Privacy Policy

1. Introduction & Explicit Consent

MindHope (“we,” “our,” “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information you share with us.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect information when you use our services via our website, My Space dashboard, WhatsApp, or email communication. Under modern data protection standards, including India's Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act 2023, we require your clear, affirmative consent prior to account creation. By registering for an account and verifying your email via OTP, you explicitly consent to this policy.

2. Definitions

• Account / My Space: Your secure, verified dashboard where you manage bookings, chat with mentors, and view history.
• Session: A scheduled block of time (paid or free) between a client and a mentor.
• Mentor: An independent professional assigned by MindHope to provide non-clinical emotional support and guidance.
• Case Map: An internal record of basic session details kept by your assigned mentor to keep your care consistent.
• MindHope Counselling Report (MHCR): A written, mentor-signed report that you can request from My Space.
• Rewards: Points, referral offers and gifted sessions available in My Space.

3. Company Information

Legal Name: MindHope

Registered Address: NH Towers, Ranholla, New Delhi, Delhi – 110041

Contact Email: support@mindhope.in

4. Information We Collect

We collect only essential information required to deliver our services safely and effectively. We do not take emergency or clinical cases.

From Users:

• Full Name
• Verified Email Address (Mandatory for account activation)
• Mobile Number (Optional for general registration; mandatory for Free Discovery Chat)
• Gender (optional, for mentor matching)
• Emergency Contact Details (Users are strictly responsible for ensuring these details are accurate and updated. MindHope is not responsible for incorrect or outdated emergency contact information).
• Your time zone and approximate country (used to show session times correctly and to apply the right price and any international gateway fee)

If You Use Rewards, Referrals or Gifts:

• Your points activity (points earned, used, expired or returned)
• Links to reviews or video stories you choose to submit, and your consent to share a video
• Referral details: the friend's name and email when they join with your code, and whether they have booked
• Company referrals: the name, role, work email and/or phone number of your HR or manager that you choose to share. You should share these only if that person is happy to be contacted. We use them only to contact them about MindHope for their organisation.
• Gifts: the recipient's name and email and your personal message, so we can send them the gift

From Mentors:

• Educational and Certification Documents
• Government-issued Identification (for KYC verification)

5. Analytics & Tracking

We use Google Analytics 4 (GA4) and Meta Pixel to understand website usage and improve user experience.

These tools may collect anonymized data such as IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited. No personally identifiable information is shared with these third-party tools.

6. Purpose of Data Usage

We use collected data only for:

• Facilitating secure communication between mentors and users via the My Space dashboard
• Mentor verification and platform safety
• Sending essential transactional updates (e.g., booking confirmations, verification codes)
• Running Rewards, referrals and gifts (adding and using points, preventing misuse and duplicate accounts)
• Improving our services and user experience

We do not sell, rent, or share personal data with any unauthorized third party.

7. Session Confidentiality & Records

In compliance with the Information Technology (IT) Act 2000 and the Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA) 2017:

• No Audio/Video Recording: We do not record sessions in any audio or visual manner.
• Chat Transcripts & Auto-Deletion: Chat sessions are transcripted securely within your dashboard. Once the session window closes, these transcripts become strictly read-only for both the client and their mentor. To ensure maximum privacy and data minimization, all chat records are automatically and permanently deleted 30 days after the session date, as their relevancy is no longer required.
• MindHope Case Map: After your first completed session, your mentor records a Case Map: an internal record of basic session details (such as your goals, key themes and progress). It is visible only to your currently assigned mentor. It is not visible to other mentors or to you, and the MindHope team can see only whether it has been completed, not its contents. If a new mentor is assigned to you, the Case Map and confidential session notes move to the new mentor to ensure continuity of care. The previous mentor may finish their own notes for a short period (up to 48 hours) after the change.
• Summary & Homework: Notes your mentor chooses to share with you after a session are visible to you and your assigned mentor in My Space.
• MindHope Counselling Reports (MHCR): A report you request can be viewed only by you, the mentor who wrote it, your currently assigned mentor, and authorised MindHope administrators. To make the mentor's digital signature valid under Section 10A of the IT Act 2000, we store the signer's typed name, the time of signing, their IP address and browser details. Sent reports cannot be edited.

