Effective Date: October 5, 2026
This Agreement (the “Agreement”) shall become effective by and between Sound Off, Inc., a Texas nonprofit corporation, (“Company”) and you, the individual executing this Agreement as a person satisfying the Counselor criteria described herein (“Counselor” or “you”) upon your electronic signature below. Company and Counselor may be referred to in this Agreement collectively as “the Parties” and singularly as a “Party.” This Agreement shall become effective upon the date that you accept this Agreement in the Application (the “Effective Date”).
A. Company operates a program through which United States veterans, active duty military service members, and other authorized populations (“Users”) may access counseling and support services provided by licensed counselors by means of a mobile application developed and maintained by the Company (the “Application”). The Parties acknowledge that services made available through the Application are non-medical in nature, are not medical care, psychotherapy, diagnosis, or treatment, and are intended to be short-term, supportive, psychoeducational, and preventative, consistent with non-medical counseling models recognized by the U.S. Department of Defense. The Company also makes available access to peer support services provided by trained peers (“Peer Supporters”). The Application may also be made available from time to time to additional authorized populations designated by the Company.
B. Counselor is licensed to provide the Services in one or more of the State(s) (you shall through the Application have advised the Company in which State(s) you are licensed) as a licensed clinical psychologist, licensed clinical social worker, licensed professional counselor, psychiatrist M.D., or psychoanalyst M.D. or any corresponding licensed mental health professional title recognized in the State(s) in which you practice (you shall also through the Application have advised the Company which category of licensed counselor you are).
C. Company wishes to contract with Counselor to provide the Services to Users in accordance with applicable state and federal laws; and
D. Counselor desires to provide the Services to Users in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.
NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the promises and mutual agreements contained in this Agreement, the Parties, intending to be legally bound, agree as follows:
Counselor shall provide Services to Users by means of the Application through the mobile application on an anonymous basis as to the identity of the User. Counselor agrees not to request or require the name, address or any other identifying information from the User, except under the circumstances discussed below. Counselor shall provide Services to Users only through the Company Application unless the User specifically and voluntarily requests communication in another manner or asks to be seen in person by Counselor.
Except in a crisis situation, Counselor shall not direct a User with whom the Counselor is already consulting in the Counselor’s private practice or through a mental health service entity or veterans’ service organization or other entity by whom the Counselor is employed or for which the Counselor consults to consult with the Counselor through the Application without the prior written approval of the Company (which request for approval shall maintain the anonymity of such User and the confidentiality of such User’s personally identifiable information (“PII”) so that any such PII is not shared with the Company, but shall specify the circumstances which cause such Counselor to believe that a continuation or extension of such consulting services to such User through the Application is appropriate or warranted). Company reserves the right in its absolute discretion to decline such approval in light of the importance to the Company of maintaining the anonymity of Users and the Company’s concern to avoid coming into possession of PII of its Users.
Counselor shall arrange a schedule for the Services (including the frequency and duration of the communications between Counselor and User) directly with the User based on the Counselor’s professional judgment regarding the User’s expressed needs.
Should you as Counselor agree to provide services to a User in person or by means other than through the anonymous online Services arrangements offered by the Company’s Application, which you are entirely free to do in the exercise of your professional judgment and/or as an accommodation to the perceived needs of such User, then you must discontinue providing any Services thereafter through the Company’s Application to such User and advise such User that such User’s arrangement for services thereafter shall be only directly with you as Counselor and that User’s relationship with the Company shall be thereafter terminated.
You agree that under no circumstance will you disclose to the Company any such PII as may be obtained by you as Counselor concerning such a User. Furthermore, you will notate in the Application that your relationship with that User has been discontinued on the Application and will be continued by other means. Should a User choose to disclose or inadvertently disclose PII in the text or otherwise in transcribed form, you as Counselor should use the “clear history” function of the text exchange to delete such PII at the end of your session.
Should Counselor in the course of providing Services to any User encounter a crisis situation in which the Counselor determines that there is a probability of imminent physical injury by such User to himself or herself or others or there is a probability of immediate mental or emotional injury to such User, you as Counselor shall exercise your own professional judgment with respect to such crisis situation, including as to whether and when it becomes appropriate to attempt to elicit PII concerning the User, contact information of the User, or User’s location, and/or to report such elicited PII information to law enforcement authorities or medical personnel geographically nearer the User, and/or whether to particularly direct or recommend that such User directly access the Veterans Crisis Line link contained within the Application when you as Counselor in the exercise of your judgment believe that any one or more of such measures are appropriate or mandated by your professional or other responsibilities.
In the event that Counselor is employed by or in any other way affiliated with and performing Services of the type contracted for hereunder on behalf of any entity (a “Counselor’s Affiliated Entity”), including without limitation a Sound Off sponsoring organization, with which the Company has a direct organization-to-organization agreement (the “Counselor’s Affiliated Entity Agreement”) for the provision of counseling services of the type contemplated hereby, the terms of such Counselor’s Affiliated Entity Agreement shall control to the extent otherwise inconsistent herewith and each Party hereby in such case undertakes to strictly comply in all respects with such Counselor’s Affiliated Entity Agreement.
Counselor shall provide all Services to Users in compliance with professional standards and with all applicable state, federal and local laws and regulations. Counselor shall exercise independent professional judgment when providing Services.
You as Counselor shall hold and maintain all licenses, certificates, and permits required by law for the provision of Services in your independent professional capacity pursuant to this Agreement. Counselor shall provide Company with other pertinent documentation as reasonably requested by Company, including, but not limited to, the following: background checks, copies of professional licenses, proof of competency, and education and experience. Counselor shall immediately notify Company in the event of any limitation, suspension or termination of any license, certificate or permit required for Counselor to provide Services to Users pursuant to this Agreement.
All Services provided by Counselor to Users pursuant to this Agreement and the Application shall be free to the User. No User shall have any financial obligation to Counselor for the performance of Services using the Application, or for any other non-Application services unless in the latter case otherwise agreed between such User and Counselor and disclosed in writing to the Company (by reference to such User’s unique User ID identification code on the Application, but not by reference to User’s name or other User PII).
Neither shall Company have any financial obligation to Counselor or to any Counselor’s Affiliated Entity for the performance of Services using the Application or for any other purpose unless otherwise agreed upon pursuant to a Counselor’s Affiliated Entity Agreement or as otherwise expressly agreed between the Company and you as Counselor; in the event the Company and you agree to any compensation arrangement payable by the Company (as opposed to any such compensation arrangement you may have with your Counselor’s Affiliated Entity), such arrangement will be as reflected on Exhibit A attached to this Counselor Services Agreement pursuant to Section 2.4 and specifying such compensation arrangement.
Counselor shall maintain appropriate documentation related to the provision of Services in accordance with applicable law and professional requirements. The Parties acknowledge that documentation generated in connection with Services provided through the Application is not created or maintained by the Company and that the Company does not receive, store, or manage clinical records or treatment documentation. Counselor shall also complete and provide to the Company such survey information (which will be designed not to elicit PII concerning Users) with respect to Counselor’s counseling of and interaction with Users as the Company may reasonably require from time to time.
Counselor shall provide Services to Users pursuant to this Agreement in compliance with all applicable laws, including the provisions of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996, 42 U.S.C. §§ 1320d-1329d-8, as amended by the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act, enacted as Title XIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Public Law 111-5 (collectively, “HIPAA”) to the extent applicable.
A User’s Protected Health Information (“PHI”) is defined in HIPAA as individually identifiable health information, including demographic information that (a) is created or received by a Covered Entity, and (b) relates to the past, present, or future physical or mental health or condition of an individual, the provision of health care to an individual, or the past, present, or future payment for the health care if the information identifies or could be used to identify the individual.
A Covered Entity is a health care provider, a health plan, a health care clearinghouse and, in certain limited circumstances, an employer.
For purposes of the Services, Counselor may be a “Covered Entity” under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”) to the extent Counselor, in Counselor’s independent professional capacity, creates or receives protected health information directly from a User.
The Company is not a Covered Entity or “Business Associate” under HIPAA and does not receive, store, or process protected health information for purposes of providing medical care. Counselor agrees to avoid providing to the Company any protected health information or personally identifiable information relating to a User, except as may be required in crisis or emergency circumstances as described herein.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the Parties have determined that it is in both of their best interests to enter into the Business Associate Agreement between Company and Counselor (which agreement becomes effective as provided therein) to ensure compliance with HIPAA if, in the future, it is determined for any reason that Company may be deemed a Business Associate of Counselor.
The Company would not be a Covered Entity under HIPAA but may meet the definition of Covered Entity under Texas law if the Company has access to or obtains PHI from the Counselor, although every effort has been made in the design of the Application to avoid the Company coming into possession of such PII or PHI, and the Counselor accordingly hereby agrees to avoid providing to the Company any such PHI or PII as may come into Counselor’s possession in the course of providing Services. Should a User choose to disclose or inadvertently disclose identifying information in the text or otherwise in transcribed form, you as Counselor should use the “clear history” function of the text exchange to delete such information at the end of your session.
Counselor represents and acknowledges that Counselor has carefully reviewed the “Terms of Use” (including without limitation the “Privacy Policy”, “Proprietary Content” and “User Conduct” provisions thereof) and the “Privacy Policy” posted on the Application and undertakes hereby to strictly comply with such “Terms of Use” and Privacy Policy in all respects as though applicable to Counselor, including without limitation with respect to preserving the confidentiality of User information to the extent provided therein, except under the crisis circumstances or other exceptions addressed under Section 1.1. hereof.
Counselor acknowledges that the Company may update the “Terms of Use” from time to time and may amend them at any time to incorporate additional terms specific to additional features, materials, products, opportunities, or services that the Company may make available on or through the Application. All such updates and amendments are effective immediately upon notice thereof, which the Company may give by any means, including, but not limited to, by posting a revised version of such “Terms of Use” or other notice on the Application.
Counselor should view such “Terms of Use” often to stay informed of changes that may affect Counselor. Counselor’s continued use of the Application and delivery of Services pursuant thereto indicates Counselor’s ongoing consent to be bound by such “Terms of Use”, as amended.
The Company expressly reserves the right to make any changes to such “Terms of Use”, or to the Application and its content, which in each case are not inconsistent with the express terms of this Agreement, at any time without prior notice to Counselor. In addition, the Company may terminate, change, suspend, or discontinue any aspect of the Application at any time or restrict access to parts or all of the Application without notice to Counselor or liability to the Company. The Company may terminate the authorization, rights, and license given in such “Terms of Use” at any time.
Furthermore, Counselor acknowledges that the Company has expended substantial time, effort and funds to create the Application and to provide the services that are available on or through the Application. Sound Off reserves all rights to the Application.
Counselor understands and agrees that the Company owns or has been licensed by third parties to use all right, title, and interest in and to the Application and all information, text, data, software, and other materials contained therein, and the compilation, collection, design, selection, and arrangement thereof. Counselor acknowledges that the Application contains valuable proprietary information that is protected by applicable intellectual property and other proprietary rights and laws of the United States and that Counselor acquires no ownership interest or rights by accessing and using the Application.
In addition, Counselor particularly agrees to comply with the provisions of the “Terms of Use-User Conduct” as though Counselor were a User for purposes thereof.
Company shall establish and maintain a mobile Application through which the User may obtain and the Counselor may provide Services.
Company shall develop policies and procedures for use of the Application by Counselor and Users, including policies on terms of use and privacy. Both Company and Counselor shall abide by any Company policies and procedures. Company shall provide Counselor with instructions for use of the Application on an as needed basis.
The Company will at all times maintain E&O or professional or general liability insurance policies and umbrella policies with aggregate coverage of at least $5 million, and the Company will provide coverage to Counselors and Peer Supporters as additional insureds thereon (but subject to, and secondary to, the insurance coverage required to be maintained by Counselor pursuant to Section 4 hereof) and shall provide Counselor with proof of same upon execution of this Agreement and periodically as requested. Such coverage does not constitute supervision, control, or assumption of clinical responsibility by the Company.
2.4.1 In the event that Counselor elects to receive compensation for Services hereunder, the Company will pay such compensation to Counselor in accordance with the agreed rates of compensation and upon such terms and conditions as are specified in Exhibit A, and in such event the Company and Counselor have agreed that Counselor will perform such Services as an independent contractor. Counselor shall at all times and for all purposes be considered an independent contractor and not an employee of the Company. Company shall provide a Form 1099 to Counselor with respect to such Services and Counselor shall be solely responsible for all other tax reporting and payment obligations with respect to such Services and related tax obligations in all jurisdictions.
2.4.2 In the event that compensation for Services hereunder is due to Counselor pursuant to a Counselor’s Affiliated Entity Agreement, the Company will pay such compensation to Counselor in accordance with the agreed terms in such Counselor’s Affiliated Entity Agreement.
2.4.3 In no event will Counselor ever be entitled to compensation from a User for Services provided on the Application.
Counselor shall maintain and preserve the confidentiality of User information obtained in the course of providing Services, including information relating to a User’s military service or information shared during counseling interactions. Counselor shall comply with all applicable laws governing confidentiality and privacy in Counselor’s independent professional capacity.
The Company does not receive or maintain User medical records, treatment notes, or clinical documentation. Except as otherwise provided herein, Counselor agrees to keep confidential and not to use or disclose, except as expressly consented to in writing by Company, or as required by law, any secret or confidential technology, proprietary information, or trade secret of Company, data and discussions related to this Agreement, or any matter or thing ascertained by Counselor through Counselor’s affiliation with Company.
Counselor shall protect the confidentiality of all User health information, including without limitation, medical history and treatment notes, and any information about the User’s military service. Counselor shall also comply with all applicable state and federal laws and regulations protecting the confidentiality of personal health information, including the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 and all regulations promulgated thereunder, each as amended from time to time.
Counselor represents and acknowledges that Counselor has carefully reviewed the Privacy Policy posted on the Application and undertakes hereby to strictly comply with such Privacy Policy with respect to all matters concerning the privacy and confidentiality of information relating to the Users.
If any action is brought by Company for Counselor’s violation of Section 3.1 of this Agreement, Counselor agrees that because of the immediate and irreparable injury that would be sustained by Company if such violation were to continue, an order may be entered enjoining Counselor from violating any such covenant, either temporarily, preliminarily or as part of a final judgment, all without a requirement that Company post bond. Company’s application for injunctive relief will not prejudice any other claim or cause of action that it or its assignees may pursue by reason of the violation of these covenants, nor will it prejudice Company’s right to maintain any other claim or cause of action under this Agreement.
The terms of this Section 3 shall survive termination of this Agreement.
Counselor shall, at all times during the term of this Agreement, maintain professional liability insurance in an amount that is standard and typical for Counselor’s practice, and shall provide Company with proof of same upon execution of this Agreement and periodically as requested. Counselor shall notify Company of any change, modification or termination of coverage thirty (30) days prior to the date of such occurrence.
Counselor agrees to indemnify and hold harmless and defend Company, its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, and agents from and against any and all claims, suits, damages, fines, penalties, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs) resulting from or arising out of any claimed willful or negligent act or omission of Counselor or the Counselor’s Affiliated Entity, if any, and their own respective employees and affiliates pertaining to the Party’s performance under this Agreement. This indemnification provision shall survive termination or expiration of the Agreement. The terms of this Section 5 shall survive termination of this Agreement.
This Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue until terminated as provided in Section 6.2.
This Agreement may be terminated by the Company at any time and for any reason upon written notice to the Counselor, although the Company upon a User’s request will provide contact information for a terminated Counselor and the User and Counselor may continue counseling on an in-person basis or through other arrangements mutually agreeable to them.
In order to permit the Company to provide adequate and continuing access to Services, this Agreement may be terminated by the Counselor at any time and for any reason but only upon written notice from the Counselor to the Company given at least thirty (30) days prior to the intended date of termination.
In addition, this Agreement shall terminate immediately upon the revocation or suspension of Counselor’s license or certification to provide the Services, upon Counselor’s failure to maintain insurance as required in this Agreement, or upon the breach by Counselor of your obligation of confidentiality.
Upon termination of this Agreement for any reason, in the event the Counselor is entitled to any compensation hereunder, the Company shall pay Counselor for all such accrued but unpaid Services not later than 30 days following the later of (i) such termination or (ii) Counselor’s submission of all invoices for such Services.
It is expressly agreed and understood by Company and Counselor that Counselor, by entering into and performing your obligations under this Agreement, is an independent contractor. Nothing in this Agreement or the actions of the Parties shall be construed to characterize the relationship between the Parties as that of employer/employee, partnership or co-venture, or agency. Company shall treat Counselor as an independent contractor for all purposes, including control over the Services delivered by Counselor, federal or state tax purposes, if any, and workers’ compensation laws. Counselor shall be solely responsible for all filings and reports required for Counselor to make relating the Services performed pursuant to this Agreement.
This Agreement shall constitute the entire agreement between the Parties and supersedes all prior oral or written agreements or understandings, subject if applicable to the provisions of any Counselor’s Affiliated Entity Agreement pursuant to Section 1.2 hereof. This Agreement may be modified or amended only in a writing signed by the Parties.
This Agreement may not be assigned in whole or in part by either Party without prior written consent by the other Party.
Counselor shall not discriminate in the provision of Services on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, age, color, disability or other basis prohibited by law. Further, Counselor shall respect Users’ rights, as set forth under applicable law and regulations, in providing Services.
The rights and obligations of the Parties under this Agreement, and any claims or disputes relating to the Agreement, shall be governed by the laws of Texas.
Any disputes arising from this Agreement, including disputes arising from or concerning their interpretation, violation, invalidity, non-performance or termination, shall be referred by the Parties to final and binding arbitration under the Rules of Arbitration of the American Arbitration Association, with such arbitration proceeding to be conducted in San Antonio, Texas and each Party agrees to such venue and waives any objection to personal jurisdiction with respect thereto.
Each provision of this Agreement shall be deemed independent and terminable. The exclusion of any provision herein found to be invalid or illegal shall not affect enforcement of the remaining provisions of the Agreement.
Any notice required or permitted under this Agreement shall be in writing addressed to the Parties and sent to the addresses provided in this Agreement.
[effective between Sound Off, Inc. and you upon your electronic affirmation]
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