Counselling Contract Template: Key Clauses and an AI First Draft

You can draft a counselling contract with AI, because a template holds no client information, but you must check it yourself against current BACP guidance and your insurer's requirements. A sound contract covers fees, sessions, cancellations, confidentiality and its limits, records, breaks and endings, complaints and, now, a clear statement on AI.

Search results for "counselling contract template" are mostly blank forms to download. They give you a skeleton but no help deciding what each clause should say for the way you work, and none helps with the newer question of AI. Below you'll find the clauses with sample wording, an AI first-draft prompt, and a check list to run before the contract goes to a client. It isn't legal advice: where a clause carries legal weight, take advice from your insurer, your professional body or a solicitor.

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What BACP expects of a contract, and what to check first

BACP's Ethical Framework 2026 became mandatory for all members on 3 November 2026. The 2018 version now survives only for accreditation: applications submitted before 4 May 2027 may still reference it, so check which one your own application or employer refers to. Underneath the framework sit BACP's practice resources. Its Good Practice in Action fact sheet on making the contract (last updated in 2020) splits a contract into a business part (fees, sessions, records, the limits of confidentiality) and a therapeutic or process part (why the client has come and what help they can expect). New Ethics in Practice resources written for the 2026 Framework are appearing in the members' area, including one on contracting with children and young people, so re-read the current versions rather than relying on this tutorial's summary. On AI, BACP has an Ethics essentials resource on ethics and the use of AI for members, and a BACP event presentation on good practice for counsellors puts the position bluntly: don't use AI in therapeutic contexts unless you have training, insurance and informed client consent, and don't upload identifying client information to an AI system. Whatever the details, three tests apply to every clause:

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1. Could the client understand it without help? Plain words, short sentences, no legal fog.
2. Does it describe what you really do? A clause you don't follow is a liability.
3. Does it match your insurance and membership requirements? Some insurers specify wording or conditions.

The clauses, one by one, with sample wording

The sample wording below is illustrative. Replace every square bracket with your own details, and change anything that doesn't match your practice.

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1. Who we are and what this agreement covers

Say who the counsellor is, their qualifications and membership, the professional insurance that covers the work, and who the client is. State that the agreement covers individual counselling sessions and nothing else. Illustrative: "This agreement is between [client] and [counsellor], a registered member of [professional body]. It covers individual counselling sessions provided by [counsellor]."

2. Sessions: when, where, how long

Cover day and time, session length, venue or online platform, and a trial period if you offer one. Illustrative: "Sessions are [50 minutes] weekly at [time] in [place or online platform]. We'll review how the work is going after [six] sessions and agree how to continue."

3. Fees, payment, cancellations and missed sessions

State the fee per session, when and how it is paid, notice required to cancel without charge, and what happens when a session is missed or you cancel. Illustrative: "The fee is [amount] per session, payable [how and when]. If you need to cancel, please give [24 hours'] notice; sessions cancelled with less notice are charged at [full/half] fee. If I cancel, I'll offer a replacement session at no charge." Decide your policy before drafting and don't ask the AI to choose one for you.

4. Confidentiality and its limits

This is the clause clients most need to understand. Say that what is discussed is confidential and describe the limits plainly: serious risk of harm to the client or others, safeguarding duties, and situations where the law requires disclosure. Say you'll try to discuss any disclosure with the client first where it is safe to do so. Include supervision: that you discuss your client work with a supervisor, anonymised wherever possible. Illustrative: "What you tell me is private. There are a few exceptions: if I believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, if the law requires me to share information, or in a safeguarding situation. Where I can, I'll talk to you before sharing anything. I also discuss my work, without using your name, with my supervisor."

5. Records and data

State what you keep (session notes, contact details, the contract), how it is stored securely, how long you keep it, and the client's right to see their records subject to the law. The period is your own decision, guided by your insurer and data protection law, so check with them. Refer to your privacy notice if you have one.

6. Contact between sessions

Say how the client may reach you, what the contact is for (usually scheduling), when you reply, and what the client should do in a crisis. Illustrative: "I check messages [on weekdays] and will reply within [one working day]. I'm not an emergency service. If you're in crisis, contact [emergency service or crisis line] or go to your nearest emergency department."

7. Breaks, holidays and endings

Give notice of planned breaks, explain that either of you can end the work, and offer a final session where possible. BACP's guidance on contracting stresses telling clients about any foreseeable breaks as soon as possible. Illustrative: "I'll tell you about my holidays at least [four weeks] ahead. You can end counselling at any time; I'd ask you to come to a final session if you can, so we can look at what's changed. If I think counselling isn't helping, I'll talk with you about other options."

Add a sentence on the break nobody plans: what happens to appointments and records if you are suddenly ill or unable to work. BACP's contracting fact sheet asks you to consider exactly this, and points to its separate resource on unplanned endings. Illustrative: "If I'm unexpectedly unable to work, [a named colleague] will contact you to cancel sessions, and your records will be [kept securely / passed to them only to let you know]. They will see only what they need to contact you." Check the arrangement with that colleague before you write it down.

8. Complaints

Say how to raise a concern with you and, if unresolved, how to complain to your professional body. BACP's contracting fact sheet suggests linking to its website, the Ethical Framework and its professional conduct procedure. Give the current route, and check it before each yearly review.

9. Online and phone work

If you work remotely, add the platform, what the client should do if the connection drops, the need for a private space and the rule that sessions are not recorded unless you have separately agreed it in writing.

An AI-use clause: three options

Pick the option that matches what you actually do. Then add it to the contract and talk the client through it at the first session. For more on how to explain this to clients, read should therapists tell clients they use AI.

Option A: no AI in my practice

"I don't use artificial intelligence tools in my work with clients, and I don't enter any information about you into one." Use this only if it is true, including for admin tools such as scheduling and email that may have AI features switched on by default.

Option B: AI for admin that never involves client information

"I may use AI writing tools for my own administration, such as drafting general documents and marketing. I never enter any information about you or your sessions into these tools." Suited to counsellors who use AI for newsletters or templates only. See safe AI uses for counsellors that never touch client notes for examples.

Option C: an AI note or transcription tool, with the client's consent

"With your agreement, I use [tool name] to [record/transcribe/summarise] our sessions. It [stores data where/for how long: state the facts from the supplier's terms]. I review everything it produces, and nothing is shared with anyone else. You can say no, and you can change your mind at any time; if you do, I'll take notes by hand and [delete existing recordings by a stated date]." This option needs the most care: confirm the supplier's terms, your insurer's position and BACP's current guidance first, and read the confidentiality checklist for AI note tools. If a client declines, the work continues exactly as before.

The AI first-draft prompt

Give the model your decisions, so it formats rather than invents. Don't include any client information; none is needed.

Draft a counselling contract for a private practice, in plain British English at a reading age of about 12. Use short headed sections and no legal jargon. Use ONLY the decisions below; where a decision is missing, write [CHECK: what is needed] instead of guessing.
Sections: who we are and what this covers; sessions; fees and cancellations; confidentiality and its limits (including supervision); records and data; contact between sessions and crisis; breaks and endings; complaints; online work; use of AI.
Decisions: session length [..]; frequency [..]; fee [..]; cancellation notice [..]; missed sessions [..]; record retention [CHECK]; contact hours [..]; crisis information [..]; holiday notice [..]; complaints route [..]; AI option: [A/B/C with details].
Do not add legal claims, guarantees or any promise of outcomes.

What usually comes back needs these fixes. It tends to add a "legally binding" statement you didn't ask for, which may not suit your setting. It may promise confidentiality "at all times", which contradicts the limits clause. It may invent a retention period such as "seven years", which should be your decision. And it can bury the limits of confidentiality in a long paragraph; put it in its own section with a heading, in short sentences.

A filled-in example for a solo private practice

Say a counsellor sees clients privately two days a week, online and in a rented room. Her decisions, illustrative: 50-minute weekly sessions; fee [her own figure]; 48 hours' notice for cancellation without charge; five clients on a two-week trial period; messages answered on weekdays within one working day; record retention decided after speaking to her insurer; Option B for AI, because she uses AI for newsletters but never for notes. After pasting these into the prompt, she gets a draft of about 900 words. She then does three things: reads it aloud to hear where it sounds like a solicitor, trims the confidentiality section to six short sentences, and sends it to her supervisor, who points out that her crisis paragraph didn't name a local service. The final version is 720 words and a client can read it in five minutes. The whole job took about 90 minutes, most of it on the review.

A BACP-aligned check list before it goes to a client

Run through this list for the final draft, one item at a time. It isn't a substitute for BACP's own resources, which you should open alongside it.

