Legal Disclaimers

Family Spirals® is being developed as a not-for-profit capacity-building and educational organization. It is not a psychotherapy provider nor a substitute for it. Please consult a licensed mental health professional before making any major life decisions or changes to your current psychotherapy or medication regimens. There is no professional doctor/patient or attorney/client relationship created in using the platform, unless a formal relationship is created via the organization or pursuant to a contract.

If you are having suicidal thoughts, or otherwise in crisis, call your doctor or 988 immediately for the National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to talk with a skilled counselor at a crisis center in your area, any time. They also offer a confidential online chat – click here. For other emergencies, call 911. If you’re located outside the U.S., call your local emergency number – find it here.

Discussion & Support Groups, and Community-Based Social and Educational Activities

All discussion/support groups (“Group/s”) and community-based social/educational activities (“Activities”) facilitated by Family Spirals are intended to offer a safe space to share and process feelings and experiences related to family relationships. These Groups and Activities are educational and supportive in nature and may offer selfcare strategies, but will not engage in rendering psychological or healthcare advice for any particular individual or situation. Facilitated Groups and Activities will not provide medical, mental health or any other type of health service. No diagnosis, treatment recommendations or advice regarding any medical or mental health condition or illness will be offered. Groups and Activities cannot be a substitute for or alternative to treatment when a medical or mental health condition is present. Group members and Activity participants are advised to seek professional services from licensed physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists and health care professionals, if and when necessary.

Online discussion/support Groups (via video communications platform) and Groups on social media are set-up as “closed” groups, which means anyone can find the group and see who runs it, but only members can see who is in it and what they post. Non-members cannot join without permission and cannot see what group members post.

We have a minimum age requirement of 18 years for joining one of our discussion/support groups or closed social media groups.

Family Spirals is not responsible for any of the information which is posted by group members. Please adhere to the following terms of use when participating in a Group conversation. If you do not wish to abide by these terms, please exit the site and remove yourself from the group list:

Personal Health Information: No one may use or disclose any member’s identifiable information (except their own) of any kind on any online meeting platform, social media, or elsewhere without the expressed written permission of that member. Even if an individual is not identified by name within the information you wish to use or disclose, if there is a reasonable basis to believe that the person could still be identified from that information, then its use or disclosure could constitute a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Content that includes personal health information that is not your own, cannot be posted to these groups.

Proprietary Information: Group Members may not disclose any confidential or proprietary information of or about Family Spirals, its affiliates, vendors, or suppliers, including but not limited to business and financial information, represent that they are communicating the views of Family Spirals, or do anything that might reasonably create the impression that they are communicating on behalf of or as a representative of Family Spirals.

Website

The contents of Family Spirals’ websites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on Family Spirals’ websites (“content”) are for informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your mental health professional or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on a Family Spirals website.

Family Spirals does not recommend or endorse any clinicians, counselors, psychiatrists, social workers, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on its websites. Reliance on any information provided by Family Spirals, Family Spirals’ employees, others appearing on the website at the invitation of Family Spirals, or other visitors to its websites is solely at your own risk.

Neither Family Spirals, nor its contributors shall be held liable for any improper or incorrect use of the information described and/or contained herein and assumes no responsibility for anyone’s use of the information. In no event shall Family Spirals, or its contributors be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, or consequential damages (including, but not limited to: procurement of substitute goods or services; loss of use, data, or profits; or business interruption) however caused and on any theory of liability, whether in contract, strict liability, tort (including negligence or otherwise), or any other theory arising in any way out of the use of this system, even if advised of the possibility of such damage.

You understand and acknowledge that Family Spirals assumes no responsibility to screen or review Content and/or User Content that is originated by parties other than Family Spirals, and that Family Spirals shall have the right, but not the obligation, in its sole discretion to review, refuse, monitor, edit or remove any Content and/or User Content that is available on the Site. Family Spirals expressly disclaims all responsibility or liability to you or any other person or entity for the performance or nonperformance of such Content and/or User Content review. You acknowledge and agree that you assume all risk associated with the use of any and all Content and/or User Content. Family Spirals, provides this information on an “as is” basis.

Links

Family Spirals’ websites may provide, or third parties may provide, links to other websites. You acknowledge and agree that such links are provided for your convenience and do not reflect any endorsement by Family Spirals with respect to the provider of such linked site or the quality, reliability or any other characteristic or feature of such linked site and Family Spirals is not responsible in any manner (including without limitation with respect to any loss or injury you may suffer) for any matter associated with the linked site, including without limitation, the content provided on or through any such linked site or your reliance thereon. Family Spirals makes no representations or warranties with respect to any linked site. Your use of any linked site is solely at your own risk. In addition, you should be aware that your use of any linked site is subject to the terms and conditions applicable to that site, including the privacy policies (or lack thereof) of such site.

Third Party Messages

Additionally, all messages transmitted on our mailing lists and contained in the mailing list archives, and any opinions, advice, statements or other information contained in any messages posted or transmitted by any third party are the responsibility of the author of the message and not of Family Spirals. The fact that a particular message is posted or transmitted via a Family Spirals website or mailing list does not mean that Family Spirals has endorsed that message in any way or verified the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any message.

Warranties/Accuracy and Use of Data/Computer Viruses

​Although the data found using websites operated by Family Spirals, have been produced and processed from sources believed to be reliable, no warranty expressed or implied is made regarding accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of any information. This disclaimer applies to both isolated and aggregate uses of the information. Family Spirals, provides this information on an “AS IS” basis. All warranties of any kind, expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, freedom from contamination by computer viruses and non-infringement of proprietary rights are disclaimed. Changes may be periodically added to the information herein; these changes may or may not be incorporated in any new version of the publication. If the user has obtained information from Family Spirals’ websites from a source other than Family Spirals’ websites, the user must be aware that electronic data can be altered subsequent to original distribution. Data can also quickly become out-of-date. It is recommended that the user pay careful attention to the contents of any metadata associated with a file, and that the originator of the data or information be contacted with any questions regarding appropriate use.

Endorsements

Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including information providers, users, or others, are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and do not necessarily state or reflect those of Family Spirals. Reference herein to any specific commercial products, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Family Spirals, and such reference shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

Family Spirals may participate in one or more affiliate advertising programs by advertising and linking to other websites, which are not under the control of Family Spirals or any of its members. These links are provided to generate a revenue to support the operating costs of this website, and should not be viewed as an endorsement by Family Spirals or any of its members of the organization operating the website.