Client-Therapist Contract
Version 2 · In effect from 11.11.2026 for clients who begin work with me on or after that date. Please read it before our first session. If anything is unclear, ask me before you agree.
1. Who I am and the code I follow. I am Naomi Light, a couples therapist and relationship specialist in Petersfield, Hampshire. I am a member of the National Counselling and Psychotherapy Society (NCPS/NCS), member number NCS23-00348 and I follow its Code of Ethical Practice, which you can read here. I am also a member of the Association of Christians in Counselling, member number R01791. I receive regular clinical supervision, and I am registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (number ZB67036). I work only in areas in which I am trained and competent. If your needs are outside my training, I will tell you and help you find suitable support.
2. What I offer. I offer (a) couples therapy, (b) individual relationship therapy, and (c) private couples intensives. An exploration call is a conversation to check fit and answer your questions. It is not therapy, and it does not create a therapeutic relationship.
3. The therapeutic relationship. Our relationship is professional, not social. Regular attendance is important. I will tell you the length and frequency of therapy I recommend, and we will review progress together, so I never prolong therapy unnecessarily. I cannot guarantee any outcome, and none is implied. You may end therapy at any time. If I believe therapy is no longer helping you, or I am not the right therapist, I will say so and help you find alternatives.
4. Crisis support. I cannot provide 24-hour support. If you need urgent help, contact the Samaritans on 116 123, call 999, or go to Accident and Emergency. If you are seeking help with physical symptoms, please see your GP.
5. Couples therapy. If we work as a couple, please attend sessions together unless we have agreed on an individual session as part of the couples process. These sessions form part of the couples work and are not individual therapy. I do not keep secrets between partners about matters relevant to the couples work. Anything shared with me individually may be raised in joint sessions, so please tell me if you are unsure. Please keep emails mutual by copying your partner in. I will not email either of you separately.
6. Individual Relationship Therapy. Individual Relationship Therapy is one-to-one therapy about your relationship, for example when your partner will not attend therapy, or when you are at a crossroads and want clarity about your own boundaries and choices. It does not treat mental health conditions, and I may suggest you see your GP or another professional alongside it.
I do not hold more than one therapeutic role with the people in a relationship. This means:
If I work with you as an individual, I do not also work with you as part of a couple. This is true whether the partner is your current partner, a former partner or a new one, and whether the couples work would be with me in sessions or in an intensive.
If I have worked with you as part of a couple, I do not see either of you for individual therapy, including after our couples work has ended.
If you want to change from one kind of work to the other, I will explain this and help you find another suitable therapist, and with your consent I will share the information that helps a smooth hand-over.
If your relationship ends during couples therapy, I will help bring the work to a close and refer each of you on, as I cannot continue with either of you alone.
I will not contact your partner or accept contact from them about your therapy, and if your partner contacts me I will not confirm whether you are my client. I do not write reports or letters about you, your partner or your relationship for solicitors or courts.
Why I do this: I could not fairly keep one person’s private confidences while also working with them as one half of a couple, and neither partner could trust that I am impartial. Keeping each role separate protects your confidentiality and the fairness of the work. In very rare circumstances I may consider a different arrangement. I would only do so after discussing it with my supervisor and with you, and nothing would change without everyone’s written agreement.
7. Private intensives. A private intensive is part of couples therapy and follows the same rules. It begins with an assessment before the two days. [Fees, deposit, and what happens if you cancel or I have to reschedule.] Intensives are in person only.
8. Safety. If I have concerns about violence, coercive control or fear between partners, I may stop joint work, speak to each of you separately, and refer you to appropriate support. I will not then offer individual therapy to either of you, in line with section 6. If you are in danger, call 999, or the National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247. [Confirm.]
10. Confidentiality. What you tell me is confidential, with these exceptions: (a) failing to disclose would place you or another person at serious risk of harm; (b) I am required by law to disclose, for example by a court order, or in cases involving money laundering, terrorism or extremism, in which I may not be able to tell you; (c) the safeguarding of children, as the law requires. I discuss my work in supervision without identifying you. I will not discuss your case in undisguised form with anyone else without your written permission, and I will not use even anonymised material for training or publication if you ask me not to. If I see you outside therapy I will not acknowledge you.
11. Records, data and recording. I keep notes securely and handle your data in line with data protection law and the Information Commissioner’s Office’s guidance. I use your information only to provide the services you have asked for and will not share it except as set out here. My Privacy Policy explains how long I keep records and how to ask for a copy. Sessions are never recorded by either of us without written permission from everyone present. If any physical contact is part of an exercise, I explain it first and ask permission. I do not touch clients, and partners are only ever invited to use touch with each other with their consent.
12. Online work and communication. Online sessions use a secure video platform. Please join from a private place. At the start I will ask for your location and an emergency contact. I use email to arrange sessions only. I do not monitor messages around the clock and aim to reply within 2 working days.
13. Social media. You are welcome to follow my professional accounts. I will not accept requests to follow yours. My online content, including social media and podcasts, is general education, not therapy. Comments and messages are not part of our work and will not be answered clinically. My courses and workshops are educational and are not therapy.
14. Fees, payment and cancellation. My fees are set out on my website, and I confirm them before we begin. Payment is due before the day of the session. If you cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice, or do not attend without notice, the full fee is charged, unless there are exceptional circumstances, which I decide case by case. If I am late, you will receive your full session time. Nothing in this contract limits your legal rights.
15. Concerns and complaints. If you are unhappy with any part of my work, please tell me and I will take it seriously. If we cannot resolve it, you have the right to complain to the Society under its complaints procedure.