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Why Contracting Matters
Contracting - which is usually done at the very start of the therapeutic relationship - is important as a way to set an appropriate tone for the future work together, and to begin to build the client’s trust in the counsellor and the counselling process.
Having a clearly explained agreement ­- with the opportunity to ask any questions about this, and to raise any areas with which they are not happy - helps assure the client that they are in safe, respectful, professional hands. As Feltham and Dryden (1993, p. 38) note, ‘a contract to counsel distinguishes the counselling relationship from other (e.g. social) kinds of relationship’, so establishing appropriate boundaries.