Counselling contract template (UK), with a clause on notes and AI tools

A counselling contract, also called a therapy agreement or working agreement, is a written summary of how you and your client will work together.

This guide is for counsellors and psychotherapists in private practice in the UK. It follows the BACP Ethical Framework 2026. The template is not legal advice. Check it with your insurer, your professional body or a solicitor before you use it.

What BACP says about contracting

The BACP Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2026 takes effect from 3 November 2026. BACP says it becomes mandatory for all members at midday that day. Until then, members keep using the 2018 framework.

Several clauses of the 2026 framework shape a contract.

• 1.2(a) and (b): give clear, accurate information about the services offered and your qualifications and experience, and "provide people with a record of our working agreement".
• 2.1(e): assess the risk of any AI tool, digital tool or online platform before using it, and have the informed consent of clients before inputting their personal data into AI or digital tools.
• 3.1(c) and (d): have a clear, accessible privacy notice, and make sure clients are aware of and agree to any foreseeable limits to confidentiality, including legal duties to disclose and the use of digital tools that may collect data.
• 3.2: keep records that are factual, adequate and relevant, stored securely, and that include all communications and notes about the client.
• 3.4(b): give clear information about fees, including when and how payments are made and how and when fees will be reviewed.
• 4.5(a) to (d): tell clients about any limit on the number of sessions, give reasonable advance notice of planned breaks and of endings, and manage unplanned breaks and endings to reduce harm.

We found no clause in the framework specifically on cancellations or a client complaints procedure. GPiA 055 lists both.

BACP's older fact sheet "Making the contract in the counselling professions" (GPiA 055, updated June 2020) lists what a contract usually covers. It says usual practice is to give the client a written summary and keep a copy yourself. It predates the 2026 framework.

Notes and retention: what to tell clients

A BACP blog on notes and record keeping (20 March 2026) says best practice is to make it clear before therapy starts whether you make notes. Clients should be able to ask how long notes are kept and what happens to them. It gives the example of keeping notes for at least three years after the therapeutic relationship ends, and says clients should be told the period you choose.

BACP's UK GDPR FAQ adds that data protection law does not set a fixed time limit. It points to the time limit for complaints under BACP's Professional Conduct procedure, currently three years after counselling has ended, as one factor to weigh. For a full comparison of retention periods, see our guide on how long to keep counselling notes in the UK.

Under UK GDPR, the ICO's guidance on the right to be informed says you must tell people your purposes for processing, your retention periods and who the data will be shared with. You must give this information at the time you collect the data, in concise, clear and plain language. Your privacy notice gives the detail.

Counselling contract template (UK)

Replace everything in square brackets and delete what does not apply.

1. The parties

This agreement is between [client's full name] ("you") and [practitioner's full name], [qualification], [registered or accredited] member of [professional body, membership number] ("I"). I hold professional indemnity insurance with [insurer].

2. How I work

I work in a [person-centred, integrative, CBT or other] way. We will agree goals together and review how the work is going every [number] sessions, or whenever either of us asks.

3. Sessions

Sessions last [50] minutes and take place [weekly] on [day and time], [at address, by video on platform, or by phone]. We have agreed [an initial number of sessions / open-ended work].

4. Fees and payment

The fee is [amount] per session, payable [before the session / within a number of days of an invoice] by [bank transfer or card]. I review fees every [12 months] and will give you [4 weeks'] written notice of any change.

5. Cancellations and missed sessions

If you need to cancel, please tell me at least [48 hours] before the session. Sessions cancelled with less notice, or missed, will be charged in full [or: at a reduced rate of amount]. If I need to cancel, I will give you as much notice as I can and you will not be charged.

6. Breaks and holidays

I will tell you about my planned breaks at least [number] weeks ahead. If I am unexpectedly unable to work, [name of a colleague or clinical executor] may contact you to let you know and to discuss options.

7. Confidentiality and its limits

What you tell me is confidential. I may need to share information without your consent if I believe you or someone else is at serious risk of harm, if a child or adult at risk may be in danger, or if the law requires it. Where possible, I will talk to you first. I discuss my work in supervision without giving your name or identifying details.

8. Supervision

As required by [professional body], I have regular supervision with a qualified supervisor. My supervisor is also bound by confidentiality.

9. Notes and how long I keep them

I keep brief, factual notes of each session. They are stored [securely in an encrypted system / in a locked cabinet]. I keep them for [number] years after our work ends, then delete or destroy them securely. You can ask to see the personal information I hold about you.

10. Data protection and privacy

I am the controller of your personal data and I am registered with the Information Commissioner's Office ([registration number]). I process your health information to provide counselling. My privacy notice, [link or attached], explains what I collect, why, who it may be shared with, how long I keep it and your rights.

11. Notes and digital tools, including AI

[Insert the full clause below, or: "I do not use AI tools with information about you."]

12. Contact between sessions

Please use [email, text or phone] only to arrange or change appointments. I usually reply within [time] during working hours. I am not an emergency service. In a crisis, contact [your GP, local crisis line or emergency services]. I will not connect with clients on social media.

