Your counselling contract: what to agree with a client at the start

A counselling contract isn’t legal paperwork for its own sake. It’s the shared understanding that lets the work happen safely: what you’re offering, what it costs, what’s confidential and what isn’t, and how things will end. Agreed clearly at the start, it prevents most of the awkward moments that otherwise surface later. Here’s what a good one covers.

The practical terms

Start with the plain arrangements. What the fee is and how and when it’s paid. How long sessions are and how often you’ll meet. Your cancellation policy, including how much notice you need and what happens if a session is missed. Whether and how you’re contactable between sessions, so a client knows what to expect rather than assuming. Getting these clear up front removes the two most common sources of friction: money and availability.

Confidentiality and its limits

This is the heart of it, and the part clients care about most. Say plainly that what they bring is confidential, and then be equally plain about the limits, because there are some. Your supervision means another practitioner discusses your work, anonymously. There are circumstances, such as a serious risk of harm, where you may have to break confidentiality, and your professional body’s ethical framework guides when. Clients deserve to know this before they share, not after, and being honest about it builds trust rather than undermining it.

Data, records and endings

Tell clients, briefly, that you keep records and how their information is handled, pointing to your fuller privacy notice. And set an expectation about endings: that the work will be reviewed, that either of you can raise ending it, and that you’ll aim to finish well rather than abruptly. Endings handled thoughtfully are part of good practice, and flagging that at the start makes them easier when they come.

Keep it readable

A contract that nobody understands protects nobody. Write it in plain language, keep it as short as it can be while covering what matters, and go through it with the client rather than handing it over to sign. The conversation is as valuable as the document, because it’s where genuine understanding happens.

A template to adapt, not legal advice

We provide a contract creator that builds a draft contract around these sections for you to adapt to your own practice. Treat what it produces as a starting template, not legal advice, and have important wording checked if you’re unsure. Your own professional body’s guidance on contracting should always take precedence.