Client Agreements
One half of your client agreement is doing all the work.
The therapeutic half usually gets written with care. The commercial half is what decides who pays when a client cancels, disputes a payment, or you cannot work for a month. This two-minute check shows you where your business stands on both.
BACP publishes a page on what its complaints tell it, and contracting has an entry of its own. The failure it names is not a badly written contract. It is "relying on a verbal contract, with no proof of what was agreed."
That expectation is not BACP's alone. UKCP asks for a clear contract at the outset. BABCP tells members the terms must be captured in a contract that both parties sign. HCPC expects Practitioner Psychologists to define and contract the work. And the British Psychological Society reduces the whole thing to a single line: "all professional engagements are ultimately governed by the law of contract."
Most agreements in this sector do the therapeutic half well and the commercial half barely at all. That is rarely carelessness. Contracting is taught as a relational skill, and the business side is left to someone else.
This short check walks through five areas: the agreement itself, cancellation and money, scope and endings, confidentiality and data, and what protection you actually have. It takes about two minutes, and there is no pass mark, so answer honestly and you will see where you stand straight away.
Before you start. This is an awareness exercise, not an assessment, and nothing in it is legal advice. Writing or reviewing the document itself is a job for a solicitor. This is here to help you work out which questions are worth taking to one.
If your snapshot showed a gap or two, that is normal, and it is fixable. A discovery call is where we work out what your business actually needs and where to start, so that when you do take legal advice you already know what you are asking for.
You can also read the article behind this check, on the two contracts inside every client agreement.
This check is for general awareness only. It does not confirm your legal position and is not legal advice. Contract terms and professional body requirements depend on your specific circumstances, so if any area gives you pause, take proper advice on your own terms rather than relying on this result.
Lets Talk
Ready to talk through where your practice stands?
A discovery call is a 30-minute conversation, no pitch, no pressure. We’ll talk about where you are, what the check turned up, and whether working together makes sense.
No obligation. No hard sell. Most people leave with at least one useful idea — whatever they decide.