• Is the language plain, and can a client who has never seen a contract follow it?
• Are fees, cancellation and missed-session terms clear, and do they match what you do?
• Are the limits of confidentiality stated, including supervision, without promising absolute privacy?
• Do records and data clauses match your privacy notice and your insurer's advice?
• Is there guidance on what to do in a crisis, and is it not you if you aren't available?
• Does the contract explain breaks, ending the work and any review point?
• Is the complaints route correct and current?
• Is the AI clause accurate, including admin tools with AI features, and does it tell the client they can decline?
• Does it match the version of the Ethical Framework you're working to?
• Have you checked whether your insurer requires anything about contracts or AI use, and does the contract name the insurance that covers your work?
• Does it say what happens to sessions and records if you are suddenly unable to work?
• Is it dated, versioned and kept with the client's records once signed?

Talking the contract through

A contract works best as a conversation, with the page as the record of it. At the first session, go through the confidentiality limits and the AI clause aloud, and ask whether anything is unclear. Watch for clients who sign without reading; ask them to tell you in their own words what the limits of confidentiality are. Where a client has particular needs (a child or young person, a client with a learning disability, a client for whom English is a second language), BACP's contracting resources and your own training should shape how you do this, and an AI-simplified version of the contract may be a helpful aid if you check it carefully against the original.

Stress-testing the contract with five awkward scenarios

A contract earns its keep when something unexpected happens. Before you finalise, test it against scenarios like these (all invented, for practice) and see whether the wording gives you an answer. If it doesn't, add or clarify a clause.

1. A client misses three sessions in a row without contact. Does the contract say when you'll check in, and when you'll treat the work as ended?
2. A client asks to record sessions on their phone. Does it say whether recordings are allowed, and what you'd do if one is made without agreement?
3. A client asks to see their notes. Does the records clause say how to ask and what you may withhold?
4. A client says they've been using a chatbot between sessions and wants to bring its advice in. The contract needn't forbid this, but the AI clause should make clear you won't enter their information into tools, and you can say how you'll handle the conversation in session.
5. The client's circumstances change and they can no longer pay the fee. Does the fee clause say how changes are discussed?

This exercise is a good use of AI itself. Paste the finished contract (no client data) and ask for five scenarios the contract doesn't cover, then judge which matter for your practice. You'll discard some, but the ones you keep are usually real gaps.

Before and after: rewriting a clause that sounds like a solicitor

AI drafts often default to formal wording that reads like a terms-and-conditions page. These are two illustrative rewrites.

• Before: "The Counsellor reserves the right to terminate the counselling relationship where the Client fails to attend sessions or comply with the terms of this agreement." After: "If you miss several sessions without letting me know, I'll get in touch to check how you are. If we can't agree a way forward, I may end our work, and I'd explain why."
• Before: "Notwithstanding the foregoing, confidentiality may be breached where required by law or where there exists a risk of serious harm." After: "What you tell me is private, with a few exceptions: if the law requires me to share something, or if I believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm. Where I can, I'll talk to you first."

The "after" versions are longer by a few words and much clearer. They also make a promise you must keep: that you'll explain, and that you'll talk first where you can. Check each against what you would actually do.

What a blank template can't tell you

Downloadable templates, including the ones that rank for this search, share three gaps. They don't know how you work, so they include clauses about things you don't do and miss things you do. They rarely mention AI at all, which now matters to clients and to your insurer. And they don't tell you what to check, so an out-of-date template can sit unchallenged for years. Using AI to draft from your own decisions, then testing the result against BACP's resources and the scenarios above, fixes all three: the output is specific to you, includes the AI position and comes with a review process. Keep the blank templates to hand, but as a cross-check on structure, not as the source of your wording.

Contracts for children, young people and other cases

Work with children and young people has its own considerations, including who gives consent, how confidentiality works with parents or carers, and safeguarding duties, and BACP publishes a separate contracting resource for it. Don't adapt an adult contract with AI and hope. Start from BACP's resource and your training, write the decisions down, and use AI only to improve readability for the age group, with the check list above applied again. The same goes for any contract signed through an organisation or agency: their contract takes precedence, and yours adds only what theirs doesn't cover.

The "strictly confidential" clause that promised too much

Consider an illustrative case. A counsellor uses an AI tool to draft a contract and, in a hurry, accepts a clause saying "all sessions are strictly confidential". Months later a client asks what happens if she tells her counsellor she is in danger, and the counsellor realises the contract promises something she can't deliver. The fix was simple but awkward: a revised contract, a conversation with each client, and a change in her process so that the limits of confidentiality are read aloud at the first session. The lesson isn't that AI shouldn't draft; it's that the confidentiality clause is the one to rewrite by hand.

Keeping the contract current

Put a yearly review in the diary, and a trigger list that prompts one earlier: a new version of BACP's Ethical Framework, a change from your insurer, a new platform or notes system, or any new use of AI. When you update, ask the AI to produce a short plain-English list of what changed (give it the old and new clause text, not any client data), check the list yourself, and send it to current clients with the new version. For the wider habit of stating AI use in paperwork, how to mention AI use in client contracts covers the general approach, and can therapists use ChatGPT for session notes explains why the answer for client material is so careful.

Questions counsellors ask about contracts and AI

Is it acceptable to draft a counselling contract with AI?

Yes, because a contract template contains no client information. The professional risk is accepting the output unread. Treat the AI draft as a first pass, check every clause against current BACP contracting guidance, your insurer's requirements and any legal advice you need, and make sure it matches how you really work.

Do I have to mention AI in my contract?

If you use AI anywhere that touches client information, tell clients plainly and get their agreement. If you use it only for non-client tasks, such as drafting your own marketing, a short statement of that is still sensible. Say what the tool does, what it never sees, and what happens if the client declines.

What are the limits of confidentiality I must write in?

State the situations where you may need to share information without agreement, such as a risk of serious harm, safeguarding duties and legal requirements, and say that you will usually try to discuss it with the client first. Also cover supervision, since you will talk about client work, anonymised, with your supervisor.

How often should I update the contract?

Review it at least yearly, and whenever BACP updates its Ethical Framework, your insurer changes its terms, or you change how you work (online sessions, a new notes system, an AI tool). Date each version and tell existing clients what changed and why.

Further reads

• Best AI Note Taker for Therapists: Recording or Dictation Style? — Recording versus dictation, and what each means for consent.
• Automated Booking Systems for Therapists: Which Ones Automate What? — Booking tools and how they interact with cancellation terms.
• AI Engagement Letters for Accountants: Faster Drafts, Clear Scope — How another profession drafts and checks engagement letters.
• Telling Patients You Use AI Note-Taking: Consent Wording That Works — Consent wording for AI note-taking in a health setting.
• What to Check in an AI Tool's Privacy Policy and Terms — What to read in an AI supplier's terms before you rely on it.
• How to Write an AI Usage Policy for Your Small Business — A written policy that sits behind your AI-use clause.
• Jane App for Counsellors: AI Scribe Cost, Consent and UK Data Location — What Jane's AI Scribe costs a counsellor, where recordings are stored, what the Class I status means, and how to handle consent before each session.
• Starting a Private Counselling Practice in the UK: What AI Can Do — The admin a new UK private counsellor sets up first, which parts AI can draft safely, which it must never touch, and what first-year running costs look like.
• Therapist Intake Form Template: Build It in ChatGPT, Then Check It — Draft a therapy intake form with AI from de-identified prompts, then run consent, safety and lawyer checks before any client sees it.
• Therapist Termination Letter to Client: Wording and an AI Draft — A therapist termination letter template with wording for reasons, referrals and notice, plus a safe AI drafting step and clinician review.
• Therapy Cancellation Policy Template: Fees, Wording and AI Reminders — Sample therapy cancellation policy wording, fee rules and exceptions, with an AI prompt to draft it and reminder texts for clients.
• Counselling GDPR: Can You Use AI With Client Information? — A counsellor's step-by-step vetting of any AI tool before client information goes in: basis, contract, location, retention and privacy notice.
• AI Tools and AI Development: The Complete 2026 Guide — the AI hub, including every tutorial in the AI-for-business series.

Sources: BACP's Ethical Framework page (the 2026 Framework, mandatory for all members from 3 November 2026; the 2018 version kept only for accreditation applications submitted before 4 May 2027), read 4 November 2026; BACP Good Practice in Action 055 fact sheet, Making the contract in the counselling professions (updated June 2020); BACP's Ethics hub listings for its Ethics in Practice and Ethics essentials resources (members' area); a BACP event presentation, Counselling and AI: good practice for counsellors. Check BACP's current publications and your own insurer's terms before relying on this tutorial.