Terms of Use

Last updated: 21 July 2026

By creating an account or using The Beside Programme ("the Programme") on besidehealth.org ("the Site"), you agree to these Terms of Use. Please read them carefully.

1. About the Programme

The Beside Programme is a free, five-session brief mental health intervention based on the World Health Organization's Step-by-Step protocol, delivered via WhatsApp with the support of a trained peer facilitator. It is designed for adults experiencing mild to moderate depression in low- and middle-income countries.

The Programme is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. If you are under the care of a clinician, please continue your treatment plan.

2. Eligibility

To use the Programme you must be:

• 18 years of age or older.
• A resident of a country in which Beside currently operates.
• Experiencing symptoms consistent with mild to moderate depression (not active suicidal crisis).

We reserve the right to refuse or end access to the Programme if we determine it is not appropriate or safe for a participant.

3. Your account

You are responsible for keeping your login credentials confidential and for all activity under your account. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at [email protected].

4. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Misrepresent your identity or circumstances.
• Use the platform to harass, threaten, or harm other users or facilitators.
• Upload or share any content that is unlawful, abusive, defamatory, or in violation of third-party rights.
• Attempt to access parts of the system you are not authorised to use.

5. Your content

Content you share within the Programme (messages, reflections) remains yours. You grant Beside a limited licence to use it for the sole purpose of delivering the Programme to you. We do not use your personal content for marketing or research without your separate, explicit consent.

6. Our content

All Programme materials, therapeutic content, and website copy are the intellectual property of Beside. You may not reproduce or redistribute them without our written permission.

7. Safeguarding

If we become aware that a participant may be at immediate risk of harm, we reserve the right to contact emergency services or other appropriate authorities. Facilitators are trained to follow our safeguarding policy.

8. Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by law, Beside is not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from your use of the Site or the Programme. We do not guarantee uninterrupted access to the Site.

9. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

10. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of material changes by email. Continued use of the Programme after notification constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

11. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email [email protected].

12. Creative Commons Licence & WHO Attribution

Some rights reserved. This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO). Under the terms of this licence, you may copy, redistribute and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided the work is appropriately cited, as indicated below. In any use of this work, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organization, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. If you adapt the work, then you must license your work under the same or equivalent Creative Commons licence. If you create a translation of this work, you should add the following disclaimer along with the suggested citation: “This translation was not created by the World Health Organization (WHO). WHO is not responsible for the content or accuracy of this translation. The original English edition shall be the binding and authentic edition”. Any mediation relating to disputes arising under the licence shall be conducted in accordance with the mediation rules of the World Intellectual Property Organization.

Suggested citation. Doing what matters in times of stress: an illustrated guide. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2020. Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO.

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General disclaimers. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of WHO concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Dotted and dashed lines on maps represent approximate border lines for which there may not yet be full agreement. The mention of specific companies or of certain manufacturers’ products does not imply that they are endorsed or recommended by WHO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. Errors and omissions excepted, the names of proprietary products are distinguished by initial capital letters.

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