Professional Marketplace Terms

1. The Marketplace — MindBrood Initiative's Role

The Societrics Professional Marketplace is a facilitation platform, not an employer, staffing agency, or professional services provider. MindBrood Initiative:

• Provides the technology platform through which clients discover and connect with verified professionals
• Conducts an initial verification of professional credentials before listing approval
• Processes payments on behalf of professionals and remits fees less the applicable platform commission
• Provides session management tools and client-professional messaging infrastructure

MindBrood Initiative does not employ professionals listed on the marketplace; direct, supervise, or control the professional advice or guidance given during sessions; guarantee the quality or outcomes of any session; or bear professional liability for advice given by listed professionals.

The professional service is delivered by the listed professional in their own capacity and under their own professional obligations and licences. MindBrood Initiative is a technology intermediary only.

2. Eligibility — Who May Apply for a Listing

To apply for a verified professional listing, you must:

• Hold a relevant professional qualification in counselling, psychology, guidance and counselling, social work, career advising, coaching, or a related field
• Be registered with a recognised Nigerian or international professional body where applicable, including but not limited to: Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) for school counsellors; Nigerian Council of Psychologists (NCPN); Association for Counselling and Therapy in Nigeria (ACTN); Nigerian Institute of Social Work (NISW); or equivalent international bodies
• Hold current professional indemnity insurance appropriate to the services you offer
• Be legally permitted to practice in the jurisdiction(s) in which you intend to offer services
• Be at least 21 years of age
• Agree to and abide by all terms set out in this document

MindBrood Initiative reserves the right to approve or decline any application at its sole discretion and is not required to provide reasons for declining applications.

3. Verification Process

All applicants must complete the verification process before their listing is activated:

• Credential submission: upload certified copies of your professional qualification certificates and current professional body registration
• Identity verification: provide a government-issued photo ID (National ID card, international passport, or driver's licence)
• Professional indemnity confirmation: provide evidence of current professional indemnity insurance coverage
• Reference check: provide contact details for a professional referee who can confirm your practice and professional standing
• Platform orientation: complete the Societrics platform orientation briefing, including the VCTR Framework overview and the platform's safeguarding protocols

Verification typically takes 5–10 business days. Approved professionals receive a "Verified Professional" badge on their profile. This badge indicates credential verification only — it is not an endorsement of the professional's methods, advice, or services.

You must notify MindBrood Initiative within 14 days if your professional registration lapses, your professional indemnity insurance expires, or your professional standing with your regulatory body changes in any way. Failure to do so may result in immediate suspension of your listing.

4. Professional Obligations

4.1 Professional Standards

All listed professionals must at all times:

• Practise within the scope of their qualifications and professional competence
• Comply with the ethical codes of their relevant professional body
• Maintain the confidentiality of all client communications and session content
• Not make representations about the outcomes or results their clients should expect from sessions
• Not use or disclose a client's VCTR assessment results in ways the client has not consented to
• Inform clients clearly and honestly when a presenting concern exceeds your scope of practice and provide appropriate referral guidance

4.2 Accurate Profile Representation

• Your profile information — qualifications, specialisations, rates, and availability — must be accurate and kept current
• You must not misrepresent your credentials, professional affiliations, or experience
• You must not claim specialisations or competencies you do not hold
• Profile photos must be genuine, recent photographs of yourself

4.3 Session Conduct

• Sessions must be conducted in an appropriate, private, and professional setting
• You must not record sessions without the explicit prior consent of the client
• You must not share session content, client disclosures, or client data with any third party except where required by law or where a safeguarding duty applies (see Section 5)
• You must not establish personal, romantic, or financial relationships with clients outside the scope of the professional service
• Sessions must begin and end at the agreed time; habitual late-starting or early-ending sessions constitute a service quality breach

5. Safeguarding — Non-Negotiable Obligations

You must:

