005 and signpost to services (One Stop Centres, women's helplines such as 181).
• Work on a safety plan before the client next returns to the home.

Don't

• Do not contact the alleged abuser or the client's family without explicit consent, except where imminent safety requires it.

Do

• Elder abuse, abuse of persons with disabilities, human trafficking, and bonded labour all have reporting pathways — know your local authority.
• Consult your supervisor and — where available — a legal advisor before acting. HopeNow's admin team can support coordination.

Do

• Verify the client's identity at first session (photo ID, or a combination of name, date of birth, and contact details already on file).
• At the start of every session, confirm the client's physical location (city and country). This matters for emergencies and for practising within jurisdictions where you are qualified.
• Confirm the client is an adult, or that you have guardian consent on file.

Do

• Conduct sessions from a private, quiet space with no one else in the room.
• Ask the client to do the same. If they cannot, discuss alternatives (rescheduling, using headphones, using written chat).
• Test your camera, microphone, and internet before the session.

Don't

• Do not conduct sessions from cafés, shared offices, or public transport.
• Do not conduct sessions on unsecured public Wi-Fi.

Do

• Agree a backup channel at the start of every session — typically a phone number the client can call if video drops.
• If the session is disrupted and cannot be restored, follow up within the same day to check on the client and arrange make-up time.

Do

• Consider referring for in-person care when the client presents with severe risk, acute psychosis, significant dissociation, or circumstances where remote work is not safe or effective.

Do

• Store session notes, intake forms, care plans, and consent records inside HopeNow.
• Use the structured Session Notes feature — it is encrypted, access-controlled, and audit-logged.

Don't

• Do not store client notes in personal diaries, Google Docs, WhatsApp, email, or local files on personal devices.
• Do not share client information over personal email or messaging apps.

Do

• Collect only the data you actually need to provide care.
• Delete or anonymise data that is no longer needed.

Do

• Respond to client requests to access, correct, or erase their data through HopeNow's data request flow.
• Explain your note-keeping practice, retention period, and who may access the records (e.g., your supervisor, HopeNow admin for audit) in your consent conversation.

Do

• Retain clinical records for a minimum of three years from the last contact (or longer where required by your professional body or by law), then securely delete in line with HopeNow's retention policy.
• If a client terminates the professional relationship, their records remain on the platform for the retention period and are then purged.

Do

• Early-career counsellors (fewer than three years post-qualification): at least one hour of supervision for every 8–10 client hours.
• Experienced counsellors: a minimum of one supervision session per month, or more based on caseload and complexity.
• Bring every high-risk, stuck, or ethically complex case to supervision.

Do

• Complete at least 20 hours of CPD each year relevant to your scope of practice.
• Keep a CPD log you can produce on request. HopeNow will periodically ask for evidence during re-verification.

Do

• Engage with peers — intervision groups, journal clubs, case conferences. Isolation breeds drift.

Do

• Publish an accurate fee on your HopeNow profile for every service you offer.
• Explain your cancellation and refund policy during first-session consent.
• Offer a sliding scale or pro-bono slots where possible — and state the criteria clearly.

Don't

• Do not collect session fees off-platform (cash, UPI to your personal account, external payment links). All fees must flow through HopeNow so the client has a receipt and the platform can protect both of you.
• Do not change fees mid-engagement without clear notice and renewed consent.

Do

• Make referrals in the client's best interest, documented in your notes.

Don't

• Do not pay, accept, or solicit referral fees, commissions, or kickbacks.
• Do not use your practitioner role to promote unrelated products, services, or investment schemes to clients.

Do

• Describe your training, modalities, and experience accurately.
• If you quote an outcome rate or success metric, be able to show the data.

Don't

• Do not guarantee cures, specific outcomes, or time-bound results.
• Do not use client names, identifying details, or stories in marketing without express written consent.

Do

• Clients can raise a complaint from their dashboard. You will be notified and given the opportunity to respond within a defined window.
• Respond factually and without retaliation. Keep your reply on-platform.
• Cooperate fully with any investigation by the HopeNow admin team, including producing records and supervision notes where relevant.

Don't

• Do not contact the client off-platform about their complaint.
• Do not pressurise the client to withdraw a complaint or to alter a review.

Do

• Outcomes range from a private advisory note, to required additional supervision or CPD, to temporary suspension, to removal from the platform.
• Serious breaches may be reported by HopeNow to the client's preferred consumer forum, to the police where a crime is alleged, or to the relevant professional body (e.g., RCI) where applicable.
• You have the right to appeal an outcome through the appeals flow on your dashboard.

Do

• Clients always retain the right to complain to external authorities — the consumer forum, the police, the RCI (for RCI-registered professionals), the State Mental Health Authority, or the client's own lawyer. These routes are not a substitute for the platform process but sit alongside it.