Last updated: June 6, 2026
Tend is a self-paced course and companion for climate distress, offered by the Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance (the “Alliance,” “we,” “us”). This policy explains what information Tend collects, why we collect it, how we store and protect it, and the choices you have. Please read it alongside our Terms of Use.
The Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance is responsible for the personal information collected through Tend. For any privacy question, request, or complaint, contact us at kiffercard@gmail.com.
When you create an account, we collect your email address, a password (stored only as a secure cryptographic hash, never in plain text), and, if you choose to provide it, the name you would like Tend to use.
As you use Tend, we collect and store the content you enter and the activity you generate, including:
To understand how Tend is used and whether it helps, we log events such as when you open the app, which sections you visit, when you complete a lesson or a grounding practice, when you take the screener, and approximate time spent in the app. Each event is recorded with a timestamp and a per-session identifier. Our hosting provider may also process standard technical data (such as IP address) to deliver and secure the service.
| Purpose | Examples |
|---|---|
| Providing the service | Saving your progress, journal, and screener results so they are available when you sign in on any device. |
| Improving Tend | Understanding which lessons and practices people use, and where they stop, so we can make the course better. |
| Research into effectiveness | Studying, in de-identified and aggregated form, whether Tend is associated with changes in climate-distress and resilience scores over time. |
| Security and integrity | Detecting abuse, debugging, and keeping accounts safe. |
| Communication | Sending account-related messages, such as email confirmation or password resets. |
One reason Tend exists is to learn whether tools like it help people cope with climate distress. By creating an account and using Tend, you consent to your information being used for research and evaluation as described here. For research outputs (for example, reports or publications), we use data in de-identified form, meaning direct identifiers such as your name and email are removed, and we report results in aggregate so that individuals cannot be identified. We do not sell your information, and we do not use it for advertising. If a future research study would go beyond this policy, we will seek separate, specific consent before including your data.
Tend's database and authentication are hosted on Supabase, which runs on cloud infrastructure located in the United States. Data is encrypted in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest. Access to the database is controlled by row-level security rules so that, when you are signed in, you can only read and write your own records. Administrative access to the underlying data is limited to authorised members of the Alliance and is used for operating the service and conducting the research described above.
No system is perfectly secure. We cannot guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information.
We share personal information only in limited circumstances:
We do not sell personal information and we do not share it with advertisers.
We keep your account information and entries for as long as your account is active, so your progress is preserved. If you delete your account, we will delete your identifiable personal information within a reasonable period, except where we are required to keep it by law. De-identified and aggregated information that can no longer be linked to you may be retained for research.
Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, export, or delete your personal information, and to withdraw consent. You can edit much of your information directly in the app. To request a copy of your data, correct it, withdraw from research, or delete your account, email us at kiffercard@gmail.com and we will respond within a reasonable time. Withdrawing consent or deleting your account will not affect de-identified data already used in completed analyses.
Tend is not intended for children. You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us so we can remove it.
Tend provides education and self-help tools. It is not therapy, not a medical device, and not a substitute for professional care. The information you enter is not monitored in real time, and entering something in Tend does not alert anyone. If you are in crisis, please contact a local emergency number or crisis line.
If you use Tend from outside the United States, you understand that your information will be transferred to and processed in the United States, where data-protection laws may differ from those in your country.
We may update this policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will update the date at the top and, where appropriate, notify you in the app or by email. Continued use of Tend after a change means you accept the updated policy.
Questions, requests, or concerns: kiffercard@gmail.com, Mental Health and Climate Change Alliance.