Terms and Conditions
No part of this Website is intended to constitute a contractual offer capable of acceptance. Your order constitutes a contractual offer and Our acceptance of that offer is deemed to occur upon Our sending a confirmation email to you indicating that your order has been accepted.
1. Definitions and Interpretation
2. Age Restrictions
3. Business Customers
4. Intellectual Property
- 4.1 Subject to the exceptions in Clause 5 of these Terms and Conditions, all Content included on the Website, unless uploaded by Users, including, but not limited to, text, graphics, logos, icons, images, sound clips, video clips, data compilations, page layout, underlying code and software is the property of Shame Lab, our affiliates or other relevant third parties. By continuing to use the Website you acknowledge that such material is protected by applicable [COUNTRY] and International intellectual property and other laws.
- 4.2 Subject to Clause 6 you may not reproduce, copy, distribute, store or in any other fashion re-use material from the Website unless otherwise indicated on the Website or unless given Our express written permission to do so.
5. Third Party Intellectual Property
- 5.1 Unless otherwise expressly indicated, all Intellectual Property rights including, but not limited to, Copyright and Trademarks, in product images and descriptions belong to the manufacturers or distributors of such products as may be applicable.
- 5.2 Subject to Clause 6 you may not reproduce, copy, distribute, store or in any other fashion re-use such material unless otherwise indicated on the Website or unless given express written permission to do so by the relevant manufacturer or supplier.
6. Fair Use of Intellectual Property
7. Links to Other Websites
8. Links to this Website
9. Use of Communications Facilities
- 9.1 When using any System on the Website you should do so in accordance with the following rules. Failure to comply with these rules may result in your Account being suspended or closed:
- 9.1.1 You must not use obscene or vulgar language;
- 9.1.2 You must not submit Content that is unlawful or otherwise objectionable. This includes, but is not limited to, Content that is abusive, threatening, harassing, defamatory, ageist, sexist or racist;
- 9.1.3 You must not submit Content that is intended to promote or incite violence;
- 9.1.4 It is advised that submissions are made using the English language as We may be unable to respond to enquiries submitted in any other languages;
- 9.1.5 The means by which you identify yourself must not violate these Terms and Conditions or any applicable laws;
- 9.1.6 You must not impersonate other people, particularly employees and representatives of Shame Lab or Our affiliates; and
- 9.1.7 You must not use Our System for unauthorised mass-communication such as "spam" or "junk mail".
- 9.2 You acknowledge that Shame Lab reserves the right to monitor any and all communications made to Us or using Our System.
- 9.3 You acknowledge that Shame Lab may retain copies of any and all communications made to Us or using Our System.
- 9.4 You acknowledge that any information you send to Us through Our System may be modified by Us in any way and you hereby waive your moral right to be identified as the author of such information. Any restrictions you may wish to place upon Our use of such information must be communicated to Us in advance and We reserve the right to reject such terms and associated information.
10. Accounts
- 10.1 In order to procure Services on this Website and to use certain other parts of the System, you are required to create an Account which will contain certain personal details and Payment Information which may vary based upon your use of the Website as We may not require payment information until you wish to make a purchase. By continuing to use this Websiteyou represent and warrant that:
- 10.1.1 all information you submit is accurate and truthful;
- 10.1.2 you have permission to submit Payment Information where permission may be required; and
- 10.1.3 you will keep this information accurate and up-to-date. Your creation of an Account is further affirmation of your representation and warranty.
- 10.2 It is recommended that you do not share your Account details, particularly your username and password. We accept no liability for any losses or damages incurred as a result of your Account details being shared by you. If you use a shared computer, it is recommended that you do not save your Account details in your internet browser.
- 10.3 If you have reason to believe that your Account details have been obtained by another person without consent, you should contact Us immediately to suspend your Account and cancel any unauthorised orders or payments that may be pending. Please be aware that orders or payments can only be cancelled up until provision of Services has commenced. In the event that an unauthorised provision commences prior to your notifying Us of the unauthorised nature of the order or payment then you shall be charged for the period from the commencement of the provision of services until the date you notified us and may be charged for a billing cycle of one month.
- 10.4 When choosing your username you are required to adhere to the terms set out above in Clause 9. Any failure to do so could result in the suspension and/or deletion of your Account.
11. Termination and Cancellation of Accounts
- 11.1 Either Shame Lab or you may terminate your Account. If We terminate your Account, you will be notified by email and an explanation for the termination will be provided. Notwithstanding the foregoing, We reserve the right to terminate without giving reasons.
- 11.2 If We terminate your Account, any current or pending orders or payments on your Account will be cancelled and provision of Services will not commence.
12. Services, Pricing and Availability
- 12.1 Whilst every effort has been made to ensure that all general descriptions of Services available from Shame Lab correspond to the actual Services that will be provided to you, We are not responsible for any variations from these descriptions as the exact nature of the Services may vary depending on your individual requirements and circumstances. This does not exclude Our liability for mistakes due to negligence on Our part and refers only to variations of the correct Services, not different Services altogether. Please refer to sub-Clause 13.8 for incorrect Services.
- 12.2 Where appropriate, you may be required to select the required Plan of Services.
- 12.3 We neither represent nor warrant that such Services will be available at all times and cannot necessarily confirm availability until confirming your Order. Availability indications are not provided on the Website.
- 12.4 All pricing information on the Website is correct at the time of going online. We reserve the right to change prices and alter or remove any special offers from time to time and as necessary.
- 12.5 In the event that prices are changed during the period between an order being placed for Services and Us processing that order and taking payment, then the price that was valid at the time of the order shall be used.
13. Orders and Provision of Services
- 13.1 No part of this Website constitutes a contractual offer capable of acceptance. Your order constitutes a contractual offer that We may, at Our sole discretion, accept. Our acceptance is indicated by Us sending to you an order confirmation email. Only once We have sent you an order confirmation email will there be a binding contract between Shame Lab and you.
- 13.2 Order confirmations under sub-Clause 13.1 will be sent to you before the Services begin and shall contain the following information:
- 13.2.1 Confirmation of the Services ordered including full details of the main characteristics of those Services;
- 13.2.2 Fully itemised pricing for the Services ordered including, where appropriate, taxes, delivery and other additional charges;
- 13.2.3 Relevant times and dates for the provision of the Services;
- 13.2.4 User credentials and relevant information for accessing those services.
- 13.3 If We, for any reason, do not accept your order, no payment shall be taken under normal circumstances. In any event, any sums paid by you in relation to that order will be refunded within 14 calendar days.
- 13.4 Payment for the Services shall be taken via your chosen payment method, immediately for any setup fee that corresponds to the service plan you purchased and at the same day of each subsequent month (“billing cycle”) for charges accrued during the previous month (“billing cycle”) AND/OR as indicated in the order confirmation you received.
- 13.5 We aim to fulfill your Order within 2-3 working days or if not, within a reasonable period following your Order, unless there are exceptional circumstances. If we cannot fulfill your Order within a reasonable period, we will inform you at the time you place the Order by a note on the relevant web page or by contacting you directly after you place your Order. Time is not of the essence of the Contract, which means we will aim to fulfill your Order within any agreed timescales but this is not an essential term of the Contract and we will not be liable to you if we do not do so. If the Services are to begin within 14 calendar days of Our acceptance of your order, at your express request, you will be required to expressly acknowledge that your statutory cancellation rights, detailed below in Clause 14, will be affected.
- 13.6 Shame Lab shall use all Our reasonable endeavours to provide the Services with reasonable skill and care, commensurate with best trade practice.
- 13.7 In the event that Services are provided that are not in conformity with your order and thus incorrect, you should contact Us immediately to inform Us of the mistake. We will ensure that any necessary corrections are made within five (5) working days.
- Additional terms and conditions may apply to the provision of certain Services. You will be asked to read and confirm your acceptance of any such terms and conditions when completing your Order.
- 13.8 Shame Lab provides technical support via our online support forum and/or phone. Shame Lab makes every effort possible to respond in a timely manner but we do not guarantee a particular response time.
14. Cancellation of Orders and Services
- 14.1 If you are a consumer based within the European Union, you have a statutory right to a “cooling off” period. This period begins once your order is confirmed and the contract between Shame Lab and you is formed and ends at the end of 14 calendar days after that date. If you change your mind about the Services within this period and wish to cancel your order, please inform Us immediately using the following email: info@shamelab.org. Your right to cancel during the cooling off period is subject to the provisions of sub-Clause 14.2.
- 14.2 As specified in sub-Clause 13.6, if the Services are to begin within the cooling off period you are required to make an express request to that effect. By requesting that the Services begin within the 14 calendar day cooling off period you acknowledge and agree to the following:
- 14.2.1 If the Services are fully performed within the 14 calendar day cooling off period, you will lose your right to cancel after the Services are complete.
- 14.2.2 If you cancel the Services after provision has begun but is not yet complete you will still be required to pay for the Services supplied up until the point at which you inform Us that you wish to cancel. The amount due shall be calculated in proportion to the full price of the Services and the actual Services already provided. Any sums that have already been paid for the Services shall be refunded subject to deductions calculated in accordance with the foregoing. Refunds, where applicable, will be issued within 5 working days and in any event no later than 14 calendar days after you inform Us that you wish to cancel.
- 14.3 Cancellation of Services after the 14 calendar day cooling off period has elapsed shall be subject to the specific terms governing those Services and may be subject to a minimum contract duration.
15. Privacy
16. How We Use Your Personal Information (Data Protection)
- 16.1 All personal information that We may collect (including, but not limited to, your name and address) will be collected, used and held in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and your rights under that Act.
- 16.2 We may use your personal information to:
- 16.2.1 Provide Our Services to you;
- 16.2.2 Process your payment for the Services; and
- 16.2.3 Inform you of new products and services available from Us. You may request that We stop sending you this information at any time.
- 16.3 In certain circumstances (if, for example, you wish to purchase Services on credit), and with your consent, We may pass your personal information on to credit reference agencies. These agencies are also bound by the Data Protection Act 1998 and should use and hold your personal information accordingly.
- 16.4 We will not pass on your personal information to any other third parties without first obtaining your express permission.
17. Disclaimers
- 17.1 We make no warranty or representation that the Website will meet your requirements, that it will be of satisfactory quality, that it will be fit for a particular purpose, that it will not infringe the rights of third parties, that it will be compatible with all systems, that it will be secure and that all information provided will be accurate. We make no guarantee of any specific results from the use of our Service or Services.
- 17.2 No part of this Website is intended to constitute advice and the Content of this Website should not be relied upon when making any decisions or taking any action of any kind.
- 17.3 No part of this Website is intended to constitute a contractual offer capable of acceptance.
- 17.4 Whilst We use reasonable endeavours to ensure that the Website is secure and free of errors, viruses and other malware, you are strongly advised to take responsibility for your own internet security, that of your personal details and your computers.
18. Changes to the Facilities and these Terms and Conditions
19. Availability of the Website
- 19.1 The Website is provided “as is” and on an “as available” basis. Shame Lab uses industry best practices to provide a high uptime, including a fault-tolerant architecture hosted in cloud servers. We give no warranty that the Website or Facilities will be free of defects and / or faults and we do not provide any kind of refund for outages. We provide no warranties (express or implied) of fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy of information, compatibility and satisfactory quality.
- 19.2 We accept no liability for any disruption or non-availability of the Website resulting from external causes including, but not limited to, ISP equipment failure, host equipment failure, communications network failure, power failure, natural events, acts of war or legal restrictions and censorship.
20. Limitation of Liability
- 20.1 To the maximum extent permitted by law, We accept no liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage, foreseeable or otherwise, including any indirect, consequential, special or exemplary damages arising from the use of the Website or any information contained therein. You should be aware that you use the Website and its Content at your own risk.
- 20.2 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or restricts .
- 20.3 Nothing in these Terms and Conditions excludes or restricts Shame Lab's liability for any direct or indirect loss or damage arising out of the incorrect provision of Services or out of reliance on incorrect information included on the Website.
- 20.4 In the event that any of these terms are found to be unlawful, invalid or otherwise unenforceable, that term is to be deemed severed from these Terms and Conditions and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of the remaining Terms and Conditions. This term shall apply only within jurisdictions where a particular term is illegal.
21. No Waiver
22. Previous Terms and Conditions
23. Third Party Rights
24. Communications
- 24.1 All notices / communications shall be given to Us either by post to Our Premises (see address above) or by email to info@shamelab.org. Such notice will be deemed received 3 days after posting if sent by first class post, the day of sending if the email is received in full on a business day and on the next business day if the email is sent on a weekend or public holiday.
- 24.2 We may from time to time, if you opt to receive it, send you information about Our products and/or services. If you do not wish to receive such information, please click on the ‘Unsubscribe’ link in any email which you receive from Us.
25. Law and Jurisdiction
Shame Engagement in Medical Learners
Our ongoing analysis has thus far revealed that:
- shame often centers on--and is sustained by--entrenched assumptions about oneself, especially in relation to others, operating as facts.
- constructive engagement with shame involves challenging these assumptions and considering alternate possibilities.
- shame recovery often includes a transition from an internalized, distressed state to an externalized, other-oriented state.
- constructive shame engagement entails efforts to stabilize self-concept, the success of which is afforded by underlying emotional "scaffolding." We are still in the process of more fully understanding what comprises this scaffolding.
Measuring shame exposure in medical learners
We are planning follow on studies to explore the prevalence and epidemiology of shame in medical learners and healthcare professionals. This will include exploring relationships among shame and factors such as gender, race/ethnicity, specialty, etc. These data will provide different, meaningful insights than those afforded by our qualitative research program.
Will is an Associate Professor of Family Medicine and and a veteran of the United States Air Force. He received his M.D. at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2010 and Ph.D. in Health Professions Education at Maastricht University in the Netherlands in 2023, where defended his thesis entitled “Out of the shadows: a qualitative exploration of shame in medical learners.”
Along with Luna, he is a co-creator of The Shame Space, a global consortium that advances open communication about the role of shame in healthcare, a co-producer on the award winning “Shame in Medicine” podcast series produced by The Nocturnists, and a co-founder of The Shame Lab, which catalyzes research and training to advance shame competence in healthcare and beyond. He is the author of over 30 peer-reviewed publications and has given over 150 workshops and presentations to top hospitals, conferences, and organizations such as Massachusetts General Hospital, Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania, and the American Hospital Association. He has received numerous awards for his research including Best Paper by the AAMC Research in Medical Education Committee in 2021 and Best Doctoral Report by the Association of Medical Educators of Europe in 2023.
Luna is Professor of Philosophy and Medical Humanities at the University of Exeter, based at the Wellcome Centre for Cultures and Environments of Health. She has been researching shame for over 15 years, and is PI of the Shame and Medicine Project (2020-2025), funded by the Wellcome Trust, and was PI of the Scenes of Shame and Stigma in COVID-19 Project (2020-2022), funded by the UK’s Arts and Humanities Research Council. Luna is author of The Body and Shame: Phenomenology, Feminism and the Socially Shaped Body (Lexington Books, 2015), and co-author of Covid-19 and Shame: Political Emotions and Public Health in the UK (Bloomsbury, 2023), co-authored with Fred Cooper and Arthur Rose. She worked with Matthew Gibson to develop principles for Shame-Sensitive Practice, and subsequently Luna developed training in ‘shame competence’ in collaboration with the Devon & Cornwall Police. She has also worked closely with the Plymouth Trauma Informed Network to embed shame competence into trauma-informed approaches to practice. See Luna’s University of Exeter Staff Profile here.
(Coming Soon)
Vivienne is the Project Administrator and works one day a week to support the team. She has been working at the University of Exeter since January 2013, on a number of research projects.
Vivienne has been a contact point for people wishing to attend the Shame Competence for Trauma-Informed Practitioners Training based in Plymouth. She has been sending the delegates the information needed to attend and is contacting them with the evaluation surveys at each suitable point. This will help us to gather as much data as possible and ensure the final survey is sent two months after the training for each delegate. She is also supporting the trainers with regard to the venue and resources.
Anna is a fourth year medical student at the Duke University School of Medicine. During her time in medical school, she has co-led her medical school’s Wellness Committee and created a podcast entitled “A Flutter” to better understand how stigmatized emotions and life circumstances affect medical learners’ educational experiences. Alongside Will and Luna, she has participated in research that explores medical learner engagement with shame and identifies factors influencing this engagement. She has presented this work at professional meetings, including the AAMC Annual Meeting. Anna plans to pursue a career in pediatrics after medical school.
Sophie is a Second Year Psychology Student at the University of Exeter and a Technology Transfer Student Intern at Exeter Innovation. She has focussed her studies on Cognitive Psychology and Qualitative data analysis.
Sophie is currently a Welfare Officer at Exeter University Labour Society, further creating an understanding of how our cognition affects our behaviour. With training in Sales and Market Research, she will be furthering the knowledgebase of where The Shame Lab sits in the market.
Anna is a PhD student at the Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations at Coventry University, supported by Midlands4Cities Doctoral Training Partnership (AHRC). Building on her professional experience in working with people in the social care sector, Anna's research looks at the role of shame in the relationship between marginalisation and violence. She has a BA(hons) in Health and Social Welfare, an MSc in Development Management, and an MSc in Mindfulness and Compassion. Anna is delighted to further develop her understanding of shame through working with The Shame Lab. You can find out more about Anna on her M4C student profile or her Coventry University profile.
With 20 years’ experience working in drug & alcohol services with people who have experienced profound & complex trauma, Vicky initially worked within the criminal justice system with the Prolific Offender Unit, then for 10 years in the child protection & safeguarding arena working with parents. Vicky spent 3 years working across the South-West Peninsula with the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC), a fundamentally trauma-informed approach to supporting families through care proceedings. Vicky’s background is in delivering training & facilitating group work & she has been delivering training specifically on trauma informed approaches since 2020. Vicky was the Network Coordinator of the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network from 2021-2024 & is now the Trauma Informed Practice Lead with Zebra Collective, facilitating & designing trauma-informed & solution-focused programmes. Vicky feels privileged to be trusted to deliver Professor Luna Dolezal’s shame competence training & believes shame-sensitivity to be an integral & essential component of trauma-informed practice.
As a Social Worker Sarah has worked across a number of different teams working with children and families. Sarah’s roles have included working as a child protection Social Worker, child protection chair and a LADO (Local Authority Designated Officer). She has also worked in a specialist sexual abuse service working therapeutically with children and young people who have been affected by sexual abuse and/or who have shown sexualised behaviours. Sarah has worked with adults where there is a concern of a risk of sexual harm to children along with protective parents. Sarah is also a consultant trainer for a national organisation who specialise in improving understanding of and responses to child sexual abuse. Alongside Vicky Brooks, Sarah has been involved in developing and delivering the trauma informed practice training, for the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network since 2020.