Counselling contract template for UK therapists
Your contract is the first clinical document a client reads. Here is what the professional bodies expect it to cover, the clauses therapists most often leave out, and a template you can adapt.
By the NoteSono team · Last reviewed · 8 sources checked
The short answer
A therapy contract (or counselling agreement) sets out the practical and ethical terms of your work: sessions, fees, cancellations, contact between sessions, the limits of confidentiality, records, and what happens if either of you ends the work or you cannot continue.
UK professional bodies require clear contracting and informed consent but do not insist it is written. UKCP says so explicitly. A written agreement the client signs is still the best way to show you met the requirement. A free template is below.
What BACP, UKCP and BPC require
| Body | What the code says |
|---|---|
| BACP | Ethical Framework (2018): work "on the basis of their informed consent and agreement" (point 26), usually give clients "the information they ought to know in advance" (point 30), and keep "a record of what has been agreed and of any changes or clarifications when they occur" (point 31e). Clients should be told about "any reasonably foreseeable limitations of privacy or confidentiality" in advance (point 55d). |
| UKCP | Code of Ethics (2019): explain "your terms, fees and conditions", including how to complain (clause 14), and confirm consent "through a clear contract at the outset of therapy". It adds: "We do not specify a written contract" (clause 15). |
| BPC | Standards, 1.6: before agreeing to work together, "clearly explain, either orally or in writing", including the fee, frequency of sessions and "the limits on confidentiality". |
What a therapy contract should include
BACP's Good Practice in Action resource on contracting (GPiA 055) gives the fullest checklist. In summary, cover:
- You: qualifications, professional body, insurance, and the code you work to.
- Sessions: length, frequency, where or how they happen, and how many, if there is a limit.
- Fees: amount, when and how to pay, and how you will change them.
- Cancellations and missed sessions: notice period and any charges. See our cancellation policy template.
- Contact between sessions: what it is for, how fast you reply, and where to go in a crisis.
- Confidentiality and its limits: supervision, risk of serious harm, safeguarding, and legal requirements.
- Records: what you keep, where, for how long, and the client's right to see them. Link to your privacy notice.
- Your illness, holidays and death: how clients will be told. See our clinical will guide.
- Endings: how either of you can end the work, and the value of a planned ending.
- Complaints: how to raise a concern with you and with your professional body.
Wording the limits of confidentiality
This is the clause clients most need to understand and the one most often written vaguely. BACP's framework recognises that "in exceptional circumstances, the need to safeguard our clients or others from serious harm may require us to override" confidentiality (point 10). BPC's confidentiality guidance lists the situations where disclosure may be required or permitted, including:
- to preserve the client's life or someone else's
- when ordered by a court
- information that might help prevent an act of terrorism, under the Terrorism Act 2000
- to help prevent or detect a crime, under the Data Protection Act 2018
- safeguarding children and adults at risk
Say these in plain words, and say that wherever possible you would talk to the client first. Mention supervision too: clients are often surprised to learn their work is discussed, even anonymously.
Extra clauses for online and phone therapy
- Which platform you use, and that you will not record sessions without separate, explicit consent.
- That the client should be somewhere private, and what you will do if the connection drops (for example, you will call their phone).
- Their location during sessions, so you know where to send help in an emergency.
- The 14-day cancellation right, if the agreement is made online or by phone. The template includes an express-request box for this.
Free therapy contract template
Adapt this to your practice and modality. Replace everything in highlighted brackets.
Keep a record
Going through it in the first session
Sending the contract by email before the first session gives the client time to read it. Going through the key points together in the first session makes sure they understood it. Many therapists do both.
Points worth saying out loud
- the limits of confidentiality
- the cancellation policy
- what to do in a crisis
- how ending works
Common questions
Do counsellors need a written contract?
Not by law, and UKCP says it does not specify a written contract. BACP, UKCP and BPC all require clear agreement and informed consent before therapy starts. A written, signed contract is the simplest way to show you met that requirement.
What should a counselling contract include?
Session length and frequency, fees and payment, cancellations, contact between sessions, the limits of confidentiality, how records are kept, what happens if you are ill or die, endings, and how to complain.
Is a therapy contract legally binding?
It forms part of a contract for services between you and the client, so consumer law applies to it. Terms that are unfair, such as disproportionate cancellation fees, may not be enforceable.
Should the privacy notice be part of the contract?
Keep them separate but consistent. The privacy notice explains how you handle personal data under UK GDPR; the contract can refer to it and include a copy.
Do I need a different contract for online therapy?
The same contract works if you add clauses on the platform, privacy, connection problems, the client's location, and the 14-day cancellation right for agreements made at a distance.
Sources
Checked on 19 October 2026. Rules and prices change, so check the source before you rely on a figure.
- BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions (2018) — points 10, 26, 30, 31e and 55d
- BACP Good Practice in Action 055: Making the contract — member resource
- BACP contract discussions toolkit for private practice
- UKCP Code of Ethics and Professional Practice (2019) — clauses 14, 15, 21
- BPC Standards of Conduct, Practice and Ethics — standard 1.6
- BPC Confidentiality and UK GDPR Guidance — legal limits on confidentiality
- Terrorism Act 2000, section 38B
- Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, regulation 36
This guide and template are general information, not legal advice. Check your professional body's current guidance, and take legal advice if your practice has unusual arrangements.