Privacy Policy & Telehealth Data Protection

1. Information We Collect

To provide ethical mental health matching, verified tele-consultations, and student educational experiences, we process minimal necessary data:

• Account Details: Name, phone number, email address, date of birth, and encrypted credential hashes.
• Clinical Onboarding & Matching Preferences: Self-reported primary concerns (e.g., anxiety, depression, burnout, relationship conflict), preferred communication languages, budget preferences, and preferred clinician gender.
• Clinical Documentation: Clinician SOAP notes, psychological intake notes, and psychiatric prescriptions authored exclusively by your assigned healthcare provider.
• Self-Care & Wellness Entries: Private journal reflections, daily mood check-in records, and grounding tool completion counters.
• Payment Records: Transaction IDs, timestamps, and payment statuses processed securely via certified payment aggregators (e.g., Razorpay/UPI). Psychizen never stores your raw credit card numbers or UPI PINs.

2. Teleconsultation Audio & Video Privacy

Tele-therapy video and audio streams operate via secure peer-to-peer WebRTC channels protected by end-to-end transport layer security (DTLS/SRTP).

We do NOT record, intercept, or store audio or video streams of any client-clinician therapy session, Bloom Guide conversation, or Anonymous Listening session. The session room exists exclusively in memory for the duration of the call.

3. Confidentiality & Legal Exceptions

Confidentiality between a client and their registered mental health professional is protected under ethical standards established by the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) and the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017. Information shared in therapy remains private, with the following mandatory statutory exceptions:

• Where there is an imminent, life-threatening risk of severe self-harm or suicide.
• Where there is a credible threat of grave physical harm or homicide toward an identified third party.
• Where disclosure involves mandatory reporting of active child sexual abuse under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, 2012.
• Where legally compelled by a formal subpoena or warrant issued by a competent court of law in India.

4. Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 Rights

Under Indian data protection laws, you retain explicit sovereign rights over your digital personal data:

• Right to Access: You may download an export of your mood records, journal reflections, and invoice history directly from your client workspace.
• Right to Rectification: You can update personal identifying information, emergency contact details, and account preferences at any time.
• Right to Erasure (Forgotten): You may request complete deletion of your account and self-care records by emailing privacy@psychizen.com. Medical clinical notes authored by licensed psychiatrists and RCI psychologists are retained in cold, encrypted storage for the legally mandated minimum statutory period required for medical records under Indian law (3 years from last consultation), after which they are automatically purged.

5. Anonymous Community & Listening Lounge Privacy

When participating in the Anonymous Listening Lounge or Community Discussion Groups, your real legal name and email address are never exposed to other peers or listeners. Discussions are conducted using chosen aliases, and IP addresses are scrubbed from public community views.

6. Contact Our Grievance & Data Protection Officer

In accordance with Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 and DPDP 2023, for any questions or data concerns, contact: