Participant Agreement

Parenting Education Classes, Relieve Counseling
Version: September 29, 2026 · Download or print (PDF)

Please read this before the first class. You agree to it by checking the box when you sign up, and your copy is attached to your welcome email. We’ll go over it together in class 1.

These classes are parent education, not therapy.

1. What this class is, and what it isn’t

This is an educational class. We cover parenting skills, child development, and communication strategies in a group setting.

This class is not therapy. It is not counseling, assessment, diagnosis, or treatment. Participating does not make you a client of Relieve Counseling, and no clinical record is created for you.

The facilitator is a licensed clinician, but in this class she is teaching, not acting as your therapist. She cannot provide individual clinical advice about your family during the class, and she will not be able to serve as your therapist while you’re enrolled.

If you’d like individual therapy, ask us and we’ll talk about options or provide referrals.

2. Confidentiality: please read this section carefully

What we protect

We keep your enrollment information private and will not share your participation with anyone outside the practice, except as described below or as required by law.

What we can’t protect

We cannot guarantee that other participants will keep what you share private. Other members of the group are not bound by confidentiality laws. We ask everyone to respect each other’s privacy, and that agreement matters, but it isn’t legally enforceable.

Please share with that in mind. You are never required to disclose anything personal. You get to decide how much to say, and saying less is always an acceptable choice.

What we are required to report

As a licensed clinician, the facilitator is a mandated reporter. If she has reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect, she is legally required to report it, regardless of the educational setting. She is also required to act if someone appears to be at risk of serious harm to themselves or another person.

This applies to everyone in the class, including open-enrollment participants.

If you were referred by a court or agency

If you’re here because of a court order, CPS case, custody matter, or agency referral, we will likely need to share information with that court or agency: your attendance and whether you completed the program.

We share only with your written permission. The release form attached to your welcome email says exactly what we can share and with whom. Signing it is your choice. If you don’t sign it, we won’t share anything, and you can give your certificate to them yourself. We will not release anything beyond what that form authorizes.

What we typically report: dates attended, total hours completed, completion status. What we do not report: the content of what you said in class, our opinion of your parenting, or any recommendation about your case.

If you have questions about what your court or agency requires, ask us before you enroll so there are no surprises. Referral acceptance varies by court, county, and case type. Please confirm with your attorney, caseworker, or probation officer that this class and its certificate meet your specific requirement.

3. Group agreements

These apply to everyone, every week.

What’s shared here, stays here: Don’t repeat other participants’ stories, names, or situations outside of class.
No recording: Do not record, screenshot, or photograph any part of a class. This protects everyone. We do not record live classes either.
Share the air: Let others finish. Make room for quieter members.
Speak for yourself: Talk about your own experience rather than telling others what they should do.
Disagreement is fine; disrespect isn’t: No insults, mocking, or hostility toward other participants or the facilitator.
No side conversations in chat or private messages during class.
Arrive sober: Please don’t attend under the influence of alcohol or non-prescribed substances.
Families differ: People in this group will have different cultures, structures, and beliefs about parenting. Assume good faith.

Behavior that is threatening, harassing, or repeatedly disruptive may result in removal from the class. If that happens, we’ll tell you why, and if you were court-referred, we’ll report your status as incomplete.

4. Joining virtually

Find a private space: Somewhere you won’t be overheard, and where others won’t appear on camera. Headphones help.
Camera on: We need to see you to confirm attendance. If you have a reason you can’t, tell us in advance.
Don’t attend while driving or operating anything that needs your attention.
Children: Children should not be present during class.
Log in a few minutes early the first week so we can sort out technical problems before we start.
If your connection drops: Rejoin as soon as you can and let us know afterward.
Tech requirements: Zoom, stable internet, working microphone.

5. Attendance and completion

The series is 10 classes, each 90 minutes.

To receive a certificate of completion, you must complete all 10 classes, either by attending live or by making up any class you miss.

A class counts as missed if you:

don’t attend
arrive more than 10 minutes late
leave more than 10 minutes early
chose to pay by email link and haven’t paid by the time class starts

Let us know in advance when you’ll be absent: (209) 209-5470.

Making up a missed class

Every missed class must be made up before a certificate is issued. This applies whether or not you gave notice.

What you paid for a missed class isn’t lost. It covers your make-up.

Option 1: Make-up session (preferred). A scheduled session on Zoom covering the same material the group received. Fee: $25.

Option 2: Join the next group. Attend the same class with the next group. No additional fee. New groups start about every 10 weeks, so this option can delay your certificate.

If the class you missed was never paid, its $75 class fee is due before the make-up.

Make-up sessions cover class content only. They are not individual counseling and do not include personalized advice about your family. If something comes up that calls for clinical support, we’ll point you toward therapy options or referrals.

If you miss 2 classes in a row and we can’t reach you, we’ll cancel your remaining classes so you aren’t charged for classes you aren’t attending. You’re welcome to finish the classes you missed with a later group.

Certificate of completion

When you finish all 10 classes, including any make-ups, you receive a certificate of completion. It lists your name, the dates you attended, and 15 contact hours. It shows that you completed the program. It is not a parenting evaluation, and it is not a custody or placement recommendation.

6. Payment and cancellation

Fee: $75 per class. Ten classes, so $750 for the full series, plus $25 for each make-up session.

Payment is due before each class. Nothing is charged when you sign up. When you sign up, you save a card and choose how to pay:

Autopay: your card is charged $75 the day before each class.
Email link: Square emails you a $75 payment link the day before each class. Please pay before class starts.

By checking the box when you sign up, you authorize Relieve Counseling to charge your saved card $75 the day before each class if you chose autopay, and $25 for any make-up session you schedule. To change your card or payment choice, or to stop future charges, call or email us.

Leaving the program

You can leave at any time by calling or emailing us. Your remaining classes are cancelled, and you won’t be charged for them.

If the class has already been charged:

Cancel more than 24 hours before it starts: full refund for that class.
Cancel less than 24 hours before it starts: 50% refund for that class.
Once a class has begun: no refund for that class.

Missed classes you haven’t made up are not refunded. If you’re removed from the class, your remaining classes are cancelled and you won’t be charged for them.

If we cancel a class

If we cancel a class, we’ll reschedule it for the group at no cost to you.

Payments are processed by Square. Your card details go directly to Square and are never stored on our website. You get an emailed receipt for each charge.

7. If you’re in crisis

This class is not a crisis service. No one monitors messages between classes.

If you or your child are in immediate danger, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room. For mental health crisis support, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline).

If something urgent comes up, please reach out to your own therapist, doctor, or one of the resources above rather than waiting for the next class.

Acknowledgment

By checking the box when you signed up, you confirmed that you have read this agreement and that you understand:

This class is educational and is not therapy.
Other participants are not bound by confidentiality, and I choose what I share.
The facilitator is a mandated reporter.
If I was referred by a court or agency, my attendance and completion may be shared with them only under a separate release I choose to sign.
Completion requires all 10 classes, attended live or made up.
I agree to the payment, make-up, and refund terms in Sections 5 and 6.

If you have questions before we begin, call (209) 209-5470 or email info@relievecounseling.com.

How we handle personal information is explained in our privacy policy.