Psychotherapist Employment Contract UK

Responsibilities reflected in the contract

• Provide psychotherapy within the agreed modality.
• Establish consent and therapeutic boundaries.
• Maintain proportionate confidential records.
• Use supervision to review clinical work.
• Identify and escalate safeguarding or serious risk.
• Manage planned endings and referral handovers.

A realistic working scenario

A client reveals an immediate safeguarding concern during a remote session. The therapist explains the confidentiality boundary, uses the service escalation pathway and records only information relevant to the decision.

Outputs to agree

• structured therapeutic assessment and work
• reviewed goals and endings
• appropriate risk and referral action

Records and evidence

• Assessment and therapy agreement.
• Session note.
• Risk and safeguarding rationale.
• Supervision and outcome review.
• Patient records.
• Clinical notes.

Reporting relationship

Typically reports to Line Manager or Department Manager. Confirm the employer's actual reporting structure in the builder.

Authority and escalation

• The therapist practises within modality, accreditation and service remit; diagnosis, emergency response and work beyond competence require appropriate clinical escalation.
• May allocate routine work and make operational decisions only within documented staffing, financial, contractual and policy limits.

Supervision

• Use supervision to review clinical work.
• Allocate and review assigned work within delegated authority and escalate formal people matters through the Employer's procedures.

Tools and systems

• Clinical systems.
• Patient record systems.
• Prescribing or pharmacy systems.

Workplace context

• Practice reception, clinical administration areas and approved patient-facing areas.

Training and certification

• Complete employer-required safeguarding training.
• Complete employer-required health and safety training.

Contract priorities

• clinical supervision
• session and administration time
• confidentiality limits
• remote-work privacy

Information the employer should prepare

• the client group and therapeutic modality
• the qualification or membership required
• the caseload and session frequency
• the supervision provider and timetable
• the record and privacy arrangements
• the crisis and safeguarding pathways