Terms of service

The terms for using Gedachten Makelaar.

Last updated: 2026-10-03

1. Applicability

These terms apply to every use of the website and services of Gedachten Makelaar (trade name of Demi Heijligers, KvK 94829705, based at Zijlweg 2 k6, 2051 BB Overveen) ("GM"). By creating an account or booking a session, you agree to these terms.

2. Services

GM offers a platform where users can connect with independent coaches and therapists via chat, voice or video for coaching, supportive conversations or music therapy.

Important: GM is NOT a substitute for medical care or crisis help. See our medical disclaimer. In a mental health emergency call 113 (Suicide Prevention) or your GP.

For clients receiving vaktherapie or other healthcare services via a professional on our platform, the Dutch Healthcare Quality, Complaints and Disputes Act (Wkkgz) applies. The complaints procedure is available at /klachtenregeling.

GM also operates the GM Fonds: a charitable initiative for people who need guidance but cannot afford it. Via the fund you can make a donation or apply for financial support. Donations are processed via Stripe and are not platform credits. More information at /fonds.

3. Account

  • You must be at least 18 to create an account. By creating an account or using the platform, you declare that you are at least 18 years of age.
  • At registration, your date of birth is requested. GM reserves the right to verify the accuracy of this information and to remove accounts of persons who have not reached the minimum age, without prior notice.
  • GM processes health-related data within the meaning of Article 9 GDPR. The legal minimum age for consent to the processing of such data is 16 years in the Netherlands; GM applies a higher threshold of 18 years due to the nature of the services offered (psychological guidance, therapy and coaching).
  • Minors may not use the platform under any circumstances, including through another person's account.
  • You are responsible for keeping your password secret.
  • Accounts are personal and non-transferable.
  • Your email must be verified before you can book or pay.

4. Credits and payments

  • Sessions are charged with pre-purchased credits or per video session.
  • Fixed rates per professional type. Chat: €1.05/min (coach) / €1.25/min (therapist) · Voice: €1.20/min (coach) / €1.65/min (therapist) · Video 45 min: €95 (therapists and vak-therapists). Professionals do not set their own rates.
  • New accounts receive 5 free minutes once, for chat or voice sessions. These minutes apply per account, not per session and not per coach: once used up, every minute is charged.
  • Credit packages: Start €32 → 32 credits · Video session €95 → 95 credits. Custom amounts from €10 give the same number of credits as euros paid.
  • Session trajectories for video: Begin (4 sessions, €380) · Pad (8 sessions, €760) · Traject (12 sessions, €1,140). All session dates are scheduled at the time of purchase. There is no volume discount: the price per session equals that of a single video session. Refund policy: see art. 5.
  • Credits are valid for 12 months from purchase.
  • Payments via Stripe (iDEAL, credit card). All prices incl. VAT. Sessions with VAT-exempt practitioners (vak-therapists) are VAT-exempt under art. 11.1.g Dutch VAT Act.
  • Credits are non-transferable and non-refundable in cash.
  • Credits are prepaid service rights that exclusively grant access to services on the Gedachten Makelaar platform. Credits do not constitute a payment instrument, electronic money (e-money), or deposit within the meaning of the Financial Supervision Act (Wft) or the Payment Services Directive (PSD2). Gedachten Makelaar does not provide payment services.

5. Right of withdrawal and refunds

Digital services delivered immediately (credits, live sessions) are not subject to the statutory 14-day right of withdrawal once the service has started. Unused credits may be refunded within 14 days of purchase if you have not yet started a session with them.

You request a refund in your account, under Credits. We answer your request within 5 business days. Once approved, we return the amount to the account or card you paid with; your bank can take 5 to 10 working days to show it. If you received bonus credits with the purchase (for example through a promo code), they are withdrawn when the purchase is refunded. If credits from the purchase, or the bonus credits, have already been used, a refund is no longer possible. Credits returned to you because a session did not take place count as unused. Only full refunds of a purchase are possible.

Cancellation by you (video sessions): You can cancel a scheduled video session free of charge up to 48 hours before the scheduled time. You then receive the full €95 back in credits, processed automatically. If you cancel within 48 hoursof the session, no refund applies: the slot was reserved for you and the practitioner kept that hour free. Chat and voice sessions that have not started yet can always be cancelled free of charge, as nothing has been billed for them.

For sessions cancelled or missed by the coach (no-show) you receive a full refund of credits used, processed automatically within 7 days.

Early termination of video by practitioner: If a practitioner ends a video session more than 5 minutes before the scheduled end time, you receive a full refund of €95 in credits, processed automatically. The practitioner receives no fee in that case. If you as the client end the session early, the full session price applies; the practitioner made the session available.

Session trajectories: A session trajectory is fully refundable within 14 days of the purchase date, provided no session has yet taken place. After the first session, a no-refund policy applies to the remaining trajectory.

6. Use of the platform

You may NOT use the service to:

  • Threaten, intimidate or insult others.
  • Provide false identity or misleading information.
  • Record sessions without explicit consent of the coach.
  • Extract commercial or legal advice from coaches.
  • Abuse, hack or overload the platform.

Breach may lead to immediate account termination without refund.

7. Practitioners

The practitioners on the platform (coaches and (vak)therapists) are independent contractors, responsible for their own working method. GM selects them based on training and experience. Every practitioner is bound by confidentiality.

Cancellation and rescheduling policy. Confirmed sessions cannot be cancelled by practitioners. If rescheduling is necessary, the practitioner proposes a new time slot; the client is notified immediately and may accept or propose an alternative date. If no agreement is reached after two rounds, GM escalates the situation.

