Online therapy agreement template (UK)
Your usual contract covers most of what an online client needs. What it often leaves out is where the client is, who to call in an emergency, and what happens when the call drops. Here is what the professional bodies expect, and an agreement you can add to your contract.
By the NoteSono team · Last reviewed · 5 sources checked
The short answer
An online therapy agreement is an addition to your normal counselling contract that covers what is different about video and phone work: where the client will be, emergency contacts and local support, a private space at both ends, a plan for technology failure, a ban on recording unless both agree, platform security, and whether your insurance covers the work.
BACP's Online and phone therapy competence framework lists these as part of contracting for online work, including obtaining emergency contacts from the start and agreeing any recording by either side. A free template is below.
What to add to your contract for online work
BACP's Ethical Framework says its principles apply whether you work online, by phone or face to face. So the core of your contract stays the same. BACP's working online FAQs advise against writing a whole new contract and suggest adding the online parts to what you have already agreed. Your main therapy contract stays in force and the online agreement sits alongside it.
The table sets out what to add and where the expectation comes from.
| Clause | What it covers | Where the expectation comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Client location | Where the client will be for each session, keeping it consistent and private, and talking about any change. | BACP OPT framework, competence 3(iv): "Exploring any changes in location with the client." |
| Working abroad | What happens if the client joins from another country. | BACP OPT framework, competence 8. BPC: consider "the legal requirements of the country where the patient is located." |
| Emergency contacts | An emergency contact and GP details, taken at the start. | BACP OPT framework, competence 14(i): "Obtaining emergency contact (s) from the beginning of therapy." |
| Private space | Both of you somewhere you cannot be overheard or overlooked. | BACP OPT framework, competence 5(iii). BPC asks you to explore how the client can have "a safe and confidential physical space". |
| Technology failure | What you will do if the connection drops. | BACP OPT framework, competence 5(iii): a contingency plan, "e.g. phone if internet fails". |
| Recording | Whether either of you may record sessions. | BACP OPT framework, competence 4(ii): "careful agreement concerning any recording of sessions by either practitioner or client." |
| Platform security | Which platform, and its limits. | BACP OPT framework, competences 4(ii) and 5(iii). BPC: the platform "should be secure and encrypted." |
| Insurance | That your cover includes online work, and where. | BPC: make sure your insurance covers your online work. BACP OPT framework, competence 8(iii). |
Identity and age
Clients who are abroad, or travelling
This is the clause most online contracts leave out, and the one that causes the most trouble. A client who usually joins from Manchester books a session from a holiday in Spain, or moves abroad for work and wants to carry on.
Why it matters
- Local law. BPC guidance on working with patients outside the UK says that in many countries practising as a psychotherapist requires a licence or medical training, and that working without one may break local law.
- Insurance. BPC asks registrants to make sure their professional liability insurance covers online work across different jurisdictions, and BACP's framework asks you to ensure insurance "is valid in the country/ies where OPT clients are located". BACP's FAQs note that many insurers cover online work in the UK and suggest you contact your insurer about overseas clients.
- Risk. If you are worried about a client's safety, UK emergency services cannot reach them abroad. BPC suggests being familiar with local emergency and child protection services where the client is.
What to put in the agreement
- Ask the client to tell you before any session they plan to join from outside the UK.
- Say plainly that you may not be able to work with them while they are abroad, and what the options are: pause, rearrange, or a referral to someone local.
- Write down which countries your insurer has confirmed you are covered for.
Check your insurer's wording rather than assuming. If a client moves abroad for good, the honest answer may be to help them find a therapist where they live.
Free online therapy agreement template
Copy it into your own document, or download it as a Word file. Replace everything in highlighted brackets and delete what does not apply. It is written to sit alongside your main contract, not replace it.
Getting the tricky clauses right
Recording: make it apply to both of you
Most contracts say the therapist will not record sessions. BACP's framework asks for agreement on recording "by either practitioner or client", because a client can record on a phone without you knowing. Say clearly that neither of you records without written agreement, and that any agreed recording has a stated purpose, storage and deletion date.
Emergency details: take them before you need them
The time you need a client's address is the time you cannot ask for it. BACP's framework puts obtaining emergency contacts at the beginning of therapy, and requesting GP, family or friend details who can be contacted in a crisis. Say in the agreement when you would use them, so the client knows it is a safety measure, not routine contact.
Technology failure: decide who calls whom
BACP's FAQs suggest agreeing "who will phone whom". A simple rule, such as "I will try to reconnect for five minutes, then phone you", saves both of you sitting in front of a frozen screen. Decide too whether a session lost to a bad connection is charged.
Privacy at the client's end
You can control your room but not theirs. Ask who else is in the home, suggest headphones, and agree that no one else joins unless you both say so. Check your privacy notice names the platform and anything it stores.
Common questions
Do I need a separate contract for online therapy?
Usually not. BACP's working online FAQs advise against writing a completely new contract, because most of what you have already agreed still stands. Add an online working agreement that covers location, emergency contacts, private space, technology failure, recording, security and insurance.
Can I see a UK client online while they are on holiday abroad?
Possibly not. The law of the country they are in may require a local licence, and your insurance may not cover that country. Ask clients to tell you in advance, check your insurer's wording, and agree what you will do if you cannot work with them there.
Does my insurance cover online counselling?
BACP notes that many professional liability insurers cover online work in the UK, but you should contact your insurer to confirm, especially for clients outside the UK. BPC asks registrants to make sure their cover includes online work.
Can a client record our online sessions?
Only if you both agree. BACP's Online and phone therapy competence framework asks therapists to negotiate careful agreement about any recording by either the therapist or the client. Put it in writing.
What emergency details should I take from an online client?
At least an emergency contact and their GP, taken at the start of therapy, as BACP's framework expects. Many therapists also ask for the address the client will usually join from, and check it at the start of each session.
Sources
Checked on 30 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on a figure.
- BACP Online and phone therapy (OPT) competence framework (2026) — competences 3, 4, 5, 8 and 14
- BACP: Working online FAQs — contracting, insurance, platforms
- BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (2018)
- BPC: Working online — private space, encryption, insurance
- BPC: Working with patients outside the UK — local law, licensing, insurance, local services
This guide is general information, not legal advice. It reflects the guidance as we read it on the date above. Your professional body's current guidance and your insurer's policy wording take precedence.