TEMPLATE FOR THERAPISTS
Relationship Therapy: No-Secrets Policy & Shared Commitment
One of the most common breakdown points in relationship therapy isn't conflict between the people involved. It's a mismatch between what clients thought they were signing up for and how the work actually functions. One person assumes everything they share individually stays private. Another assumes the therapist will take their side. Someone else doesn't realize that coming in without shared goals will stall the work before it starts.
This document addresses all of that before session one.
This is a pre-therapy transparency and consent document for relationship therapy—designed to be reviewed and signed by all participants before the first joint session. It covers the no-secrets policy in plain language, explains what shared goals mean and why they're required for the work to function, and sets the clinician's stance clearly: no sides, no triangulation, alignment with the relationship as the client.
It's built for practices that take inclusivity seriously—which means it applies to every relationship configuration that walks through your door. Two partners or more, monogamous or polyamorous, married or not, legally recognized or not, queer or straight, co-parenting constellations, chosen-family configurations, long-distance and geographically separated relationships—every section uses inclusive language, and clinician notes flag where to adjust for your specific clients.
It's also honest in a way most consent documents aren't. It names the common emotional reactions to relationship therapy—feeling singled out, feeling like the therapist is taking sides, ambivalence about whether the relationship should continue—because naming them before they happen reduces shame and keeps people in the room.
Every placeholder is marked in red. Teal clinician notes explain each section and flag your decisions. Three signature blocks are included, with guidance on adjusting for the configuration you're working with.You're doing relationship therapy with a one-page confidentiality notice buried in your general policies—and you know that's not enough—and especially if any of these sound familiar:
You work with relationship configurations beyond the two-person monogamous model and need your intake documents to actually reflect that
You want everyone in the room to understand the no-secrets framework before they get there—not after someone shares something you have to address
You've had clients feel blindsided by how transparency works in relationship therapy and you want to prevent that
You want a document that sets a warm, non-pathologizing tone from the start—not a legal disclaimer people skim and sign
You're scaling to a group practice and need consistent policy documentation across clinicians
You believe the paperwork is part of the clinical relationship—and you want yours to reflect that
1. Download and open—The template is a .docx file. Open it in Microsoft Word or Google Docs.
2. Replace the red brackets—Fill in your practice name, year, and any configuration-specific language before sharing with clients.
3. Review the teal notes—Throughout the document, teal clinician notes flag where to adapt language for your specific client configurations, documentation practices, and therapeutic model. Read each one, make your choice, and delete the note before finalizing.
4. Adjust the signature blocks—Add, remove, or relabel the three participant signature blocks based on the configuration you're working with.
5. Remove the clinician instruction page—This must be removed before sending to clients.
6. Save as a PDF—When your edits are complete, save a final version as a PDF and send to all participants before the first session—not at it.
7. Have it reviewed—Before distributing to clients, have your final version reviewed by your licensing board, malpractice carrier, and/or a licensed attorney. Requirements vary by state.
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