Copy-and-paste starting point for therapists in private practice
I’ve been updating my own therapy agreement recently. It’s one of those documents that can easily sit untouched for years, even though the way we practise changes.
Online therapy, insurance-funded work, electronic records, clinical wills and now AI-assisted note-taking all mean it’s worth revisiting your agreement every so often.
For me, a good therapy agreement shouldn’t read like pages of legal small print.
It should simply help the client understand:
what they’re paying for
what happens if they cancel
how confidentiality works
how their information is handled
what happens if the therapist becomes unexpectedly unable to work
how therapy can end
where they can raise concerns
One thing I would separate out is AI transcription and note-taking. If you use something like Heidi Health, I think it’s cleaner to mention it briefly in your therapy agreement and use a separate consent process, rather than burying it in the general contract. Heres a Heidi demo, it’s a game changer for therapists.
I’ve shared my updated version below for you to copy, adapt and make your own.