Coaching Agreement
This is only a copy of the Agreement you will be asked to sign before initiating your first coaching session with Alexander Spradling, PhD. (the Coach).
The Agreement authorizes the Coach to provide the Client coaching services. In exchange for those services the Client agrees to pay the Coach the agreed upon fee for a coaching session or package of sessions. All fees are subject to change by the Coach at any time. Coaching sessions that have already been prepaid are not affected by rate changes.
The Agreement establishes the standards and boundaries of our working together, and will continue as long as both parties agree to work together as Coach and Client.
Please read and sign this Agreement before scheduling and purchasing your first coaching session. Keep a copy for yourself. Coaching sessions cannot start until the Coach has received your signed Agreement which will be sent to you separately.
In order to use my services, you need to be of the legal age of majority in your jurisdiction.
As the Client, I understand and agree that:
I am fully responsible for my physical, mental and emotional wellbeing during my coaching sessions, including my choices and decisions.
Coaching depends largely on my willingness to communicate honestly and openly with my Coach, fulfill our agreements, try new approaches, and take an active part in the process.
I am expected to evaluate my own progress; and if Coaching is not working as I wish or expect, I should immediately inform the Coach so steps can be taken to address my concerns.
Although the Coaching process is designed to enable me to achieve the goals that have been agreed to by myself and the Coach, the Coach does not (and cannot) offer any guarantee of success in achieving those goals.
Coaching is a comprehensive process that may involve conversations about work, health, relationships, education, and leisure. I acknowledge that deciding to incorporate coaching into those areas and implementing my choices are exclusively my responsibility. I also understand that I can at any point in a coaching session, declare my preference not to discuss a specific issue or topic by simply stating that I would rather not discuss it.
Coaching does not diagnose mental health or treat mental disorders, and is not a substitute for psychotherapy or substance abuse treatment. Coaching is also not a substitute for professional advice on legal, medical, financial or other matters, and my decisions and actions regarding such matters are my sole responsibility.
Either myself or the Coach may end the coaching relationship at any time and for any reason, and no justification or advance notice is required to do so. As a matter of courtesy, the decision to end the coaching relationship will be communicated to the other party by voice or transmitted by email. I also understand and agree that if I decide to end the coaching relationship, the value of unused prepaid coaching sessions will not be refunded. On the other hand, if the Coach decides to end the coaching relationship, I will be refunded the balance of unused prepaid coaching sessions.
Scheduling and paying for coaching sessions
The preferred way to schedule a coaching session is to use my Calendar app. Alternatively, you can schedule your next session with me at the end of a coaching session. Or you can send me a message requesting to schedule a session.
There are three ways you can pay for your coaching sessions:
Prepay for each session at the time of scheduling. This is often a good solution if you schedule sessions infrequently on an ad-hoc basis.
Prepay for a package of several sessions. This is a good solution if you are planning to have multiple coaching sessions, and don't want to have to pay every time.
The Coach sends you an invoice every month for the sessions you have already completed during that period of time. This option is only available for established clients.
Invoices are usually paid through PayPal. You don't need to have a Paypal account in order to pay. You can pay by credit card/debit card. Checks Are Not Accepted. All fees are expressed in US$ and need to be paid in US$.
Payment of sessions that are not prepaid is due upon receipt of the invoice. If your coaching sessions are not paid in a timely manner, the coach reserves the right to stop providing you coaching services until your unpaid balance is settled.
There are no refunds for prepaid coaching sessions, unless the Coach is unable to continue providing you coaching or decides to end the coaching relationship. In that case you will be refunded the balance of unused prepaid coaching sessions. Prepaid coaching sessions expire 1 year after the purchase date.
Coaching session cancellation and rescheduling policy
A 12 hr advance notice is required for all coaching session cancellations (a reschedule is considered a cancellation). If you cancel a session less than 12 hours in advance, it is considered a "late cancellation".
You are responsible for scheduling and cancelling your coaching sessions on my scheduling site (no need to contact me). No refunds or credit will be issued if the cancellation or reschedule is made less than 12 hrs in advance of the session or in case of no-show, for any reason. If you are late, the coaching session will end on time unless I agree to extend it. Unused time cannot be used as credit for another session.
By scheduling a coaching session you indicate that you have read, understood and agreed to be bound by the terms of this agreement. You will be asked to accept it when you are booking a session.
Timeliness and missed sessions
Coaching sessions begin and end at the scheduled time. If you are late for a session, the Coach will wait for you only for 15 mn unless you send a message, an email or call to let the Coach know that you will show up a bit later. Otherwise, after 15 mn the session is considered "missed" and treated as a "late cancellation". If you are able to make the session before the session is considered "missed", the session will end at the previously arranged time unless the Coach is able and willing to extend the session beyond its scheduled end time. Unused time cannot be used as credit for another session.
Confidentiality
The Coach will not disclose to anyone without your written permission, any personal or professional information you provide me. Exceptions to confidentiality arise in circumstances such as intent to seriously harm oneself or abuse/harm someone else, and under a court order. If you wish for the Coach to speak to someone outside your interactions, you need to give the Coach written permission (original letter, fax or email) to do so.
You should also be aware that the use of certain media (e.g., internet, mobile and cordless phones) do not necessarily guarantee the confidentiality of your communications. Therefore, you should take this into account when sharing information with the Coach through these media. However, if you use these media to communicate with the Coach, then the Coach will assume that it is appropriate to continue to do so in his interactions with you.
Online Coaching sessions taking place through Zoom, FaceTime, Skype or any other similar media cannot and will not be recorded by any means or type of technology, either by the Coach or the Client.
