Coaching Agreement

This agreement outlines how we will work together and our roles and responsibilities in our coaching relationship.

The specific details that we have agreed regarding your coaching sessions, including session times, fees and the frequency and number of sessions can be found in the cover email you received, linking to this agreement, following our discovery call.

I work collaboratively with my coaching clients and aim to establish a strong coaching relationship from our early sessions so you can feel able to raise and discuss ideas, thoughts, feedback and set the agenda for the work we do together. You and your coaching goals are the focus of our sessions. I will listen, support and encourage you to explore these without judgement, to help you gain the best possible outcome from coaching.

I am based and work in the UK and this contractual agreement is under English and Welsh law. I am a member of the European Mentoring & Coaching Council (EMCC) and work to their ethical standards and code of conduct. A copy of the EMCC Global Code of Ethics can be found on the EMCC website. I am fully insured through Holistic Insurance.

The best way to contact me is by email to: helen@themenopausetherapist.com.

Our sessions

Session times, frequency and duration:

At our first session, we will discuss how we will work together, and what you hope to achieve from the sessions.

  • Coaching is scheduled at our mutual convenience and sessions are usually 90 minutes or 2 hours, but may be shorter or longer, as agreed in advance. The day and time for the next session will be arranged at the end of each coaching session, or we can agree further coaching dates in advance.
  • Our coaching sessions take place via Zoom or telephone. Sessions can also take place in person at an alternative venue such as your workplace by prior agreement, though this may incur a charge to you for the room and my travelling costs. If Zoom isn’t available in your workplace we can discuss alternatives.
  • When meeting over Zoom, please keep your video turned on during our session. Please let me know if you would prefer our sessions to be 'camera off'. You may wish to use headphones to aid confidentiality. In the exceptional circumstance that either of our internet connections are disrupted, we may switch to a telephone session.

Rescheduling of coaching sessions:

  • To gain the most from coaching it is important that you commit to attending each arranged session and prioritise this time for yourself and your coaching goals. If for any reason you are late for a coaching session we will still need to finish at the agreed time. If you are running late I would be grateful if you could email me to let me know as soon as possible.
  • Non-attended sessions or late cancellations (less than 48 hours notice before session start time) will count as a coaching session and my full session fee will be charged. If a message advising of a late cancellation is received after the start time of our session, it will be regarded as a non-attendance. I am aware sometimes there are circumstances where late cancellations are unavoidable. I don't want you to miss out on your coaching session if we can find a mutually suitable alternative time, so I may offer to rearrange our session for the same week if availability allows.
  • In the event of an unplanned non-attendance I remain online in our booked session for 15 minutes and will attempt to contact you to remind you of the session approximately 10 minutes after our session start time. If you are ready and able to join the remainder of the session after the first 15 minutes have lapsed and I have closed our online session, please contact me by text, phone or email to request a session restart so we can make the most of the remaining time we have available.
  • In the unlikely circumstance that you miss two or more planned sessions without prior agreement it will usually end our coaching agreement.
  • It is important that you are not under the influence of drugs or alcohol when you attend your coaching session.

Confidentiality

Confidentiality means that specific details about you or anything we discuss in coaching will not be shared with others. However, there are important limits to confidentiality in the UK:

  • Legal responsibilities - there are certain situations where for legal reasons I would need to break confidentiality. These include disclosures of any child protection matters, involvement or information about an act of terrorism, serious crime, drug trafficking or money laundering, or if I am required by the police or a court order to give factual evidence or information about you, which would usually be with your written consent.
  • Harm to self and others - if you disclose any situation that indicates you plan to harm yourself or someone else is at risk of harm it may be necessary to seek help outside our coaching relationship via your emergency contact, the emergency services or another relevant agency. I would aim to consult with you or support you to take action yourself first, if this is suitable or practical under the specific circumstances.

All information about our coaching relationship will remain confidential. However, please note:

  • If your coaching is arranged via your organisation/employer and they request information or an update on your coaching progress, with your (the coaching client’s) agreement I will report in broad terms on the process and progress of coaching and any anonymous theme. I will not give details or describe the content of our coaching sessions unless you give me your explicit permission to do so.
  • As a member of the EMCC I am required to undertake regular supervision where I discuss aspects of my casework with my experienced Supervisor to help me best support my clients. Any details of our coaching sessions that are discussed at supervision will be anonymised to protect your confidentiality. By accepting the terms of this agreement you consent for the contents of our sessions to be discussed in supervision. My Supervisor and I are bound by The European Mentoring and Coaching Council’s Code of Ethics, or equivalent.
  • Sessions must not be recorded through any means without my written permission in advance.
  • Professional coaches may be required to submit written or recorded session material for the purpose of further accreditation and continuing professional development - if I am required to record or submit written material from your coaching sessions with me I will request your consent in advance. Any such written material will be disguised to protect your identity (unless prior consent agreed) and will only be reviewed by practitioners bound by a suitable Code of Ethics. You have the right to change your mind at any time.
  • I may ask your permission to use any positive feedback as testimonials in my marketing.

For information about how I manage your data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (2018), please see my Privacy Policy for further details.

The world outside our sessions

  • If we happen to see each other anywhere outside our sessions, to protect your confidentiality I would take your lead on any communication, I would not acknowledge you unless you acknowledge me first and I would not disclose our coaching relationship.
  • In this interconnected world you may come across me on social media or in groups/forums/tagged etc. and I may respond to public communication on these platforms. I will not disclose our coaching relationship to maintain your confidentiality.
  • I have public business accounts on social media, LinkedIn etc. which you are welcome to follow. I am unable to accept social media friend requests, as this could compromise our coaching relationship. However, I may accept LinkedIn connection requests from coaching clients.

Fees

  • The coaching fees applicable to your coaching sessions can be found in your ‘Getting Started’ email which included the link to these terms.
  • Individual coaching clients are asked to pay fees via BACS before their session, or on the day of the session at the latest. Please include the date of our coaching session in your payment reference. Corporate coaching clients are invoiced following each session - please see my invoice for payment terms.
  • Please note I review my fees annually and fees for existing coaching clients may be subject to change. This would be communicated to you in advance.

Ending our coaching agreement

  • If for any reason you feel that coaching with me is not working for you, I hope you would feel able to discuss this with me in advance so we can plan a suitable ending for you.
  • In the normal course of events we will probably know when you are ready to finish coaching and we will agree together on the work we need to do to prepare for this. However, either you (the coaching client) or I (the coach) may elect to terminate the coaching arrangement at any time.
  • An important part of the coaching relationship is the coach’s role in providing challenge and encouraging the coaching client to push themselves. However, this must always be done sensitively and appropriately for the individual client. If I say or do something that upsets you or does not feel right, please let me know. I want to provide you with the service and support you need, and I believe that honesty and trust are critical for our relationship to develop and be effective. I want this to be an open and safe place for you to come with confidence, and ask that you let me know if there is ever anything that you are concerned about in our work together so that I can do what is necessary for you to be satisfied.
  • If you have any complaint about me or the service I provide, please let me know clearly. I will try and put things right if I can, and in any case explain how you could make a formal complaint to the EMCC UK via the email address info@emccuk.org.

By accepting this agreement you are confirming you have read and understood this agreement, and you give your consent to coaching being provided and the terms as outlined.