What should I include in my therapy contract?

Writing your therapy contract or therapy agreement from scratch can be tricky. The purpose of it is to ensure that each client has given consent to the terms of the service you will provide through signing a contract at the outset of therapy. It will also help clients grasp the nature of therapy and have clear expectations of the process.

So, what do you need to include? Well lucky for you, at Surrey Therapy Practice we offer a free downloadable therapy agreement template that you can copy, paste, and edit to suit your therapy needs (see bottom of page). There are some aspects that are a necessity when it comes to client-therapist contracts…

Session Duration, Payment and Frequency

What do you want them to know? To keep things straight forward and simple, it is important to lay out all the important details for your client right from the outset. To avoid confusion of costs or awkwardness around session time mix-ups, be sure to cover everything you can in crystal clear fashion.

Cancellations

None of us want them, right? Think about what your cancellation policy states and how a client can be completely aware and clearly understand the process of a cancellation and whether you charge for it or want to offer an alternative.

Reviews and ending therapy

Can a client leave when they want? Think about how you set out the review of your therapy. What are you doing or putting in place to monitor the sessions? Also think about if you’re recommending that the client completes a certain number of sessions before ending therapy, or if you want a more flexible approach based on how they are feeling.

Confidentiality

Likely to be one of the most important parts of the agreement, give clear and concise information about confidentiality and its limits as a health care professional providing treatment. You may want to expand on GDPR and data protection issues here or let people know where they can find your privacy policy with more information.

Having a clear-cut and uncomplicated confidentiality statement in the contract helps with transparency and builds trust in the service that you offer.

Signature

Although strictly not necessary to agree to a set of terms and conditions, asking the client to date and sign the agreement helps to add weight to the areas you have discussed and agreed. If there are issues down the line with payments and cancellations, then it’s something to refer back to and gives you some peace of mind, that you have made things as clear as you can to avoid confusion or miscommunication.

Be sure to include any other important information like your (practice) address, name, email, and location closing off the contract.

And that’s it! To access and download our free Therapy Agreement template please click here.

We invite you to join with like-minded clinicians and experts at our private clinic, Surrey Therapy Practice. Our high-quality therapy rooms are available to rent, and we have a supportive environment for new and experienced therapists to receive supervision and networking. We have a range of therapists, including psychologists, CBT therapists, counsellors and well-being practitioners.

If you would like to see our rooms or learn more about joining the practice, please visit our website www.surreytherapypractice.com or email us at enquiries@surreytherapypractice.com.