Creating Client Contracts

Contracts are the glue that holds the mentoring/supervision relationship together. We have discussed the importance of contracts before, but today I want to get into some of the technical details. Contracts set professional mentoring/supervising apart from informal and formal mentorship.

The more clients you have, the more contracts you will need to keep track of, and while the basic template may remain the same, the details about the individual are essential to know and to return to. I like to use Google Docs which allows me and a client (or a client’s organisation) to see and edit the contract simultaneously, for instance on Zoom. Also, we can access the most current form of the document at any time we wish. 

The first topics to cover in the contracts are simple but essential. Here are a few questions to cover the technical details: 

• Where will you meet? Whether you are meeting online or in person, consider any factors that might be distracting. Meeting in the client’s office may present the distraction of coworkers or management interrupting, and there may be some anxiety about being overheard. Certain coffee shops may be too loud and busy, a personal home may feel too intimate. You should discuss what will make the client feel the most comfortable. 
• When will you meet? How often/for how long are the sessions? I usually like a session to last an hour. This is long enough to get into deeper material, but not so long that it will drain the client. As far as frequency, this will depend on the client. Some may want to meet once a quarter, some might want to meet once a month. There are clients who may have to move the meetings around frequently, and there may be clients who want to set dates for each session for the next year. I recommend at least eight sessions a year, more if there is a specific and challenging situation to address. It is helpful to ensure a date is set in place for the next session before the current session is over. 
• How much do you charge? How will you exchange payment? These questions can feel awkward, especially if you are just getting to know each other, but it is much better to address this before realising that the client can’t afford the charge or discovering a certain method of transferring money will not work on one end.  (We will discuss more on finances next week!)

What else should the contract cover? 

• Confidentiality and its limits. Let the client know that it is your job to ensure the sessions are safe. Let them know your legal requirements regarding mandatory reporting, and your responsibility to any codes of conduct or ethical reporting within the organisation. Part of the role of a professional mentor/supervisor is to promote professional standards within the organisation, but you are not in-line management, meaning you are not there to tattle or punish the client, only to help them explore possibilities and challenges the client may have. For more information, check out past blogs detailing these subjects more extensively:
  • Explains the Limits of Confidentiality: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Xy_6fFkPydyi2q0LGwPcQKWWwjyaPsAbVpU_MCUOlPY/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.ufmt0hew9ipx
  • Breaking Down Legally Mandated Reporting: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_whU1Dup5QzHEU6AM6MOdprXLimQshoqjMq0rRGheUA/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.x753cx8510xm
  • There may also be occasions when you want to record a short video of a session to share with your own mentor/supervisor for your professional development. Would the client feel comfortable with this, so long as names and faces were not revealed?
• Preparation for sessions. Often, we ask our clients to reflect on important questions in their own time, thereby making sessions more effective. While we are not teachers assigning homework (there is no punishment for failing to reflect), if a client can not find enough time to reflect on their sessions, that is something to address. What is going on here? Remember that, while we want them to come prepared, pressure and shame in our reaction to them not doing so is not helpful. Instead, use this as a jumping-off point. 
• Gathering background information. A lot of information will help provide context and background for your client. Below are some topics to ask about in order to learn more about them as a individuals and how you can best help them grow:
  • What pressures are you under? 
  • What conflicts or challenges are you facing in work?
  • What conflicts or challenges are you facing in your personal life?
  • What is your theological orientation? This is not meant to box people in, but to understand their context for communication. 
  • Are there any topics you wish to avoid? This sets you up to explain that honesty and vulnerability about all topics will enhance the effects of the sessions.
  • Any other expectations or needs for the client or the mentor/supervisor.
  • What are your short-term goals for these sessions? An example might be to develop a better work/life balance.
  • What are your long-term goals for these sessions?  Eg a sustainable career in ministry.

This is the template I use:

Annual Supervision/Mentoring Contract 

As a supplement to the contract, I also like to give my new clients the Health of a Christian Leader Assessment. Often, clients don’t have a clear picture of their health when you first begin to work together. This is a valuable tool for seeing where the client is health-wise and creating a vision for where to go. 

Here’s a link to the assessment: