Terms of Service
These Terms of Service apply to the Grounded Talk website, enquiries, bookings and non-clinical support services. They are intended to set clear expectations about the nature of the service, confidentiality, bookings, fees, cancellations, online sessions and the limits of Grounded Talk’s role.
1. Acceptance of these Terms
By booking a session, confirming acceptance during the booking process, using a paid Grounded Talk service or otherwise proceeding with a session after being given access to these Terms, you agree to these Terms together with the Grounded Talk Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please do not proceed with a booking.
Nothing in these Terms removes or limits a right that cannot lawfully be waived under the Consumer Protection Act, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act or other applicable South African law.
2. Supplier information
| Responsible party | Grounded Talk |
| Legal status | Individual |
| Physical addres | Burnside Road, Nelspruit, 1200 |
| hello@groundedtalk.co.za | |
| Telephone | +27 62 394 8834 |
Website: groundedtalk.co.za. Grounded Talk is a South African non-clinical relationship and life-support service operating from Nelspruit, Mpumalanga.
3. Nature and scope of Grounded Talk services
Grounded Talk provides private, non-clinical listening, support and guidance for individuals and couples. The service is conversational and practical. It may help a person reflect on what is happening, consider different perspectives, improve communication, identify patterns and think through possible ways forward.
Grounded Talk is not a substitute for psychological, psychiatric, medical or emergency care. Grounded Talk does not provide:
- psychological assessment or diagnosis;
- psychotherapy;
- psychiatric or medical treatment;
- treatment for alcohol or substance dependence;
- treatment for clinical mental-health conditions;
- emergency or crisis intervention;
- legal advice;
- formal mediation; or
- medical certificates, reports or clinical records.
Grounded Talk does not diagnose or treat post-traumatic stress disorder or other mental-health disorders. A person who has a diagnosed condition is not automatically excluded, but Grounded Talk may only provide general relationship or life support where it is safe and appropriate and may recommend that support takes place alongside care from a suitably qualified registered professional.
4. No guarantee of outcome
Conversations can support reflection and decision-making, but results vary from person to person. Grounded Talk does not guarantee a particular personal, relationship, emotional, legal, financial or medical outcome. You remain responsible for your decisions and actions.
5. Suitability and referrals
Grounded Talk may recommend, pause, decline or end a service where the concern falls outside its non-clinical scope, where specialist assessment or treatment may be needed, where there is a significant safety concern, where substance dependence is the main concern, where specialised trauma treatment is required, where domestic violence or coercive control requires specialist intervention, or where another service is better placed to assist.
Where reasonably possible, a referral will be discussed with you. A referral is intended to help you reach a more appropriate service and is not a judgement about you or your circumstances.
6. Sessions
Individual sessions
The first individual session is generally longer so that there is time to understand your background and what has brought you to Grounded Talk. Follow-up sessions are generally shorter. The current session lengths and fees are displayed on the Grounded Talk website and booking page.
Couples sessions
Couples sessions are intended to give both participants a fair opportunity to be heard. Grounded Talk does not decide who is right or wrong and does not act as a court, arbitrator or formal mediator. Information shared in a joint session is heard by both participants, and Grounded Talk cannot control what either participant later chooses to repeat outside the session.
Each participant is expected to engage respectfully. Grounded Talk may pause or end a couples session where behaviour becomes threatening, abusive or unsafe, or where a couples format is no longer appropriate.
7. In-person and online sessions
Sessions may be offered in person in Nelspruit or online by prior arrangement. Online sessions currently take place by WhatsApp video unless another method is agreed.
For an online session, you are responsible for choosing a reasonably private and quiet location, using a suitable device, ensuring adequate battery power and internet connectivity, and taking reasonable steps to prevent other people from overhearing the conversation.
Grounded Talk will also take reasonable steps to provide privacy on its side of the call. However, the confidentiality and security of third-party communications platforms cannot be guaranteed completely.
8. Recording sessions
Neither party should audio-record, video-record, screen-record or otherwise make a recording of a session without the prior knowledge and agreement of the other participants. This does not prevent Grounded Talk from keeping brief written notes as described in the Privacy Policy.
9. Confidentiality
Grounded Talk treats information shared during sessions as private and confidential and will not ordinarily disclose it without your knowledge or consent. Confidentiality is not absolute. Information may be disclosed where disclosure is lawful and reasonably necessary, including where:
- there is a serious and immediate risk of harm and urgent assistance is needed;
- a child may be at risk and disclosure is required or permitted by law;
- a court order or other legal obligation requires disclosure;
- information must be shared to establish, exercise or defend a legal right;
- a service provider processes limited information on Grounded Talk’s behalf; or
- you have authorised the disclosure.
Where reasonably possible and appropriate, Grounded Talk will discuss the need to disclose information with you first. More detail is provided in the Privacy Policy.
10. Contact outside sessions
Telephone, WhatsApp and email are mainly used for booking or changing appointments, confirming practical arrangements, brief administrative communication and sharing information that has been agreed. These channels are not monitored continuously and should not be used as a crisis or emergency service.
Please do not rely on a message to Grounded Talk when immediate assistance or safety support is needed. Contact appropriate emergency services or attend the nearest emergency department.
11. Bookings and appointment confirmation
All sessions must be booked in advance. A booking is only confirmed when the booking system or Grounded Talk confirms the appointment. Appointment availability shown online may change before confirmation.
Grounded Talk uses Zoho Bookings for appointment scheduling and may use Google Calendar to manage availability and avoid booking conflicts. Your use of those systems is also subject to the relevant provider’s terms and privacy practices.
