Terms of Service — Lighter Coaching

Effective date: 28 August 2025 Last updated: 28 April 2026

1. About these Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the coaching services provided by Lighter Coaching, operated by Iela Chau, based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands ("Lighter Coaching," "we," "us," "our"). By booking a session, submitting the intake form, or otherwise engaging our services, you ("you," "the Client") agree to these Terms.

Please read them carefully. They set out what you can expect from us and what we expect from you.

2. About our services

Lighter Coaching offers personal development coaching for adults, focused on areas such as career, relationships, life direction, and personal growth. Sessions take place online (by video call) or in person at a location agreed in advance with you.

Iela Chau is a Coach Practitioner certified with the European Mentoring and Coaching Council (EMCC) and a member of the Nederlandse Orde van Beroepscoaches (NOBCO), and works in accordance with the EMCC Global Code of Ethics and the NOBCO Ethische Gedragscode.

3. What coaching is — and what it is not

Coaching is a structured conversation designed to help you explore goals, gain perspective, and take steps you choose. It is forward-looking, and you remain in charge of your own decisions and actions.

Coaching is not psychological treatment, therapy, counselling, medical care, or crisis support. We do not diagnose or treat mental health conditions, and we are not qualified to do so. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, severe distress, or symptoms of a mental illness, you should consult a qualified healthcare professional (such as a huisarts, GZ-psycholoog, or psychiater in the Netherlands, or the equivalent in your country).

In an emergency, contact local emergency services — 112 in the Netherlands and the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US — or your local crisis line.

If during our work together it becomes clear that what you need is therapeutic support rather than coaching, we will discuss this with you openly and may suggest you seek that support before, instead of, or alongside coaching.

4. Eligibility

You must be 18 years of age or older to book sessions with Lighter Coaching. By booking, you confirm that you are 18 or over and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.

5. Booking, intake, and the start of coaching

Sessions are booked through our online booking system (Acuity Scheduling). Before your first session you will be asked to complete an intake form. The intake form helps us prepare and helps you reflect on what you want from the work.

You decide what and how much to share on the intake form. You are responsible for the accuracy of the information you provide.

By submitting the intake form, you confirm that you have read and accepted these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

6. Sessions

Sessions take place online via video call or in person at a location agreed in advance. Sessions are not recorded (audio or video).

During the session we may take brief handwritten notes to help us focus and remember what was discussed. If you ask, we can email you a written summary afterwards. We do not retain notes or summaries beyond what is described in our Privacy Policy.

You are expected to attend sessions on time, in a private space where you can speak freely (especially for online sessions), and in a state where you can engage meaningfully with the conversation.

7. Fees and payment

Session fees are set out at the point of booking. Payment is taken in full at the time of booking through Acuity Scheduling. We do not see or store your card details — payment processing is handled by Squarespace/Acuity and its payment partners.

Prices may change from time to time, but the price you are quoted at the point of booking is the price that applies to that booking.

8. Cancellations, rescheduling, and no-shows

We understand life happens. To keep things fair, our policy is:

Cancellation or rescheduling 24 hours or more before the session start time — no charge. Your payment will be refunded or credited toward a rescheduled session, at your choice.

Cancellation or rescheduling less than 24 hours before the session start time, or a no-show — the full session fee is non-refundable. This applies whether the session was missed because of illness, work, technical issues, or any other reason.

We reserve the right to waive this policy in exceptional circumstances, at our discretion. This is a courtesy we may extend, not a right you can claim.

If we need to cancel or reschedule a session, we will give you as much notice as possible and offer either a full refund or a rescheduled session at no extra cost.

9. Confidentiality

What you share with us stays between us. We treat all information you share in the intake form, in sessions, and in related communication as confidential.

There are, however, limits to confidentiality. We may need to disclose information without your consent in the following narrow circumstances:

  • where we believe there is a serious and imminent risk of harm to you or another person;

  • where required by law or by a competent authority (for example, a court order);

  • where we are required to make a disclosure under the ethical codes of EMCC or NOBCO.

For our own professional development, in line with EMCC and NOBCO certification requirements, we keep brief written reflections on our coaching practice. These reflections are anonymised — they do not contain your name or details that would identify you. Full details are set out in our Privacy Policy.

We do not discuss clients with third parties, including other clients, friends, or family. We do not name our clients publicly.

10. Your role

Coaching works when you bring honesty, curiosity, and willingness to engage. You are responsible for:

  • the goals you set and the decisions you make;

  • the actions you take (or don't take) in your own life as a result of our conversations;

  • letting us know if something isn't working for you, or if your needs change;

  • ensuring you have a suitable space and a stable internet connection for online sessions;

  • arriving on time.

We are here to support your reflection and progress. We are not responsible for the outcomes of decisions you make in your life.

11. Limitations of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

  • Coaching outcomes vary from person to person and we make no guarantees about specific results.

  • Lighter Coaching is not liable for indirect, consequential, or incidental losses arising out of or in connection with our services (for example, loss of income or business decisions you make following a session).

  • Our total liability for any direct losses arising out of or in connection with our services is limited to the fees you paid us for the specific session(s) giving rise to the claim.

  • Nothing in these Terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under Dutch law, including liability for intentional misconduct or gross negligence.

You acknowledge that coaching is not a substitute for medical, psychological, legal, or financial advice, and that you should seek qualified professional support for those needs.

12. Intellectual property

Any materials, frameworks, exercises, or written content we share with you during coaching remain our intellectual property (or that of the original author). You are welcome to use them for your own personal development. Please do not reproduce, distribute, or sell them.

Anything you create, write, or share during your own coaching is yours.

13. Ending the coaching relationship

Either of us can end the coaching relationship at any time.

If you end the relationship, sessions you have already paid for can be used within a reasonable period (typically three months from the date of payment) or, for sessions not yet held, refunded in line with the cancellation policy.

We may end the relationship if continuing to work together would not be in your interests, would breach our ethical obligations, or if there has been a serious breakdown of trust. In such cases we will refund any prepaid sessions not yet held and, where appropriate, suggest alternative support.

14. Complaints

If you are unhappy with any aspect of our work, please tell us first. We take feedback seriously and will do our best to put things right.

If we cannot resolve the issue between us, you can escalate a complaint through:

15. Privacy

Your personal data is handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. By engaging our services you confirm you have read and understood the Privacy Policy.

16. Governing law and disputes

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or in connection with them are governed by the laws of the Netherlands.

We will try to resolve any dispute informally first. If that is not possible, the competent court of Amsterdam has jurisdiction — except where overriding consumer protection law in your country of residence gives you the right to bring proceedings elsewhere.

17. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. The version that applies to your booking is the version in force on the date you booked. We will post updated Terms on www.lightercoaching.nl with a revised "Last updated" date.

18. Contact

Lighter Coaching 

Iela Chau Amsterdam, the Netherlands 

Email: iela@lightercoaching.nl 

Website: www.lightercoaching.nl