Coach ordering. The order of coaches in the directory is determined by factors such as availability, recency of activity, and client reviews. The DEi assistant refers to coaches based on specialisations they self-report in their profile. Coaches are not prioritised based on fees paid to the Platform.

None of our current practitioners are BIG-registered. Our practitioners are explicitly not GZ-psychologists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists or doctors. They do not make clinical diagnoses, do not treat psychiatric disorders and do not prescribe medication. Any methods drawn from approaches such as CBT, ACT or mindfulness are used in a supportive way and do not constitute clinical treatment. For this reason GM cannot promise any treatment outcome or cure.

8. Scope and referral

Our services are intended for people seeking support with stress, life questions, grief, personal growth, struggles around eating and similar guidance needs. Our services are not intended for:

  • Acute mental-health crisis, suicidal thoughts or plans
  • Acute psychosis, mania or dissociation
  • Diagnoses or treatment plans for psychiatric disorders
  • Medical or pharmacological treatment
  • Severe eating disorders, severe addiction issues or domestic violence

If during a session it appears that your need exceeds the scope of guidance, the practitioner may end the session or the guidance relationship and refer you to your huisarts, the GGZ or, in a crisis, to 113 or 112. By using the platform you accept that this may happen and that doing so is in your interest.

9. Limitation of liability

You acknowledge that GM and its practitioners do not provide regulated healthcare under the Dutch Health Insurance Act or the Wet BIG, and that the services do not substitute for care from a doctor, psychiatrist, GZ-psychologist or the GGZ. Decisions you take based on the guidance you receive remain your own responsibility.

GM is not liable for indirect or consequential damages, including but not limited to lost income, non-material damages, or damages resulting from following or not following a practitioner's suggestion. Liability for direct damages (to the extent permitted by law) is limited to the amount you paid to GM in the 12 months prior to the incident, with a maximum of €500.

This limitation does not apply to damages resulting from intent or gross negligence on the part of GM.

10. Intellectual property

All content on the site (text, images, logos) belongs to GM or its licensors. Copying or republishing is not permitted without written consent.

11. AI quality scoring

Completed chat and voice sessions may be analysed after the fact by an AI system (Anthropic Claude) for quality improvement purposes. Results are used internally only and are not shared with clients. AI processing is carried out in accordance with our privacy policy. The DEi assistant is an automated AI, not a human or coach.

12. Changes

GM may update these terms. Changes are announced at least 30 days in advance.

13. User content and indemnification

13.1 Ownership and licence. You retain all rights in messages, images and other content you send via the platform ("Your Content"). By sending Your Content you grant GM a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store it, display it to the intended recipient of the session, and remove it where necessary, solely to deliver the service.

13.2 Your responsibility. You are solely responsible for the content you send via the platform. GM does not pre-screen content and acts as a neutral technical intermediary (hosting provider) within the meaning of the Digital Services Act (EU) 2022/2065. GM is not liable for content sent by users or practitioners.

13.3 Prohibited content. You may not send via the platform:

  • Child sexual abuse material (CSAM, mandatory reporting obligation under Dutch criminal law)
  • Non-consensual intimate imagery ("revenge porn")
  • Content inciting violence, hatred or discrimination based on race, religion or gender
  • Copyrighted material without a valid licence
  • Personal data of third parties without their consent
  • Malware, phishing links or other malicious software
  • Commercial spam or unsolicited advertising

13.4 Indemnification. You agree to fully indemnify and hold harmless GM, its staff and its practitioners against any and all claims, costs, fines and damages from third parties arising from content you have sent via the platform, including claims based on copyright, privacy or tort.

13.5 Reporting and removal. If you encounter unlawful content, report it via the contact form or at info@gedachtenmakelaar.nl (subject: "Content report"). GM will assess reports within 5 business days and act on substantiated reports within 2 business days of assessment. GM reserves the right to remove content that violates these terms without prior notice.

14. Force majeure

GM is not liable for failures in service delivery caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control ("force majeure"), including:

  • Outages at third-party providers (Supabase, Vercel, Stripe, Daily.co, Anthropic, Resend)
  • Internet outages or infrastructure failures
  • Cyber attacks or DDoS attacks
  • Government measures, war, pandemic or natural disasters

In the event of force majeure lasting more than 14 consecutive days you have the right to request a refund of unused credits at info@gedachtenmakelaar.nl.

15. Third-party services

The platform relies on third-party services for payments (Stripe), video/voice (Daily.co), database (Supabase), email (Resend), hosting (Vercel) and AI (Anthropic). GM is not liable for outages, data breaches or conduct of these external parties. Each party's own terms of service apply to their services. GM is concluding data processing agreements with all sub-processors in accordance with GDPR; until they are completed, the current status is shown on the Sub-processors page.

The platform may contain links to third-party websites. GM is not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those websites.

16. Account suspension and termination

GM may suspend or terminate an account for breach of these terms. For less serious breaches GM will generally issue a warning first, unless the nature of the breach (e.g. prohibited content, fraud, identity misuse) requires immediate action. Upon termination for breach, the right to a refund of unused credits lapses. You may object via info@gedachtenmakelaar.nl.

17. Governing law and disputes

Dutch law applies to these terms. Complaints about coaches or therapists can be filed via the complaints procedure. Complaints about the platform itself (billing, account, technical issues) can be reported to info@gedachtenmakelaar.nl. GM aims to respond to complaints within 14 days. If you cannot resolve a dispute with GM, it may be submitted to the competent court in the Netherlands. If you are a consumer residing in another EU member state, the mandatory consumer protection rules of your country of residence may continue to apply.