12. Fees and payment
The fee that applies is the fee displayed or otherwise agreed when the appointment is booked. Grounded Talk may change future fees, but a confirmed appointment will not be retrospectively charged at a higher rate unless you agree to a change in the service.
Payment may be made by the methods made available by Grounded Talk, which may include EFT before the appointment, debit or credit card, cash, or another payment method shown at booking.
Grounded Talk does not submit claims to medical aid. Fees charged by Grounded Talk are for non-clinical services and cannot be claimed back from medical aid. Grounded Talk does not provide medical-aid claim codes or clinical claim documentation.
13. Cancellations, rescheduling and missed appointments
Please provide at least 24 hours’ notice if you need to cancel or reschedule an appointment.
The following cancellation charges will ordinarily apply:
- 24 hours or more notice: No cancellation charge.
- Less than 24 hours’ notice: 50% of the applicable session fee.
- No-show: 100% of the applicable session fee.
A no-show occurs where a client does not attend a scheduled appointment and has not cancelled or rescheduled the appointment beforehand.
Grounded Talk may, at its discretion, waive a late-cancellation or no-show charge on one occasion where a genuine emergency or exceptional circumstance has prevented the client from attending or providing sufficient notice. Any further late cancellations or missed appointments may be charged in accordance with the cancellation policy above.
These cancellation charges are subject to applicable consumer law and will not be imposed where doing so would be unlawful or where the charge would be unreasonable in the circumstances. Where appropriate, Grounded Talk may consider the amount of notice provided, whether the appointment could reasonably have been rebooked, the nature of the booking and any relevant exceptional circumstances.
In accordance with section 17(5) of the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, no cancellation charge will be imposed where the booking cannot be honoured because of the death or hospitalisation of the person for whom, or for whose benefit, the booking was made.
A waiver required by law does not count as the one discretionary emergency waiver referred to above.
Arriving late does not normally extend the agreed finishing time, as another appointment may follow.
14. Refunds
If you prepay and cancel in circumstances where no cancellation fee applies, the amount due to you will be refunded using a reasonable method. If Grounded Talk cancels a paid session and no acceptable alternative appointment is agreed, the affected session fee will be refunded.
Where a statutory cooling-off, cancellation or refund right applies, that right takes priority over these Terms. Refund timing may also depend on the payment method or payment provider used.
15. Electronic bookings and cooling-off rights
Some bookings are concluded electronically. The Electronic Communications and Transactions Act provides a cooling-off right for certain electronic transactions for services, subject to statutory exceptions. Nothing in these Terms limits that right where it applies.
If you request a session to begin within seven days after an electronic agreement is concluded, you expressly request and consent to the service beginning during that period. Under the Act, the statutory cooling-off provision does not apply once the service has begun with the consumer’s consent within that period. Before the service begins, any applicable statutory cancellation right remains unaffected.
16. Technical problems with online sessions
If an online session is interrupted by a significant technical problem, the parties will try to reconnect. If a substantial part of the session cannot reasonably be completed, Grounded Talk may continue the remaining time by another agreed method, reschedule the affected time, or provide an appropriate credit or refund depending on the circumstances.
17. Behaviour, safety and ending a session
Grounded Talk aims to provide a calm and respectful environment. Threatening, abusive, discriminatory, sexually inappropriate or persistently disruptive behaviour may result in a session being paused or ended. Grounded Talk may also end or decline future sessions where continuing would be unsafe, inappropriate or outside the service’s scope.
18. Personal decisions and third-party advice
Grounded Talk may discuss practical options or suggest that you obtain help from another professional or organisation. Any decision to act on information or seek another service remains yours. Grounded Talk is not responsible for the acts, omissions or professional advice of independent third parties.
19. Website information
The Grounded Talk website provides general information about services and support. Website content is not a diagnosis, treatment plan, legal opinion or substitute for professional medical, psychological, psychiatric or legal advice. Information may be updated without notice to keep it accurate and relevant.
20. Intellectual property
Unless otherwise stated, the Grounded Talk name, website text, branding, graphics and original materials are owned by or licensed to Grounded Talk. You may view and print reasonable extracts for personal use, but you may not reproduce, republish, sell or commercially exploit substantial website content without permission.
21. Third-party services and links
Grounded Talk may use or link to third-party services such as Zoho Bookings, Google, WhatsApp, CookieYes, banks or payment providers. Grounded Talk does not control the availability, security or independent terms of those services and is not responsible for their separate acts or omissions, except to the extent the law places responsibility on Grounded Talk.
22. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Grounded Talk is not liable for indirect or consequential loss arising solely from reliance on general website information, interruption of a third-party platform, or a decision made independently by a client after a session. Grounded Talk does not exclude liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, and nothing in this clause reduces any consumer right or remedy provided by law.
23. Privacy
Personal information is processed in accordance with the Grounded Talk Privacy Policy. The Cookie Policy explains how cookies and similar technologies are used on the website.
24. Complaints and dispute resolution
If you have a concern about a Grounded Talk service, please contact hello@groundedtalk.co.za so that the matter can be considered. The parties should first try in good faith to resolve a dispute directly. Nothing in these Terms prevents a consumer from using any complaint, tribunal, regulator or court process available under South African law.
25. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be dealt with by a court or other forum that has jurisdiction under applicable law.
26. Changes to these Terms
Grounded Talk may update these Terms when services, booking arrangements, technology or legal requirements change. Changes apply prospectively from the date the revised Terms are published and do not retrospectively remove rights already accrued under a confirmed transaction.