There’s no way to meaningfully hold someone to it. If that client actually had hurt themselves, it’s not as though my agency was going to sue the client for breach of contract.

The Problem With No-Harm ContractsĪ no-harm contract isn’t a contract in any legally enforceable sense. When I told my supervisor, I expected a pat on the back. I gave my client a copy of the contract, and kept the original in the client’s file.Īnd I believed I had done the right thing. Some no-harm contracts include specific steps the client is expected to take before engaging in any harmful behavior, such as calling the therapist, their doctor, and/or a loved one. The ideas is that the client will stay safe until the next session, where they can be reassessed, and the contract revised and re-signed as needed. Often that date is the next time the client and therapist will meet. Still, I was worried enough that I didn’t want to simply send them on their way without doing something.

This client would have been considered too low-risk for hospitalization or other crisis services. No-harm contracts involve a signed commitment from the client, stating that they will not do anything to harm themselves or anyone else before a specific date.Ī few years ago, one of my clients told me he had been thinking a bit about suicide, however he said he did not have a specific plan or intent.

Social work client contract template