Counselling agreement generator

BACP’s Ethical Framework expects clear contracting before work begins. Although a counselling agreement is not legally required, insurers may ask for it if a dispute involves fees. Review the generated wording against your practice and insurer’s requirements.

Have it signed before or at the first session. The fee and the cancellation policy apply from the first appointment, so they need to be agreed before it happens. If you use Bloom, this is automatic: when you add a new client, your agreement goes out for e-signature as part of onboarding, and the signed copy is stored against the client.

The confidentiality section is fixed here. It covers serious risk of harm, safeguarding of children and vulnerable adults, court orders, and narrow statutory disclosure duties around drug-trafficking and terrorism-related money. It also explains the professional requirement to discuss anonymised work in supervision.

The retention line says records are kept for up to 7 years because that is what professional indemnity insurers commonly require, not because a law names that figure. If your insurer or professional body asks for something different, change it, and then actually delete when the period passes. The GDPR self-assessment covers this and the rest of your data obligations.