Terms of Service
Effective 6 November 2026
The short version
- The Helping Sun is peer support — one person who has been through it, offering company and practical help.
- It is not therapy, not medical advice, not financial or legal advice, and not an emergency service.
- Ian is one person. He can't be available around the clock and doesn't promise to be. 988 covers the hours he doesn't.
- You must be 18 or over.
These terms cover your use of thehelpingsun.com and any support offered through it. The service is operated by Ian Sun in Santa Cruz County, California, trading as The Helping Sun. By using the site or contacting us, you're agreeing to what's below.
What this service is
Peer support from someone with lived experience of mental health difficulty, physical health difficulty, and financial hardship. In practice that means:
- Someone to talk to who already understands the shape of it
- Company while you do hard administrative things — opening mail, making calls, filling in forms
- Help finding real professionals, and staying with you while you contact them
- Someone who follows up when you go quiet
What this service is not
This is not therapy or counselling. Ian Sun is not a licensed therapist, counsellor, psychologist, social worker, or medical professional, and nothing offered here is clinical treatment, diagnosis, or a substitute for care from someone qualified to give it.
This is not medical advice. Nothing said here should replace talking to a doctor. Never delay or stop medical treatment because of something you read or were told here.
This is not financial, debt, or legal advice. We will tell you that hardship programs exist and sit with you while you call. We will not negotiate on your behalf, advise on specific debts or investments, or do anything a licensed professional should do.
This is not an emergency service. We do not monitor messages around the clock. In a crisis, call or text 988, text HOME to 741741, or call 911.
You must be 18 or over
This service is for adults. If you're under 18, please speak to a school counsellor, a trusted adult, or contact 988 — they are set up to help you properly and we are not.
Availability and response times
Ian answers every message himself, usually within a day, during published hours. He is one person with his own limits and his own hard days. He may be slower than usual, may pause the service, and may need to stop entirely. None of these is a breach of anything — it's the honest shape of a service run by one human being.
If a reply matters urgently, please don't wait on us. Use 988.
Your side of it
- Give us accurate information, especially about your safety.
- Don't rely on this service in an emergency.
- Don't use it to harass, threaten, or abuse anyone, Ian included.
- Understand that decisions about your health, money, and life remain yours.
Ending it
You can stop at any time, with no explanation. We can also decline or end support — for example if what you need is genuinely beyond peer support, or if the relationship stops being safe or useful. If that happens we'll say so plainly and help you find somewhere better. We'd rather hand you to the right person than keep you in the wrong place.
Photographs and content
Every photograph on this site was taken by Ian Sun in Santa Cruz County and remains his. The writing, the scripts, the name, and the marks are ours too. You're welcome to share links to anything here, and to use the scripts in your own life — that's exactly what they're for. Please don't republish the photographs or reproduce the written material elsewhere without asking.
No warranty
The site and the support are provided as they are. We can't promise the site will always be available, that information will always be current, or that support will produce any particular outcome. Resources and phone numbers mentioned here are run by other organisations and we don't control them.
Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent allowed by California law, The Helping Sun and its operator are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages arising from your use of this site or the support offered through it. Nothing in these terms limits liability for anything that cannot lawfully be limited.
This isn't us trying to dodge responsibility for how we treat you. It's the standard limit any service needs in order to exist at all.
Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of the State of California. Any dispute belongs in the state or federal courts of Santa Cruz County, California.
Changes
If we change these terms we'll update the date at the top. Continuing to use the service after a change means you accept it.
Contact
hello@thehelpingsun.com