Privacy Policy

The Mind Practice

www.themindpractice.in

The Mind Practice (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is a mental health and forensic psychological services clinic founded by Dr. Reena Sharma, Ph.D., based in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. We are deeply committed to protecting the privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of every individual who visits our website, engages with our content, or seeks our services.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, share, and protect your personal information when you interact with our website www.themindpractice.in (the “Website”) and our clinical, assessment, training, and consulting services. It is designed to comply with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) of India, the Information Technology Act, 2000 and its Rules, and the ethical and legal obligations governing the practice of psychology in India.

By accessing this Website or engaging our services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. Please read it carefully.

1. Who We Are

Name of Entity: The Mind Practice

Founder & Practitioner: Dr. Reena Sharma, Ph.D. — Forensic and Rehabilitation Psychologist, Criminologist

Address: 1101, Palak Prime, Iskon Ambli Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Phone: +91 98115 10003

Email: connect@themindpractice.in

For the purposes of the DPDP Act, 2023, The Mind Practice acts as the Data Fiduciary in relation to the personal data we collect from you.

2. The Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary to provide you with safe, effective, and ethically sound psychological services and to operate our Website. The categories of information we may collect include:

2.1 Information You Provide Directly

Identification information: full name, age, date of birth, gender, occupation, and address.
Contact information: phone number, email address, and emergency contact details.
Appointment information: dates, times, and reason for consultation booked through our Website, by phone, or via third-party booking platforms.
Clinical and sensitive personal information: mental and physical health history, presenting concerns, family and relationship history, prescription and medication details, psychological assessment responses, session notes, and any other information you choose to share during clinical work.
Forensic and rehabilitation information: for clients engaged through our forensic, correctional, or court-referred services, this may include criminal history, legal documentation, risk-assessment data (including instruments such as the LS-CMI and the Criminogenic Thinking Profile), and information shared by referring authorities or institutions.
Communication content: the content of emails, messages, contact-form submissions, comments, feedback, and newsletter subscriptions.
Payment information: billing details required to process consultation fees. Payment card details are processed through secure third-party payment gateways and are not stored by us.

2.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit our Website (which is built on the Wix platform), certain technical information is automatically collected, including:

Your IP address, browser type and version, device type, and operating system.
Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, and clickstream data.
Cookies and similar tracking technologies (see Section 9: Cookies).

2.3 Information from Third Parties

Referring physicians, psychiatrists, hospitals, schools, employers, courts, correctional institutions, or other professionals where you have authorised such referral or where required by law.
Family members or guardians, where treatment of a minor or dependent adult is involved and consent is appropriately obtained.
Public review platforms (such as Practo) and our analytics or scheduling tools, where you have left feedback or interacted with our listings.

3. Sensitive Personal Data and Mental Health Information

Mental health information is among the most sensitive categories of personal data. Under the DPDP Act, 2023 and the IT (Reasonable Security Practices and Procedures and Sensitive Personal Data or Information) Rules, 2011, information about your physical, physiological, and mental health is treated with heightened protection. We recognise this fully.

We collect such information only with your free, specific, informed, unconditional, and unambiguous consent (or, where you are a minor or person with disability, the verifiable consent of your parent or lawful guardian), and only for the purpose for which it was collected. We will never use your clinical information for marketing, advertising, or any unrelated purpose.

4. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following clearly defined purposes:

To provide psychological assessment, therapy, counselling, crisis management, and rehabilitation services.
To schedule, confirm, reschedule, and follow up on consultations and appointments.
To create and maintain accurate clinical records as required by professional standards and applicable law.
To communicate with you about your care, including treatment plans, recommendations, and follow-up advice.
To process payments and maintain billing records.
To respond to your enquiries submitted through the contact form, email, or telephone.
To send you newsletters, blog updates, or mental-health resources, but only where you have specifically subscribed to receive them.
To conduct anonymised research, training, supervision, and academic publication, where data is fully de-identified and cannot be linked back to you.
To improve the Website, our services, and our user experience.
To comply with legal, regulatory, professional, and ethical obligations applicable to a registered psychologist in India.

5. Confidentiality and Its Limits

Confidentiality is a cornerstone of psychological practice. Information shared in therapy or assessment is treated as strictly confidential and is held to the standards of the Rehabilitation Council of India and the ethical guidelines of the profession.

However, in keeping with Indian law and ethical practice, there are limited circumstances in which we may be required to disclose information without your consent. These include:

When there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to yourself or to another identifiable person.
When there is reasonable suspicion of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child, elderly person, or person with disability, as required under laws such as the POCSO Act, 2012 and the Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act, 2007.
When disclosure is required by a court order, subpoena, or other lawful direction from a competent authority, including in forensic and correctional contexts.
When required for the prevention, detection, investigation, or prosecution of any offence under Indian law.

