Held By Emma ltd - Service Agreement and Terms and Conditions

Service Agreement for Birth processing sessions

These terms and conditions apply to services provided by Emma Dutton, trading as Held By Emma. 

1. About the service- 

  • Birth Processing sessions are intended to offer a space to have your story heard without judgement. It is an offering of time and guided conversation to allow for reflection, emotional awareness and support in nervous system regulation. 

  • Where appropriate and with consent, the use of somatic and systemic therapy tools may be used to bring awareness to the body and nervous system. 

2. Scope and Limitations - 

  • Birth processing is not counselling and cannot be used as a replacement for specialised psychological therapy. This service is not recommended for those with complex mental health conditions and does not involve diagnosis or clinical treatments.

  • This service does not replace medical advice, midwifery care, mental health treatment, or emergency support. If you are experiencing significant psychological distress, you should seek support from a qualified healthcare professional.

  • Should you have medical questions surrounding your birth experience that cannot be answered in the session, I have ongoing support from midwives as part of my ongoing Reconnected Birthing Practitioner (RBP) training. With your permission and where appropriate, questions can be directed to them anonymously on your behalf. Please note midwives available for this purpose will not offer medical advice or recommendations for current or future pregnancies or births. 

3. Emotional nature of the service - 

  • Clients acknowledge that discussing birth experiences may involve emotionally sensitive or traumatic topics that may lead to feelings of distress.

  • I will always endeavour to work as gently as possible to prevent a session from feeling too distressing and will pause a session if I notice any signs of distress arising.

  • By participating in a session, you acknowledge that birth processing can lead to feelings of distress and that I cannot be held responsible should this arise during or after a session.

  • I will not make clinical diagnoses or provide medical advice, however if it becomes evident that you might benefit from additional support (for example counselling or therapy for PTSD) this will be discussed with you.

4. Emotional safety and consent - 

  • Birth Processing sessions are conducted in a trauma informed way. You are in control of what you choose to share and you will not be pressured to share or revisit anything you do not wish to.

  • Sessions can be paused or stopped by you at anytime.

  • Everything offered during a birth procession session is an invitation only and you can say no to anything. You will be reminded of this during the session regularly.

5. Terms specific to Reduced Rate RBP certification sessions - 

  • RBP certification sessions are being offered at a reduced rate as part of my Reconnected Birthing Practitioner (RBP) certification process. These sessions are carried out in a professional and supportive manner, with the same high standards of care, professionalism and privacy that apply to all clients.

  • By booking these sessions, clients acknowledge that the session forms part of ongoing professional training and development. 

  • As part of certification requirements, anonymised aspects of sessions may be discussed within professional supervision for the purposes of informing my training and certification. No identifying personal data will be shared.

  • As part of the RBP certification requirements, you will be invited to provide feedback relating to your session. This feedback will be submitted directly by you to the training provider (contact details will be provided upon completion of the session) based in Australia. Participation to do so is entirely voluntary. 

  • By participating in a reduced-rate practice session, you acknowledge and consent to anonymised feedback relating to your session being shared with my training organisation/supervisor in Australia for assessment and certification purposes. 

6. Professional practice and supervision - 

  • Beyond completion of the RBP training (September 2026), continued support and mentorship will be offered through membership to the RBP community. This offers support, mentoring and clinical supervision to ensure opportunity for ongoing reflection, growth and development. This also ensures continued access to midwives for answers to any clinical questions that may arise about your birth (please note they will not be available to offer medical advice).

7. Online sessions and technical requirements - 

  • Birth processing sessions are held online via video call. Clients are responsible for ensuring they have access to a suitable device, a stable internet connection and private environment for the duration of the session. 

  • While every effort will be made to ensure a session runs smoothly, I cannot be held responsible for interruptions, delays, reduced quality, or failure of sessions resulting from issues with the client’s internet connection, equipment, software or technical setup.

  • In the event of a technical disruption, reasonable efforts will be made to reconnect and continue the session where possible.

  • If a session is significantly disrupted or cannot proceed due to a technical issue on my side, I will make reasonable efforts to reschedule the appointment or provide an appropriate partial or full refund where applicable. 

8. Booking and payment - 

  • Sessions are booked via my website using SimplyBook.me

  • Payments are processed securely via Stripe through SimplyBook.me at the time of booking.

  • For more information on how your data is stored and processed please refer to the privacy policy.

9. Cancellations and refunds - 

  • To allow time for appointments to be offered to other clients, cancellations must be made with a minimum of 7 days’ notice in order to receive a full refund. 

  • Refunds are not normally available for cancellations made within 7 days of the appointment. However, if the appointment is successfully rebooked, a partial or full refund may be offered at my discretion. 

  • Exceptional circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis.

10. Privacy and confidentiality - 

  • All birth debrief sessions are confidential and your data is managed in accordance with GDPR. Please refer to the privacy statement available on my website or on the booking site for more information. 

  • Confidentiality may only be broken when there is a legal obligation or safeguarding concern.

  • Held By Emma uses third party processors: simplybook.me and Stripe, to book appointments and take payment. Please refer to the privacy policy for more information on how your data is processed and stored.

  • All personal information shared during sessions is treated as confidential. From time to time, anonymised aspects of sessions may be discussed as part of my ongoing professional training, supervision, and reflective practice. This is done only to support safe and ethical practice, and no identifying details (such as names or other personal information) will ever be shared.

11. Session notes and records - 

  • To support continuity and professional practice, and in line with professional insurance and legal requirements, records of our sessions will be kept securely for up to 7 years. After this time, records are securely deleted.

  • Records are stored securely on encrypted systems that are password protected with restricted access. Please refer to privacy policy for more details.

12. Client responsibility - 

  • Clients remain responsible for their own healthcare decisions and for seeking medical or psychological support where appropriate.

13. Liability limitation - 

  • Whilst every effort is made to provide a supportive and professional service, no guarantees are made regarding specific emotional outcomes resulting from these sessions. 

14. Right to refuse or end sessions - 

  • Held By Emma reserves the right to refuse or discontinue services where appropriate, including in cases involving abusive behaviour, safeguarding concerns or circumstances outside the scope of the service. 

15. Gift Cards - 

  • Gift certificates are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase.

  • Sessions must be booked and attended within the validity period.

  • Gift certificates are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged for cash.

  • If you need to cancel or reschedule your appointment, please provide at least 7 days’ notice where possible to allow time for the appointment to be filled by someone else.

  • Cancellations made with less than 7 days’ notice may result in the gift certificate being considered redeemed. However, if the appointment is successfully rebooked, a partial or full refund may be offered at my discretion. 

  • Exceptional circumstances will be considered on a case by case basis.

Last updated 18/05/2026