Hey Lastyearisblank,

All Therapists learn about contracting and it is a part of therapy, however sometimes the therapist may not refer to it as such but it happens in everyones therapy. It is usually something that happens at the begining of therapy, at the first or second meeting.
It's not always nesscarily a written contract but more of a verbal agreement such as, "does wednesday each week suit you?", "the cost is $40 per session",, "we will have 12 sessions together" "what you say is confidential, appart from if you a harm to your self or others, a child is at risk or you are involved in illegal activity", "if you cannot attend a session please give 24 hours notice or the full charge is expected" etc, Other things such as contact outside of sessions could be included or could be agreed further down the line by a therapist simply saying " you may contact me if in need, you can email once a week, etc".

Contracts are made so that the client and Therapist have an agreement on how things will be done. It is as much for the clients benefit as the Therapists in that the client is then clear of what to expect in many ways from the begining. Sometimes it is written down and signed by both parties and other times it is just a verbal agreement.

It is definately a part of therapy but sometimes it is more obvious than others. Simply agreeing to meet each week is a type of contract. Some contracts may be more extensive depending on the issues or type of work.

xxxx