Terms & Conditions

Inside Intrusive Terms & Conditions

Personal Safety, Consent, and Safeguarding Policy for Members

1. Purpose

Inside Intrusive is committed to creating a respectful, supportive, and emotionally safe environment for members participating in educational and peer-support groups related to OCD, intrusive thoughts, and taboo OCD themes.

This policy outlines expectations related to consent, personal safety, safeguarding, confidentiality, and risk escalation. It is intended to help members understand the boundaries of Inside Intrusive services, the responsibilities of members, and the role of group facilitators.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all Inside Intrusive members, participants, facilitators, therapists, volunteers, staff, contractors, and anyone attending or supporting Inside Intrusive groups, programs, events, or online spaces.

3. Nature and Limits of Inside Intrusive Services

Inside Intrusive provides education, peer support, group discussion, and psychoeducational resources related to OCD, intrusive thoughts, anxiety, mental health, taboo OCD themes, and lived experience.

Inside Intrusive does not provide:

  • Therapy services;
  • Psychotherapy;
  • Counselling;
  • Crisis intervention;
  • Emergency mental health care;
  • Formal suicide risk assessment;
  • Risk management services;
  • Medical or psychiatric care.

Participation in an Inside Intrusive group does not create a therapist-client, counsellor-client, doctor-patient, or clinical treatment relationship.

Therapists or mental health professionals who participate in Inside Intrusive groups are acting as facilitators, educators, or peer-support leaders unless a separate therapeutic relationship has been formally established outside of Inside Intrusive.

Inside Intrusive groups are not a substitute for individual therapy, crisis support, emergency care, medical care, psychiatric care, or professional mental health treatment.

4. Member Consent and Agreement

By registering for, purchasing, or attending an Inside Intrusive membership, group, program, event, or online space, members confirm that they understand and agree to the following:

  1. Inside Intrusive is an educational and peer-support organization, not a therapy or crisis service.
  2. Group participation may include discussion of sensitive topics, including OCD, intrusive thoughts, taboo themes, anxiety, depression, shame, self-harm themes, suicidal-themed obsessions, harm-related obsessions, and lived experience.
  3. Members are responsible for assessing whether group participation is appropriate for them at any given time.
  4. Members are responsible for seeking support from their therapist, counsellor, psychiatrist, physician, crisis line, emergency service, or other appropriate support when needed.
  5. Members agree to inform Inside Intrusive if they require reasonable safety-related accommodations for group participation.
  6. Members understand that facilitators may take safeguarding action if there is concern about serious risk of harm to the member or another person.
  7. Members understand that confidentiality may be limited where there is serious or immediate risk of harm.
  8. Members understand that Inside Intrusive is not responsible for providing crisis care, emergency response, or ongoing risk management.

5. Personal Safety Assessment Prior to Participation

Members are expected to consider their own emotional readiness and personal safety before attending groups.

Members who have a history of suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, self-harm, severe mental health crisis, or current significant mental health deterioration are strongly encouraged to create a personal safety plan before attending an Inside Intrusive group.

This may be completed:

  • Independently;
  • With a therapist or counsellor;
  • With a psychiatrist, physician, or mental health professional;
  • With a trusted support person; or
  • Through an appropriate crisis or mental health service.

A personal safety plan may include:

  • Warning signs that distress is increasing;
  • Coping strategies;
  • Grounding tools;
  • Supportive people to contact;
  • Professional contacts;
  • Crisis line or emergency service information;
  • Steps to take if the member no longer feels safe;
  • A plan for leaving group safely if they become overwhelmed.

Inside Intrusive does not require members to disclose the full personal details of their safety plan. However, members may be asked to confirm that they have considered their safety needs and have appropriate support in place before participating.

6. Emergency Contact Information

Inside Intrusive may collect emergency contact information during registration for safeguarding purposes.

Emergency contacts will only be contacted where there is a serious safety concern, such as immediate risk of harm to the member or another person, and where contact is considered necessary and appropriate.

Emergency contacts will not be contacted for routine participation, general distress, ordinary OCD-related anxiety, intrusive thoughts without intent, or non-urgent concerns.

7. Treating Clinician Information

Members may be asked to provide the name and contact information of a treating clinician, therapist, counsellor, psychiatrist, physician, or other professional support.

Providing this information is optional unless otherwise required for a specific program.

