Soulcare & Storywork Coaching Agreement and Informed Consent
This Coaching Agreement is entered into between Soulcare & Storywork and the undersigned client.
Soulcare & Storywork provides coaching and formation-oriented support for individuals seeking growth in emotional health, spiritual formation, recovery, relational health, and personal storywork. This agreement is intended to clarify the nature of the coaching relationship, the scope and limits of services, confidentiality, fees, communication expectations, and client responsibilities.
By signing this agreement, the Client acknowledges that they have read, understood, and agreed to the terms below.
1. Nature of Coaching Services
Soulcare & Storywork provides coaching, spiritual formation support, recovery support, guided reflection, personal storywork, and practical growth-oriented care. Coaching may include conversation around emotional awareness, spiritual formation, attachment wounds, family-of-origin patterns, recovery planning, relational dynamics, personal goals, shame, desire, grief, confession, repentance, and movement toward greater wholeness.
Coaching may include reflective questions, educational tools, suggested practices, personal assignments, prayer, Scripture reflection, recovery resources, and guided exploration of the Client’s story.
The Client understands that coaching is a collaborative process. The Coach may offer guidance, structure, reflection, resources, and support, but the Client remains responsible for their own choices, actions, relationships, spiritual life, recovery work, and outcomes.
2. Coaching Is Not Therapy or Clinical Treatment
The Client understands that coaching is not psychotherapy, professional counseling, medical treatment, psychiatric care, legal advice, financial advice, or crisis intervention.
Soulcare & Storywork does not provide diagnosis, clinical assessment, treatment of mental health disorders, formal therapy, medical care, psychiatric treatment, or emergency services.
The Client understands that coaching is distinct from therapy. Coaching focuses on growth, reflection, education, spiritual formation, personal responsibility, recovery support, and movement toward stated goals. If the Coach believes the Client’s needs are outside the appropriate scope of coaching, the Coach may recommend or require referral to a licensed counselor, therapist, physician, psychiatrist, pastor, treatment program, or other qualified professional.
The Client agrees that they are responsible for maintaining appropriate clinical, medical, psychiatric, pastoral, or therapeutic care outside of coaching when needed.
3. Storywork and Emotional Risk
The Client understands that storywork may involve reflection on painful, confusing, traumatic, or formative life experiences. This may include conversations about family history, grief, shame, trauma, attachment wounds, sexual brokenness, betrayal, relational pain, spiritual pain, or past experiences of harm.
The Client understands that this process may bring up strong emotions, memories, grief, anger, fear, sadness, shame, or relational distress. While this work can be meaningful and beneficial, it may also feel difficult or emotionally activating at times.
The Client agrees to communicate honestly if they feel overwhelmed, flooded, unsafe, or outside their capacity. The Coach may slow down, pause, redirect, or recommend additional support if the work appears to move beyond what is appropriate for coaching.
The Client understands that coaching is not a substitute for trauma therapy, clinical treatment, psychiatric care, or crisis support.
4. Christian Spiritual Integration
Soulcare & Storywork operates from a Christian worldview. Coaching may include prayer, Scripture reflection, theological conversation, confession, repentance, lament, spiritual practices, and discussion of the Client’s relationship with God.
The Client understands that spiritual integration is part of the Soulcare & Storywork approach. The Client may request that certain spiritual practices be included, limited, or omitted.
Coaching is not a substitute for church membership, pastoral care, clinical counseling, or spiritual authority. The Coach does not serve as the Client’s pastor, therapist, sponsor, or church authority unless separately and explicitly agreed upon in another context.
5. Client Responsibility
The Client understands that coaching requires personal ownership, honesty, reflection, participation, and follow-through.
The Client agrees to take responsibility for their own decisions, actions, relationships, disclosures, boundaries, recovery work, spiritual practices, and personal growth.
The Coach may offer assignments, practices, questions, resources, or recommendations between sessions. The Client understands that these are intended to support growth, but the Client remains responsible for whether and how they engage them.
The Client understands that coaching does not guarantee specific results, relational outcomes, sobriety outcomes, spiritual outcomes, emotional outcomes, or life changes.
6. Confidentiality
Soulcare & Storywork will make reasonable efforts to protect the confidentiality of the Client’s personal information and coaching conversations.
Information shared in coaching will not be disclosed without the Client’s permission except in situations where disclosure is required or permitted by law, necessary for safety, necessary for consultation, or needed for administrative purposes.
The Client understands that confidentiality is not absolute. Confidentiality may be limited in situations including, but not limited to:
Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child, elderly person, or person with a disability.
Risk of serious harm to self or others.
Threats of violence or harm.
Court order, subpoena, or other legal process.
Consultation with a supervisor, mentor, legal advisor, or professional consultant.
Coordination of care when the Client has provided written permission.
Administrative needs related to scheduling, billing, payment, or business operations.
The Client understands that coaching records are not clinical medical records and should not be considered a substitute for records from a licensed counselor, physician, psychiatrist, or other healthcare provider.
7. Mandatory Reporting and Safety Concerns
The Client understands that the Coach may be required by law to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child, elderly person, or person with a disability.
The Client also understands that if they communicate an intent to seriously harm themselves or another person, or if the Coach becomes concerned about immediate safety, the Coach may take appropriate steps to help protect the Client or others. This may include contacting emergency services, crisis resources, a designated emergency contact, law enforcement, or another appropriate support person.
