Coaching Client Agreement

Welcome to Queer ADHD’s coaching services. The goal of this document is to ensure that you (“the Client” or “You”) and I, Sarah Dopp Harmon (“the Coach”), have a clear understanding of our agreements as you make this commitment to coaching. Please read it carefully and raise any questions or concerns that you may have with the Coach before you agree to it.

Coaching

Coaching is a collaboration between the Coach and the Client in a thought-provoking and creative process that inspires the Client to maximize personal and professional potential. Through our professional-client relationship, we will work together to define your goals, and focus on the development and implementation of strategies to achieve those goals. These goals may include, but are not limited to: 

  • Personal and/or professional clarity
  • Increased productivity and/or improved job performance
  • Improved physical health
  • Creating ideal personal and/or professional relationships
  • Developing increased self-sufficiency and self-respect
  • Developing greater self-awareness
  • Increased understanding of ADHD symptoms and systems

You agree to commit to making the time needed to fully engage in this coaching process. You agree to be as present as possible during each coaching session. You agree to accept responsibility for the assignments you agree to take on, and to complete them between your coaching sessions to the best of your ability. 

Coaching is a comprehensive process that may involve all areas of your life, including work, finances, health, relationships, education, and recreation. Deciding how to handle these issues, incorporate coaching into those areas, and implementing your choices is exclusively your responsibility. Coaching is not to be used as a substitute for professional advice by legal, financial, medical, psychological, or other qualified professionals.

The Coach cannot guarantee results. The success of our coaching relationship depends on your willingness to take thoughtful risks and try new approaches. You are responsible for creating and implementing your own decisions, choices, actions, and results arising out of or resulting from the coaching relationship. As such, you agree that the Coach will not be liable or responsible for any actions or inaction, or for any direct or indirect result of any services provided by the Coach.

The Coach will not, and is not trained to, provide psychotherapy. If any issues come up for you that should be handled by a licensed therapist or physician, we can stop coaching while you attend to your health. Or, if you find you can still move forward effectively with your goals in coaching while also in therapy, we can continue. You understand and agree that you are fully responsible for your physical, mental, and emotional well-being during your coaching calls, including your choices and decisions. 

It’s important that you evaluate your progress during the coaching process. When coaching is not working as you wish, you should immediately inform the Coach so we can both take steps to correct the problem.

Availability

During the time we spend together in our coaching, the Coach will devote her time, thought, and energy to you exclusively. In between our sessions, the Coach will have limited availability. While messages between sessions are welcome, the Coach does not guarantee a response time or response quality. 

Please limit communication with the Coach to email or other such tools as the Coach may ask you to use. You agree to not use phone, text, or social media (including private messages) to communicate with the Coach about coaching-related matters unless directed to do so. You understand that the Coach is not available for unscheduled support during urgent situations, such as a crisis or emergency. 

Fees

You agree to compensate the Coach in a timely manner, according to a fee structure and payment schedule that is mutually agreed in writing in advance of coaching sessions. In the event of delayed payments, coaching services will be paused until the issue is resolved. The Coach may periodically change the fee structure and will notify you at least one (1) month in advance before doing so. 

Cancellations

You are requested to give twenty-four (24) hours’ notice if you need to cancel or change the time of an appointment. If less than 24 hours’ notice is given, you may be charged for the session in full. The Coach will make a good faith effort to reschedule sessions which are cancelled in a timely manner.

Conclusion of Services

Either you or the Coach may terminate coaching services at any time for any or no reason. Should you wish to terminate services, you will notify the Coach of such intent in writing. You agree to compensate the Coach for all coaching services provided up to and including the date of termination of the coaching relationship. 

Refunds

At the time coaching services are terminated, the Client will be refunded any prepaid fees for future coaching sessions that will not take place. If the price of an individual coaching session is not clearly stated in a package fee structure, the Client will receive a prorated refund based on the percentage remaining of the package. Completed coaching sessions are non-refundable. Missed sessions that were not cancelled or rescheduled with 24 hours’ notice are also non-refundable. 

Confidentiality / Records

This coaching relationship, as well as all information (documented or verbal) that the Client shares with the Coach as part of this relationship, is bound to confidentiality by the International Coach Federation (ICF) Code of Ethics, but is not considered a legally confidential relationship (as in Medicine or Law). The Coach agrees not to disclose any information pertaining to the Client without the Client’s written consent. The Coach will not disclose the Client’s name as a reference without the Client’s consent. Confidential information does not include information that: (a) was in the Coach’s possession prior to its being furnished by the Client; (b) is generally known to the public or in the Client’s industry; (c) is obtained by the Coach from a third party, without breach of any obligation to the Client; (d) is independently developed by the Coach without use of or reference to the Client’s confidential information; or (e) that the Coach is required by law to disclose.

You recognize that in certain rare and unusual situations, your Coach may be required by law or ethical considerations to reveal confidential information. Examples of these unusual situations include but are not limited to: when required by a court of law, such as the Coach being called to testify by one of the parties or a third party; when the Coach learns of information that poses a danger or threat of harm or injury to a person; when required by ethical duty or law to report, such as if the Coach learns of abuse or a workplace harassment situation.

By executing this Agreement, you consent to the Coach’s use of electronic communications. As you are likely aware, it is impossible to guarantee the confidentiality of information that is transmitted electronically. The Coach will determine whether and for how long to maintain records, which may be in a format of the Coach’s choice, subject to any legal requirements. 

Release of Information

The Coach engages in training and continuing education pursuing and/or maintaining ICF (International Coach Federation) and PAAC (Professional Association of ADHD Coaches) Credentials. That process requires the names and contact information of all Clients for possible verification by the ICF, PAAC or the coaching school. By agreeing to these terms, you agree to have only your name, contact information, number of coaching hours, and start and end dates of coaching shared with ICF and PAAC staff members and/or other parties involved in this process for the sole purpose of verifying the coaching relationship. No personal notes will be shared.

According to the ethics of our profession, topics may be anonymously and hypothetically shared with other coaching professionals for training, supervision, mentoring, evaluation, further coach professional development and/or consultation purposes.

Additional

This document reflects our entire agreement and supersedes all prior agreements. If we mutually wish to modify the Agreement, we must do so in writing. If any provision of the Agreement is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be contrary to law, the provision will be deemed null and void, and the remaining provisions of this agreement will remain in effect.

If the above terms are acceptable to you, please indicate your agreement prior to the first scheduled coaching session.

Last Updated March 30, 2021