8. Payments

All payments on MindHope are processed securely through trusted payment gateways such as Razorpay and Cashfree.

MindHope does not store or have access to your card details, bank information, or payment credentials. Payment data is handled directly by these gateways under their respective security and privacy standards.

Payment links sent by MindHope are valid for 12 hours. When a slot is held for you during checkout, the details of who is paying are stored privately and are never visible to other clients.

9. Communication Policy

We communicate with users and mentors primarily through:

• The internal My Space messaging system
• WhatsApp messages (for logistical updates)
• Official email communication (transactional alerts)

If you use Rewards, we may also email you when points are added, about 5 days before points expire, and, if you have not booked for 60 days or more, a one-time "welcome back" note with time-limited points. The welcome back email is not repeated unless you return and later become inactive again, and is sent at most three times in total. Gift recipients receive an email with the gift you sent them. You can ask us to stop these non-essential emails at any time by writing to support@mindhope.in.

What others can see: if you refer a friend, you see only their first name and whether they have joined or booked, never their sessions. If you gift a session, the person you gift sees your first name and message, and you never see their sessions.

Mentor–client interactions occur privately. MindHope does not monitor or interfere in personal session discussions unless legally required or if a safety risk is identified.

10. Data Storage, Security & Access

MindHope utilizes enterprise-grade security to ensure your database is highly protected:

• Row-Level Security (RLS): Our database ensures you can only view your own data, sessions, and chats. It is technically impossible to access another client's records.
• Authentication: Passwords are encrypted; login identity is verified via secure JWT (JSON Web Tokens) and OTP-verified emails.
• Profile Update Limitations: To maintain platform security and operational consistency, any modifications made to your personal details (such as username, name, or age) within your My Space profile are subject to a 14-day lock. Once updated, you will not be able to make further changes to these details until 14 days have passed.

While we use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards, no online platform can guarantee 100% security.

11. Account Deletion & Data Retention

You may request the deletion of your account at any time from your dashboard. MindHope follows a strict protocol for account closures:

• Permanently Deleted: Your login credentials, active profile, and all private data (including direct messages) will be permanently and irreversibly removed. Any future open sessions will be immediately cancelled.
• Retained for Legal/Financial Audit: To maintain legal, financial, and accounting integrity, basic business records (such as your Client ID, payment transaction history, points and gift records, and structural session logs) are securely retained. No personal communications are kept. Any unused reward points are forfeited.
• Re-registration Policy: If a user with a previously deleted account chooses to register again on My Space at MindHope, they will be treated as a brand-new user. They will be assigned a new Client ID, and for privacy reasons, no historical data, past sessions, or prior history will be linked or displayed on the new account.

12. User Eligibility

MindHope services are approved to be conducted for individuals aged 14 years and above.

By accepting this policy, if you are under the age of 18, you explicitly confirm and agree that you have consulted with and obtained consent from your parent or legal guardian to use the platform.

13. Legal Compliance

MindHope complies with applicable Indian laws, including:

• Digital Personal Data Protection Act (DPDP), 2023
• Information Technology Act, 2000 & IT Rules, 2011
• Mental Healthcare Act (MHCA), 2017

14. Your Rights

You have the right to:

• Request access to your personal data
• Request correction of your data or emergency contacts
• Request the deletion of your account
• Withdraw consent for non-essential communication

Requests can be sent to support@mindhope.in.

15. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. Whenever a policy changes, the "Last Updated" date will reflect the new release. Continued use of our services implies acceptance of the updated policy.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns regarding this Privacy Policy, please contact:

Email: support@mindhope.in