Legal, Terms of Service & Privacy Policy

Last updated: June 2026

1. Medical Disclaimer

ShrinkUSA (operated under ShrinkGroup OÜ) is an online directory and marketplace platform. ShrinkUSA does not provide medical, psychiatric, or psychological therapy, advice, diagnosis, or treatment. The platform is designed solely to connect independent, licensed professionals with potential clients. Any professional relationship formed through this website is strictly between the user and the respective professional.

2. Terms of Use

By accessing or using shrinkusa.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms. You acknowledge that independent professionals listed on this site are responsible for compliance with their local professional licensing regulations (e.g., California Board of Behavioral Sciences). ShrinkUSA does not endorse, verify, or guarantee the qualifications or quality of care provided by any specific specialist listed on the platform.

3. Privacy Policy & Data Processing

Therapist Communications: ShrinkUSA does not collect, store, access, or process any messages, contact details, or personal health information sent to the independent professionals listed on this platform. When you utilize the contact features on a therapist's card, the website strictly utilizes client-side protocols (mailto: links) to launch your own local email client. All communications occur directly and privately between you and the respective professional. ShrinkUSA has no visibility into these interactions.

Direct Inquiries to ShrinkUSA: We only collect information that you voluntarily provide when contacting ShrinkUSA administration directly (such as via our general contact page, scheduling links, or direct emails to our team). This information (e.g., your name, email address, and message contents) is used solely to respond to your administrative or business inquiry. We do not sell your personal data to third-party advertisers.

California Privacy Rights (CCPA/CPRA)

If you are a resident of California, you have the right to request access to or deletion of any personal data we hold about you. Because ShrinkUSA does not collect or process any user data from therapist-client communications, and does not sell any administrative data, no action is required to opt-out of data sales.

4. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, ShrinkUSA and ShrinkGroup OÜ shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from your use of the website or any interactions, bookings, or services rendered by independent professionals listed on this platform.

5. "As-Is" Availability & Technical Disclaimer

The website shrinkusa.com and all its contents are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without any warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that the platform will be error-free, uninterrupted, or free of typos, including pricing errors or outdated location information of independent professionals.

6. Third-Party Conduct & Interactions

ShrinkUSA acts solely as a passive conduit for connecting users. We are not responsible or liable for the conduct, actions, omissions, or quality of service of any user, therapist, or professional listed on this site. Any interaction, dispute, or communication that occurs after utilizing a link on this platform is entirely the responsibility of the participating parties.

7. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

By using this website, you agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to your use of shrinkusa.com shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Estonia, without regard to its conflict of law principles. You agree that any legal action or proceeding shall be brought exclusively in the Harju County Court (Harju Maakohus) in Tallinn, Estonia.

8. Class Action Waiver

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree that any proceedings to resolve or litigate any dispute will be conducted solely on an individual basis. You agree not to seek to have any dispute heard as a class action, representative action, or collective proceeding.

9. User Responsibility to Verify Credentials

While ShrinkUSA aims to list reputable, independent professionals, we do not continuously monitor, verify, or warrant the current licensure, legal standing, or insurance status of any specialist listed on this website. It is the sole responsibility of the user to verify the professional’s active credentials, licensing status, and qualifications with the appropriate state regulatory body (such as the California Board of Behavioral Sciences) prior to engaging in any services.

10. No Guarantee of Therapeutic Outcome

ShrinkUSA makes no guarantees, representations, or warranties regarding the outcome of any consultation, therapy, or professional advice you may seek from individuals found through this platform. Mental health care is highly subjective, and ShrinkUSA is not liable if the services rendered do not meet your expectations, yield desired results, or if your symptoms change or worsen during the course of your independent treatment.

11. Non-Delivery of Communications & Technical Failures

Because the platform utilizes client-side protocols (mailto:) to initiate connection requests, ShrinkUSA cannot and does not guarantee that your email will be successfully delivered to, received by, or answered by the therapist. ShrinkUSA is entirely network-disengaged from these transmissions and accepts zero liability for any technical delivery failures, blocked emails, spam filtering, or a professional's failure to respond, regardless of the emotional or logistical impact on the user.

12. Website Accessibility Statement & Notice and Cure Protocol

ShrinkUSA is committed to facilitating the accessibility of its website for individuals with disabilities, including, but not limited to, visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments. We strive to align our platform with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards where technically and economically feasible.

Mandatory Notice and Cure Period: If you utilize assistive technology (such as screen readers or alternative input devices) and encounter a barrier on shrinkusa.com, you explicitly agree as a condition of using this site to provide a detailed written notice of the exact technical barrier to aku@shrink.fi prior to initiating any legal or administrative action. Upon receipt, ShrinkUSA shall have a period of ninety (90) business days (the "Cure Period") to investigate and, if feasible, remediate the issue.

Alternative Accommodation & Undue Burden: You acknowledge that ShrinkUSA is a small-scale administrative platform operated under strict resource constraints. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), ShrinkUSA is not required to undertake alterations that would result in an undue financial or administrative burden or fundamentally alter the nature of the platform. If a technical barrier cannot be reasonably resolved within the Cure Period, ShrinkUSA’s sole obligation is to provide a reasonable alternative accommodation—such as assisting you manually via email or telephone to complete your request or access the directory information.

13. Age Restrictions & COPPA Compliance

The website shrinkusa.com is strictly intended for individuals who are at least 18 years of age. ShrinkUSA does not knowingly list services for, collect data from, or facilitate communications for minors under the age of 18 without explicit parental or legal guardian consent. If you are under 18, you are prohibited from utilizing the contact or connection features of this platform independently.

14. Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") Notice

If you believe that any content residing on shrinkusa.com infringes your copyright, you may request removal of those materials by submitting a written notification to our designated copyright contact via email at aku@shrink.fi. To be effective, your DMCA notice must include: (a) a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized agent; (b) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed; (c) identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and its exact URL; and (d) your contact information.

15. Mandatory Pre-Arbitration Informal Dispute Resolution

Prior to filing any formal arbitration or legal proceeding, you agree to navigate a mandatory 60-day informal dispute resolution process. You must initiate this by sending a personalized, written description of your specific dispute and your exact requested remedy to aku@shrink.fi. Following receipt, you explicitly agree to participate in a good-faith, individual telephone or video conference consultation with ShrinkUSA’s management to resolve the matter. Law firms or entities are strictly prohibited from bundling or batching multiple individual claims; each user must engage in an individual consultation. No formal claim may be filed until this 60-day negotiation period has expired.

16. Professional Indemnification and Hold Harmless

Any independent professional, therapist, or specialist listing their services, demo profile, or information on shrinkusa.com explicitly agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless ShrinkUSA, ShrinkGroup OÜ, and its officers from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and legal costs) arising out of or in any way connected to the professional's profile content, imagery, credentials, professional conduct, communications, or services rendered to clients acquired via this platform.

17. Consent to Standard Analytics & Anti-Wiretapping Disclaimer (CIPA)

This website utilizes standard, industry-default web analytics tools (such as Google Analytics) solely to measure traffic, optimize performance, and understand general user aggregates. These tools do not collect Protected Health Information (PHI) or personal identities. By utilizing shrinkusa.com, you explicitly acknowledge and agree to the deployment of these analytical scripts and cookies. You agree that the automated processing of such aggregate browser data does not constitute "wiretapping," "interception," or "unauthorized surveillance" under the California Invasion of Privacy Act (CIPA) or any equivalent state or federal privacy statutes.

18. External Third-Party Links & Off-Site Safety

Profiles or articles on shrinkusa.com may contain hyperlinks to external websites owned and operated by independent professionals or third parties (such as private practice websites, booking software, or social media platforms). ShrinkUSA exercises no control over, and assumes zero responsibility for, the content, safety, malware status, tracking scripts, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites. Clicking any external link is done entirely at your own logistical and cyber-security risk.

19. Waiver of California Civil Code Section 1542

If you are a California resident, you explicitly waive all rights under California Civil Code Section 1542, which states: "A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party." By using this website, you acknowledge that you understand this statute and voluntarily waive its protections, meaning you release ShrinkUSA from any and all claims, known or unknown, discovered or undiscovered, arising out of your use of this platform.

20. Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) Waiver

ShrinkUSA does not engage in telemarketing, automated voice broadcasting, or automated SMS/text marketing. By providing your phone number anywhere on this website or in communications initiated via this platform, you grant explicit, written consent to be contacted manually by independent professionals or administrators. You agree that any communication resulting from your voluntary submission of a telephone number does not constitute a violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) or any state-level telemarketing statutes, and you explicitly waive any right to financial statutory damages under such acts.

21. Severability and Complete Agreement

These terms constitute the entire agreement between you and ShrinkUSA regarding the use of shrinkusa.com. If any provision or part of these terms is deemed unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then that specific provision shall be deemed severable from these terms and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions, which shall remain in full force and effect.

22. No Agency, Partnership, or Employment Relationship

Nothing in these terms or your use of shrinkusa.com shall be construed to create any partnership, joint venture, employment, franchise, agency, or fiduciary relationship between you, any independent professional listed on the site, and ShrinkUSA or ShrinkGroup OÜ. Therapists are entirely independent contractors who utilize the platform strictly as a passive digital directory. ShrinkUSA does not supervise, direct, or control the professionals' business operations, fees, schedules, or clinical methods of practice.

23. Intellectual Property and Prohibition of Automated Scraping

All content, graphics, source code, logos, and interface designs on shrinkusa.com are the exclusive intellectual property of ShrinkGroup OÜ. You are strictly prohibited from utilizing automated systems, bots, spiders, scripts, or scraping software to extract data, therapist profiles, contact links, or content from this website for any commercial purpose, competitive analysis, or populating third-party databases without explicit written consent.

24. California "Do Not Track" Disclosures (CalOPPA)

Under the California Online Privacy Protection Act (CalOPPA), we are required to disclose how we respond to "Do Not Track" (DNT) signals. ShrinkUSA does not track its users across third-party websites over time to provide targeted advertising, and therefore, the platform does not alter its behavior or respond to automated browser Do Not Track signals.

25. Absolute Financial Cap on Liability

Under no circumstances shall the total, aggregate liability of ShrinkUSA, ShrinkGroup OÜ, or its affiliates to you for all damages, losses, claims, or causes of action (whether in contract, tort including negligence, or otherwise) exceed the absolute flat sum of one hundred U.S. dollars ($100.00 USD). This financial cap is a fundamental element of the bargain between you and ShrinkUSA, and the platform would not be provided without such limitation.

26. Right to Modify Terms and User Duty to Review

ShrinkUSA reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to modify, update, or replace any part of these terms at any time. The most current version will always be posted on this page with the "Last Updated" date modified accordingly. Your continued use of or access to the website following the posting of any changes constitutes binding acceptance of those modifications. It remains your personal responsibility to check this page periodically for updates.