Is Your Counselling Contract Accessible

Is Your Counselling Contract Actually Accessible?

Some reflections on informed consent, accessibility and the way we contract with clients.

I've had a job on my to-do list for weeks, if not months.

I've been meaning to revisit the counselling agreement on my website to make it more accessible. Today, I found myself with a few minutes to spare and thought, "Oh, I'll just make a quick update."

Three hours later...

What started as a relatively small task turned into a much bigger reflection on how we share important information with our clients.

Providing information isn't the same as making it accessible

As counsellors, we spend considerable time thinking about our contracts. We consider confidentiality, boundaries, cancellations, record keeping, professional accountability and all the other things that help establish a clear understanding of our work together.

But how often do we consider the way that information is presented? A beautifully written, ethically thorough counselling agreement isn't necessarily an accessible one. Some clients may find lengthy written documents difficult to process. Others might prefer to listen while reading, need information broken into smaller sections, or simply want the opportunity to revisit something in their own time.

And let's not forget that beginning counselling can be an emotionally demanding experience. Even information that seems straightforward to us may be difficult to absorb when someone is feeling anxious, overwhelmed or uncertain.

So, what did my 'quick update' involve?

I began by recording the different sections of my counselling agreement.

Rather than creating one long recording, I made individual audio recordings for each section. Clients can now choose to read, listen or do both, pausing and returning to information whenever they wish.

Then I started thinking about how clients might use the agreement after their first session.

What if someone simply wants to check the cancellation policy? Should they have to scroll through the entire agreement to find it? So, I added a dropdown navigation menu, allowing clients to jump directly to the information they need, along with links to return to the menu.

A few technical challenges and one rather mysterious website glitch later, it was finished!

Contracting doesn't end with the first session

We know that contracting is an ongoing process. Our agreements aren't simply administrative documents to be read, signed and filed away. They're part of the therapeutic relationship. They establish expectations, clarify responsibilities and provide something we can return to when questions, uncertainties or difficulties arise.

Making that information easier to access feels like a practical way of supporting client autonomy and ongoing informed consent.

Of course, audio recordings and navigation menus aren't the answer to every accessibility need. There are many ways we might adapt how we communicate information, and what works for one person won't necessarily work for another. But perhaps that's the point - accessibility isn't about finding one perfect way of presenting information. It's about recognising that one way won't work for everyone.

A question for our own practice

If you're a counsellor or supervisor reading this, perhaps it's worth revisiting your own contracting process.

When did you last consider how accessible your agreement is?

Can clients easily find information they want to revisit? Are there opportunities to explore their understanding?

And do we offer different ways of engaging with the information where possible?

I don't think we need to get everything right at once. But I do think these are useful questions to keep asking.

As for me, I'm now thinking about doing something similar with my clinical supervision agreement and perhaps a few other pages on the website.

I'll get around to those when I've got another few minutes to spare! And anyone who knows me will appreciate just how likely that is to turn into another three-hour job! 😁

Written 26 October 2026, Samantha Crapnell