A coaching agreement sets the engagement term, session cadence, fees and confidentiality — and carries the clause every personal coaching relationship needs: an explicit statement that coaching is not therapy. Download the ready-to-fill template below, or read the field-by-field checklist first.
A complete, ready-to-fill PDF — 11 clauses, blanks for every detail, and a signature block for both parties. Free, no email, no account. Read it and adapt it before you use it; the cover page explains what it can and cannot do for you.
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This document is a general-purpose template provided for information only. It is not legal advice, it does not create a lawyer–client relationship, and nobody has reviewed it against your situation.
Laws differ by country, state and province, and they change. A clause that is standard in one place can be unenforceable — or illegal — in another. Terms that are ordinary between two businesses can be void in a consumer or employment context.
Read every clause before you use it, fill in every blank, and delete anything that does not apply. For anything high-value, unusual, or that you could not afford to lose a dispute over, have a qualified lawyer in your jurisdiction review it before it is signed.
These are the fields and clauses a personal coaching agreement needs. Leaving one out doesn’t necessarily void the contract, but each gap is a spot where you and the other party can end up disagreeing about what you actually agreed to.
Coach & client names
Full legal names (or registered business name for the coach), addresses and contact details for both sides.
Engagement term
A fixed number of months, or an ongoing arrangement that continues until either party ends it — stated up front, not left implied.
Session cadence and format
How often sessions happen, how long each one runs, and whether they take place by video, phone or in person.
Fees, payment and cancellation
The rate, when it is paid, and how much notice cancels or reschedules a session without being charged for it.
Not-therapy scope limitation
A clear statement that coaching is not psychotherapy or mental health treatment, the coach is not a licensed therapist unless stated otherwise, and does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions.
Confidentiality
The coach keeps what the client shares confidential, with carve-outs for imminent harm, legal compulsion, and professional supervision.
No guarantee of outcomes
Coaching is facilitative, not directive — the client is responsible for their own decisions, and the coach does not promise a particular result.
Ending the engagement
Notice period to end the agreement, and how any fees paid for sessions not yet delivered are refunded.
Signatures & date
Both the coach and the client sign and date the agreement. It isn't binding until both have signed.
Coaching and therapy can look alike from the outside: a recurring one-to-one conversation, real disclosure, real trust built session over session. What they don’t share is licensing, diagnostic authority, or a clinical duty of care — and a client who treats a coaching relationship as a substitute for mental health treatment is making a decision they were never told they were making.
The template above states this directly, not as a buried disclaimer: coaching is not psychotherapy, counseling, or a substitute for treatment; the coach is not a licensed mental health professional unless the agreement says otherwise; and the coach does not diagnose or treat mental health conditions. It also tells the client what to do instead — seek a licensed mental health professional, or emergency services if the need is urgent — rather than leaving that judgment call to be made mid-crisis.
This protects both sides. The client gets a clear signal about when to seek different help. The coach gets a defined scope of engagement, so a difficult session doesn’t quietly turn into an implied clinical relationship the coach isn’t trained, insured, or licensed to hold.
Fill in the template above and send it to the other party for signature with a free Evenseal account — 3 documents a month, no card required. Only need your own copy signed? Self-sign for free with no account at /sign-pdf.
Not legal advice — for engagements that overlap with licensed mental health services or need custom liability terms, have a local attorney review your agreement.