• Maintain up-to-date safeguarding training appropriate to your professional context and the age groups you work with
• Immediately report to the relevant Nigerian authorities (and to abuse@societrics.org) any reasonable belief or disclosure that a client is at risk of harm, abuse, neglect, or self-harm — regardless of confidentiality obligations
• Where a client under 18 discloses a safeguarding concern, follow the protocols required by the Child Rights Act 2003 and your professional body's safeguarding guidelines
• Not conduct sessions with users under 13 without the school or institutional administrator being aware that the session is taking place
• If a client presents in acute mental health crisis during a session, provide appropriate crisis resources and strongly encourage immediate contact with emergency services or a crisis line

6. Platform Fees and Payment

6.1 Session Fees

You set your own session rates on your profile. Rates must be published clearly and not changed after a session has been booked. MindBrood Initiative processes all client payments through the platform payment gateway.

6.2 Platform Commission

MindBrood Initiative deducts a platform commission from each completed session payment before remitting the balance to you. The current commission rate is published in your professional account dashboard and may be updated with 30 days' notice. Your continued listing after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the updated rate.

6.3 Payment Remittance

Session fees less commission are remitted to your registered bank account or mobile money account within 7 business days of session completion, provided no dispute has been raised. MindBrood Initiative is not liable for delays caused by the banking system, network failures, or incomplete account information provided by you.

6.4 Refunds and Disputes

Where a client raises a complaint about a session, MindBrood Initiative may investigate and, at its discretion, issue a full or partial refund to the client. Where a refund is issued due to professional misconduct or failure to deliver the agreed service, the full refunded amount will be deducted from your next payment. Where a refund is issued for circumstances beyond your control (technical failure, platform outage), MindBrood Initiative bears the cost.

7. Intellectual Property in Sessions

Any personalised guidance, written materials, or resources you create and share with a client within a session are provided to that client for their personal use only. You retain intellectual property rights in original materials you create. MindBrood Initiative does not claim intellectual property rights in session content created by listed professionals.

You grant MindBrood Initiative a limited licence to store session records (including chat logs and notes) for the period required by law and our data retention policy, for the purpose of dispute resolution and platform safety only.

8. Your Liability

You accept full professional liability for the advice, guidance, and services you provide to clients through the Societrics platform. MindBrood Initiative bears no liability for:

• The accuracy, appropriateness, or outcomes of advice or guidance you give to clients
• Any harm suffered by a client as a result of following your advice
• Your failure to comply with your professional body's ethical codes or safeguarding obligations
• Claims arising from the professional relationship between you and your client

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless MindBrood Initiative against any claims, losses, or costs arising from your professional conduct on the platform.

9. Suspension and Removal

MindBrood Initiative may suspend or permanently remove your listing if:

• Your professional registration lapses or is revoked
• Your professional indemnity insurance expires without renewal
• A pattern of substantiated client complaints about session quality, conduct, or accuracy is established
• You are found to have misrepresented your credentials or professional affiliations
• You breach your safeguarding obligations
• You engage in any conduct that violates these Terms, the Societrics Terms of Service, or the Acceptable Use Policy
• Your conduct brings MindBrood Initiative into disrepute

In cases of serious misconduct (including safeguarding failures), suspension is immediate and without prior notice. In other cases, we will provide written notice and an opportunity to respond before a final decision. Removal decisions may be appealed by emailing legal@societrics.org within 14 days.

10. Voluntary Departure

You may request removal of your listing at any time by contacting legal@societrics.org. Your listing will be deactivated within 5 business days. You remain liable for any sessions booked and confirmed before the deactivation date. Outstanding payment balances will be remitted within the standard 7-day window after your final sessions complete.

11. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms periodically. Material changes will be communicated to verified professionals via email and platform notification at least 30 days in advance. Continued listing after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

12. Contact

Professional marketplace queries: professionals@societrics.org
Safeguarding concerns: abuse@societrics.org
Disputes and legal matters: legal@societrics.org