Informed Consent for Online Psychology Sessions

Version 1.0, 21 October 2026.

This page explains how the online psychology sessions of Ivory World, Lda. work, what the limits and risks of remote psychological intervention are, and what we ask of you. It applies to the Psychology Services described in our Terms for Online Psychology Services, which are provided from 1 November 2026. Please read it carefully, and ask your psychologist about anything that is not clear before you agree.

1. Who provides the sessions

  • Provider: from 1 November 2026, the sessions will be provided by Ivory World, Lda., NIPC 516 906 739, responsible for the establishment "Ivory Therapy", a telemedicine unit whose registration with the Portuguese Health Regulatory Authority (ERS) will be shown in our Legal Notice once issued. Until that date, IVORY does not operate as a clinic or health establishment: it only puts clients in touch with independent psychologists, who provide the sessions under their own professional responsibility.
  • Psychologist: all sessions are given by psychologists registered with the Ordem dos Psicólogos Portugueses (the Portuguese Order of Psychologists, OPP). We tell you which psychologist you will see before the session, and you can check any registration with the OPP at www.ordemdospsicologos.pt.
  • Clinical Director: from 1 November 2026, a psychologist registered with the OPP will be responsible for the clinical activity as Clinical Director (Technical Director).

2. Nature and aims of the remote intervention

  • The sessions are individual or couples psychology consultations (Clinical Psychology), held at a distance and in real time, by video call on the Zoom platform. We do not offer in-person sessions, or sessions by telephone or written messages.
  • Each individual session lasts 50 minutes; each couples session lasts 60 minutes. How often you meet is agreed with your psychologist.
  • The first session is for getting to know you and assessing your request and whether remote intervention suits you. The psychologist may conclude that this format is not the most suitable and suggest alternatives.
  • Fees: the prices are listed in section 7 of the Terms for Online Psychology Services. Prices may be updated, and that list may not show the latest price: the price that applies is the one shown on the booking platform before you confirm your booking. A session can also be covered by a Session Voucher (one individual session; couples sessions are always paid) at no additional cost to the holder.

3. Advantages, limits and risks

Remote intervention makes access and continuity easier. It has limits: part of the non-verbal communication is lost; quality depends on the connection; and it is not suitable for crisis situations or imminent risk, nor for some clinical situations that the psychologist will assess. There are risks of technical failure, interruption, improper access to the communication, and other people overhearing in your space. We take technical and organisational measures to reduce them, and we ask you to do your part, as described in this page.

4. Technology

  • Sessions take place on the Zoom platform.
  • You need a device with a camera, a microphone and speakers or headphones, a stable internet connection, and an up-to-date Zoom app or a compatible browser.
  • You must not record the sessions (audio, video or image). Any recording of a session by IVORY or by the psychologist would need your specific written consent.

5. Privacy of the psychologist's space and of your space

  • The psychologist's space. Our psychologists are required to hold the session in a closed room with no one else present, using headphones, on a protected device and a secure network (never public Wi-Fi), with no voice assistants or other recording devices active and with the screen not visible to others.
  • Your space. We recommend a private place without interruptions, headphones, and a trusted device and network. Do not share the link. You may not allow others to attend the session without the psychologist's prior agreement.

6. Identification, location and technical failure

  • At the start of each session the psychologist may confirm your identity and the country and place where you are. Tell the psychologist at the start of each session where you are, including the country.
  • The psychologist may ask you for an emergency contact (the name of a person and a way to reach them). Giving one is optional. It is used only in a situation of serious and imminent risk.
  • If the session is interrupted because of a failure of our platform, it is rescheduled or refunded at no cost. If the failure is with your equipment or connection, the psychologist tries to reconnect for 10 minutes (through the same video link and by email). If this is not possible, the first occurrence is rescheduled at no cost and the next ones follow the rules for late cancellations in the Terms.

7. Emergency procedure and services we do not provide

  • IVORY does not provide urgent or emergency care or crisis intervention. We do not provide care for situations of imminent risk to life (including suicide risk) or violence in progress, psychiatric assessment or follow-up, prescription of medication, or sessions for anyone under 18.
  • If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 112 (the European emergency number) or the emergency number of the country where you are. In Portugal you can also call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24. Other contacts by country are on our SOS page.
  • If during a session the psychologist identifies a serious and imminent risk, they may contact the emergency services of the place where you are, or your emergency contact, in line with the Code of Ethics of the OPP.

8. Confidentiality and its limits

  • Everything shared in the sessions, including the fact that you are in therapy, is covered by the professional secrecy of the psychologists and by IVORY's duty of confidentiality. Whoever gave you a Session Voucher, an employer (under a company programme) or anyone else is not told whether, when or with whom you had sessions.
  • Secrecy can only be lifted in the cases provided by law and by the Code of Ethics of the OPP, in particular where there is a serious risk to the life or integrity of the Client or of others, where required by law or by a court, or strictly as far as needed for the psychologist's own defence.
  • Cases discussed in supervision or peer review are discussed without identifying you. Sharing with other health professionals depends on your consent, except in the exceptional situations above.

9. Records

  • Each Client has a clinical record, kept by IVORY as the responsible establishment. It holds the information needed for your care, your consent and its version. You can ask for access to it, and for proof of attendance, by email to care@ivory-therapy.com.
  • How long we keep it is in Part B of our Privacy Policy.
  • Any audio, video or image recording would need your specific written consent.

10. Communications outside the sessions

For the sessions, our email address, care@ivory-therapy.com, is only for administrative matters (bookings, rescheduling, invoices). It is not monitored continuously and is not suitable for emergencies. Please do not describe your symptoms by email.

11. Data protection

Your health data is processed by Ivory World, Lda. to provide the psychology consultations, on the basis of the provision of health care under professional secrecy (Article 9(2)(h) GDPR). It is never used for advertising and is not shared with advertising partners. We are completing the technical separation between this data and our store and marketing systems, as explained in section 3 of our Privacy Policy. Details, your rights and how to contact us are in Part B of our Privacy Policy.

12. Your rights

You have the right, among others, to choose your psychologist and to change psychologist; to receive clear information on the service, the prices, the risks and the alternatives; to give or refuse consent and to withdraw it at any time, without penalty; to confidentiality and protection of your data; to access your clinical record; to obtain proof of attendance; to be treated with respect, dignity and without discrimination; and to make suggestions and complaints, in the Electronic Complaints Book (www.livroreclamacoes.pt), by email to care@ivory-therapy.com or to the ERS (www.ers.pt). Your duties include giving truthful information, in particular about your identity, age and location, respecting the professionals and the booking rules, and not recording the sessions. The full list is in the Terms for Online Psychology Services.

13. Minors

Not applicable: the services of IVORY are only for people aged 18 or over.

14. Your consent

Before your first session, you confirm that you have read and understood the information on this page, that you have had the opportunity to ask questions, and that you freely and knowingly consent to remote psychological intervention by Ivory World, Lda. The consent is given by the person who will have the session, personally, never by the buyer or the person who gave them a voucher. At the start of the first session, the psychologist confirms your consent and records it in your clinical record.

15. Withdrawal of consent

You can withdraw your consent at any time, without penalty and without giving a reason, by email to care@ivory-therapy.com or by telling your psychologist in a session. The withdrawal is recorded in your clinical record and the follow-up ends, unless you give a new consent. A withdrawal does not affect what was done before it. Amounts already paid for sessions that did not take place are handled under the Terms for Online Psychology Services.