13. Endings

You can end counselling at any time. I suggest we agree a final session so we can close the work well. If I think counselling is no longer helping, or we reach the agreed number of sessions, I will discuss it with you and give reasonable notice. [If you do not attend for number weeks without contact, I will write to you before closing our work.]

14. Concerns and complaints

If you are unhappy, please tell me first so we can try to resolve it. If that does not work, you can contact [professional body] through its complaints procedure, [link].

15. Agreement

I have read and understood this agreement. Client signature [ ] Date [ ]. Practitioner signature [ ] Date [ ]. We will each keep a copy.

The new clause: notes and digital tools, including AI

Clause 2.1(e) of the 2026 framework asks members to be honest and transparent about their use of AI and digital tools, including the benefits and risks. It also asks them to have the client's informed consent before inputting the client's personal data into those tools. Clause 3.1(d) asks that clients know and agree to the use of digital tools that may monitor or collect data. A contract clause does both, alongside a conversation in session.

Fill in every bracket with facts you have checked with your provider. Ask any provider, Delta included, for its data processing agreement, and read where data is processed and stored.

11. Notes and digital tools, including AI (full clause)

To help me write my session notes, I would like to use [name of tool], an AI tool that [transcribes what is said in the session / transcribes my dictation after the session / drafts a summary from my own notes]. I will only use it with your informed consent. You are free to say no. Saying no will not change your counselling in any way. I will write my notes myself.

What is captured. [Describe exactly what goes into the tool, for example the spoken content of our sessions, or only my own dictated summary.]

Where it is processed and stored. [Country where data is hosted and processed, for example the UK or France, and the provider's security measures.] [Whether names and identifying details are removed before AI processing.]

Audio. [State whether any audio file is kept, and if so for how long. If none is kept, say so.]

Use of your data. [State whether the provider uses data to train AI models.] The provider acts only on my instructions under a data processing agreement.

My responsibility. I read, correct and approve every note the tool drafts. The tool does not make any decisions about your care. I remain responsible for what is in your notes.

Retention. Notes created with the tool are kept for the same period as my other notes, [number] years after our work ends. [State what happens to transcripts, if any.]

Changing your mind. You can withdraw your consent at any time, by telling me in a session or by [email]. I will stop using the tool from that point. [Explain what happens to data already processed.]

I agree to the use of [name of tool] as described above: Yes [ ] No [ ]. Client initials [ ] Date [ ].

Keep the tick box separate from the signature for the whole contract. A client must be able to sign the contract and still say no to the tool. Note the client's choice in their file. Our guide on AI note-taking and client consent in the UK gives wording to say in session. If you also see clients under French rules, read the France version on patient consent for AI note-taking.

Example: filling in the clause for Delta

If the tool is Delta for therapists, here is what you would write, based on what Delta states on its security page. Delta transcribes what is said in the session, or your dictation after it, and prepares a session report that you review. Data is hosted in France with a host certified for health data (HDS, the French health data hosting certification), and AI processing, transcription included, runs on servers in France. The client's name and identifying details are pseudonymised before AI processing. No audio file is kept. Data is never used to train models, and it is encrypted in transit and at rest. You would still need to ask Delta for its data processing agreement and set your own retention period.

Short version: a one-page agreement

For practitioners who prefer a single page plus a separate privacy notice.

• Who: [client name] and [practitioner name, qualification, professional body and number], insured with [insurer].
• Sessions: [50] minutes, [weekly], [place or platform], [number of sessions or open-ended], reviewed every [number] sessions.
• Fee: [amount], paid [when and how]. Reviewed every [12 months] with [4 weeks'] notice.
• Cancellations: [48 hours'] notice, otherwise the full fee is due.
• Confidentiality: kept, except where there is a serious risk of harm to you or others, a safeguarding concern or a legal duty. I will talk to you first where possible. I discuss my work in supervision without identifying you.
• Notes: brief and factual, stored securely, kept [number] years after we finish. You can ask to see them.
• AI and digital tools: [I do not use AI tools with your data] or [I would like to use name of tool to help write notes, as explained in the attached sheet. Yes [ ] No [ ]. Saying no changes nothing about your counselling.]
• Privacy: see my privacy notice [link]. ICO registration [number].
• Contact: [email or phone] for appointments only. Not an emergency service. In a crisis, contact [crisis contacts].
• Endings: either of us can end the work. I suggest a final session.
• Complaints: tell me first, then [professional body, link].
• Signed: client [ ], practitioner [ ], date [ ].

Before you use it

Go through the contract with the client in the first session, give them a copy and keep one in their file. Update it when your terms or tools change, and ask the client to agree again.

For other forms and letters, see our clinical document templates.

Sources

• BACP, Ethical Framework for the Counselling Professions 2026 (PDF)
• BACP, Preparing for the 2026 Ethical Framework
• BACP, Making the contract in the counselling professions, GPiA 055 (PDF)
• BACP blog, Notes and record keeping, 20 March 2026
• BACP, FAQs about UK GDPR and DPA 2018
• ICO, The right to be informed