Inside Intrusive will not routinely contact a member’s treating clinician. Contact may only occur where there is serious concern about safety, where the member has given consent, or where disclosure is legally or ethically required due to risk of harm.

8. Confidentiality and Limits

Inside Intrusive expects all members to respect the privacy and confidentiality of other participants.

Members agree not to share identifying information, personal stories, screenshots, recordings, names, contact details, or private disclosures from group without explicit permission.

Inside Intrusive will also respect member privacy. However, confidentiality may be limited where:

  • There is immediate or serious risk of harm to the member;
  • There is immediate or serious risk of harm to another person;
  • A member discloses a suicide plan or intent;
  • A member discloses recent or current self-harm with ongoing risk;
  • A member threatens serious harm to another person;
  • There is a legal duty to report;
  • Emergency services or crisis services need to be contacted.

Where possible, facilitators will be transparent with the member about any safeguarding action being taken.

9. Special Consideration for OCD and Intrusive Thoughts

Inside Intrusive recognizes that many people with OCD experience intrusive thoughts related to:

  • Suicide;
  • Self-harm;
  • Harm coming to others;
  • Harm caused by the self;
  • Taboo, violent, sexual, religious, or morally distressing themes.

These thoughts can be unwanted, distressing, and ego-dystonic, meaning they do not reflect the person’s values, desires, or intentions.

The presence of suicidal-themed or harm-themed intrusive thoughts does not automatically mean a person is at immediate risk of acting on those thoughts.

Facilitators will be trained to distinguish, where possible, between:

  • Intrusive OCD thoughts, such as: “I am terrified I might hurt myself, but I do not want to”; and
  • Actual suicidal intent, such as: “I want to end my life and I have a plan.”

However, if there is uncertainty about a member’s safety, facilitators may ask further safety questions and consult the safeguarding lead.

10. Member Responsibilities

Members are responsible for:

  1. Participating respectfully and safely.
  2. Monitoring their own emotional readiness for group.
  3. Pausing, leaving, or taking space if group content becomes overwhelming.
  4. Seeking appropriate professional support when needed.
  5. Creating a personal safety plan if they have a history of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, self-harm, or significant mental health crisis.
  6. Informing a facilitator if they feel unsafe during group.
  7. Not relying on Inside Intrusive groups as a crisis or emergency service.
  8. Respecting confidentiality and the privacy of other members.
  9. Avoiding graphic descriptions of self-harm, suicide methods, abuse, violence, or trauma that may be harmful to others.
  10. Following group guidelines and facilitator direction.

11. Group Participation and Right to Pause or Decline Attendance

Inside Intrusive may pause, defer, or decline group participation where there are significant concerns that the group is not currently appropriate or safe for the member.

This may occur where:

  • The member requires crisis-level support;
  • The member is repeatedly unsafe in group;
  • The member’s needs exceed the scope of peer support;
  • Participation may place the member or others at risk;
  • The member does not agree to group safety expectations.

Where possible, Inside Intrusive will provide appropriate signposting to external supports.

12. Crisis and Emergency Disclaimer

Inside Intrusive is not a crisis service.

If a member is in immediate danger, feels unable to stay safe, or believes someone else is at immediate risk, they should contact emergency services, attend the nearest emergency department, contact a local crisis line, or reach out to an appropriate urgent mental health service.

Members should not rely on group facilitators, peer-support spaces, social media messages, email, or online platforms as an emergency response system.

13. Member Agreement

By registering for, purchasing, or attending an Inside Intrusive membership, group, program, event, or online space, I confirm that:

I agree to participate respectfully and follow group safety guidelines.

I have read and understood this Personal Safety, Consent, and Safeguarding Policy;

I understand that Inside Intrusive does not provide therapy, crisis intervention, emergency mental health care, formal suicide risk assessment, or risk management services;

I understand that group participation does not create a therapist-client, counsellor-client, doctor-patient, or clinical treatment relationship;

I understand that I am responsible for seeking appropriate professional, crisis, or emergency support when needed;

I understand that if I have a history of suicide attempts, suicidal ideation, self-harm, or serious mental health crisis, I am strongly encouraged to create a personal safety plan before attending group;

I understand that confidentiality may be limited where there is serious or immediate risk of harm;

I understand that my emergency contact will only be contacted where there is a serious safety concern and where contact is necessary and appropriate;

I understand that Inside Intrusive may pause, defer, or decline my participation if my needs exceed the scope of peer support or if there are significant safety concerns;