Where disclosure becomes necessary, we will, wherever possible and lawful, inform you in advance and limit the disclosure to only what is strictly required.

6. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share information only in the limited circumstances set out below:

With your explicit consent: when you ask us to share information with a family member, physician, school, employer, or other third party.
With service providers: such as our website host (Wix), email service providers, payment gateways, and appointment-scheduling platforms, who process information strictly on our behalf and under contractual confidentiality obligations.
With supervisors and consultants: in the course of professional clinical supervision, peer review, or case consultation, where your identity is protected to the maximum extent possible.
With referring or receiving institutions: for clients in our forensic and correctional programmes (such as the Samarth programme), information may be shared with prison authorities, courts, or partner institutions strictly within the scope of the referral and applicable law.
As required by law: with regulatory bodies, courts, or law-enforcement agencies as described in Section 5.

7. Storage, Security, and Retention

7.1 Where Your Data Is Stored

Our Website is hosted on the Wix platform, which uses servers located in various jurisdictions. Clinical records and case files are stored in secure physical and/or encrypted digital systems controlled by The Mind Practice. Where any cross-border transfer of data occurs, we ensure that such transfer complies with the DPDP Act, 2023 and any restrictions notified by the Central Government of India.

7.2 Security Measures

We implement reasonable security practices and procedures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, including:

Restricted access to clinical records on a strict need-to-know basis.
Password protection, encryption, and secure storage of digital records.
Locked physical storage of paper records, where applicable.
Confidentiality agreements with all staff, interns, and associated professionals.
Regular review of our security practices in line with prevailing standards.

While we take every reasonable measure to protect your information, no method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is fully secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security but commit to acting promptly in the event of any data breach, including notification to you and to the Data Protection Board of India where required.

7.3 Retention

We retain your personal and clinical information only for as long as is necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, to meet our professional and ethical record-keeping obligations, and to comply with applicable law. Clinical records are typically retained for a minimum period as required by professional standards, after which they are securely destroyed or fully de-identified.

8. Your Rights

Under the DPDP Act, 2023 and applicable Indian law, you have the following rights with respect to your personal data:

Right to information: to know what personal data we hold about you and how it is being processed.
Right to access and correction: to access your personal data and request correction of any inaccuracy or incompleteness.
Right to erasure: to request deletion of your personal data, subject to our professional and legal obligations to retain certain records.
Right to withdraw consent: to withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal will not affect the lawfulness of any processing carried out before withdrawal, and may affect our ability to continue providing certain services to you.
Right to grievance redressal: to raise any concern about how your data has been handled (see Section 12).
Right to nominate: to nominate another individual to exercise your rights in the event of your death or incapacity.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at connect@themindpractice.in. We will respond within a reasonable period in accordance with applicable law.

9. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyse Website traffic, and understand how visitors use our content. Because our Website is built on the Wix platform, certain cookies are set by Wix to ensure the Website functions properly, to maintain security, and to provide analytics.

You may control or disable cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Website.

10. Third-Party Links and Services

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites, platforms, and services, including but not limited to LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Substack, Practo, and the publisher pages of our books. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, content, or security of these external websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

11. Children and Minors

We provide psychological services to children and adolescents. Where the data subject is below the age of eighteen (18), or is a person with disability who has a lawful guardian, we collect, process, and retain personal data only with the verifiable consent of the parent or lawful guardian, in accordance with the DPDP Act, 2023.

We do not engage in tracking, behavioural monitoring, or targeted advertising directed at children. Information shared by or about a minor is treated with the highest degree of care and confidentiality, balanced with the legitimate involvement of parents or guardians as part of the care plan.

12. Grievance Redressal

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or the manner in which your personal data is handled, please contact our Grievance Officer:

Grievance Officer: Dr. Reena Sharma, Ph.D.

Designation: Founder & Practising Psychologist, The Mind Practice

Address: 1101, Palak Prime, Iskon Ambli Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India

Email: connect@themindpractice.in

Phone: +91 98115 10003

We will acknowledge your grievance promptly and aim to resolve it within the timelines prescribed under applicable law. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may approach the Data Protection Board of India in accordance with the DPDP Act, 2023.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our services, or applicable law. The revised version will be posted on this page with a new “Last Updated” date. Where the changes are material, we will take reasonable steps to bring them to your attention. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

This Privacy Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India. Any disputes arising in connection with this Policy or the processing of your personal data shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India.

Thank you for trusting us with your care.