8. Crisis and Emergency Policy
Soulcare & Storywork does not provide crisis care, emergency services, or immediate-response support.
The Client understands that the Coach may not be available between sessions and may not respond immediately to texts, emails, voicemails, or scheduling messages.
If the Client is experiencing a medical emergency, psychiatric emergency, suicidal crisis, threat of harm, domestic violence emergency, abuse concern, or immediate safety issue, the Client agrees to call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, contact local crisis services, or reach out to appropriate emergency support.
The Client agrees not to rely on coaching, text messages, emails, voicemails, or scheduling platforms for crisis communication.
9. Communication Between Sessions
Brief communication between sessions may be used for scheduling, logistics, payment questions, or limited follow-up.
Coaching by text, email, voicemail, or messaging platform is not included unless specifically agreed upon in writing.
The Client understands that messages may not be reviewed or answered immediately. The Client agrees not to use text, email, voicemail, or online forms for urgent emotional needs, crisis situations, or safety concerns.
The Coach may choose not to respond to lengthy processing messages outside of scheduled sessions and may redirect those topics to the next coaching appointment.
10. Fees and Payment
The Client agrees to pay the fee for coaching services as listed or at the discount price
Payment is due according to the agreed-upon schedule. Sessions may be billed per session, monthly, or as part of a coaching package.
The Client understands that failure to maintain payment may result in paused or discontinued coaching services.
Soulcare & Storywork may change fees with advance notice. Fee changes will not apply retroactively to sessions already paid for.
11. Cancellations, Rescheduling, and No-Shows
The Client agrees to provide at least [24 / 48] hours’ notice for cancellations or rescheduling.
Sessions cancelled with less than [24 / 48] hours’ notice may be charged in full.
No-shows may be charged in full.
If the Client arrives late, the session may still end at the originally scheduled time, and the full session fee may still apply.
Repeated cancellations, late arrivals, or no-shows may result in the Coach pausing or ending the coaching relationship.
12. Refunds
Fees for completed coaching sessions are non-refundable.
For coaching packages, unused sessions may be refunded, transferred, or forfeited according to communications between coach and client.
13. Technology, Privacy, and Records
The Client understands that coaching may occur in person, by phone, or by video conferencing platform.
The Coach may keep brief notes related to session themes, goals, assignments, and administrative details. These notes are used for coaching purposes and are not clinical medical records.
The Client understands that email, text messaging, online scheduling systems, payment platforms, forms, and video platforms may carry privacy risks. The Client agrees to use these tools with awareness of those risks.
Soulcare & Storywork will take reasonable steps to protect Client information but cannot guarantee the security of all electronic communication.
14. Coordination with Other Care Providers
With the Client’s written permission, the Coach may coordinate with a counselor, therapist, pastor, physician, psychiatrist, group leader, mentor, treatment provider, or other support person.
The Client understands that a separate written Release of Information may be required before any coordination takes place.
The Client may revoke permission in writing at any time, except where disclosure has already occurred.
15. Boundaries and Professional Relationship
The coaching relationship is professional in nature.
The Client and Coach agree to maintain appropriate relational, emotional, spiritual, financial, and communication boundaries.
The Client understands that coaching is not a friendship, sponsorship relationship, therapy relationship, pastoral authority relationship, or emergency support relationship.
The Coach may decline or discontinue coaching if a conflict of interest, boundary concern, safety issue, dual relationship, or scope-of-practice concern arises.
16. Referrals and Higher Level of Care
The Coach may recommend that the Client seek additional support from a licensed counselor, therapist, physician, psychiatrist, pastor, treatment program, support group, or other qualified professional.
The Coach may pause or discontinue coaching if the Client’s needs require a higher level of care than coaching can provide.
This may include, but is not limited to, situations involving active suicidal ideation, self-harm, severe mental health symptoms, active abuse, domestic violence, severe addiction instability, psychosis, medical concerns, or significant trauma symptoms requiring clinical care.
17. Testimonials, Stories, and Marketing
The Client’s name, image, story, testimony, or identifying details will not be used for marketing, teaching, fundraising, social media, public communication, or promotional purposes without separate written permission.
Any testimonial, story, or public sharing must be approved by the Client in writing before use.
The Client understands that signing this Coaching Agreement does not give Soulcare & Storywork permission to publicly share the Client’s story or identifying information.
18. Ending the Coaching Relationship
Either the Client or Coach may end the coaching relationship at any time.
The Coach may discontinue services if coaching is no longer appropriate, if payment is not maintained, if boundaries are violated, if the Client requires a higher level of care, or if continued work would be outside the Coach’s scope.
When appropriate, the Coach may provide recommended next steps or referrals.
The Client understands that ending coaching does not remove responsibility for any unpaid balances.
19. Acknowledgment and Consent
By clicking the box on the intake form , the Client acknowledges that they have read and understood this Coaching Agreement.
The Client understands the nature and limits of coaching services provided by Soulcare & Storywork.
The Client understands that coaching is not therapy, counseling, medical care, psychiatric care, legal advice, or crisis intervention.
The Client understands the limits of confidentiality, the crisis policy, payment expectations, cancellation policy, and their own responsibility in the coaching process.
The Client voluntarily agrees to participate in coaching services with Soulcare & Storywork.