Shared Agreements
Congratulations on making the decision to invest in your self-understanding and personal growth. I am honored to be part of your journey and for you to be a part of mine. Before we begin, it’s important for us to have some agreements, which allow us to create a foundation of shared intention and courageous, supported learning and sharing.
Thank you for taking the time to go over and internalize these guidelines. If you have any questions, please send me an email at calvin@inhealingwetrust.com.
Our Coaching + Skills Building Agreement
This Client Agreement outlines the details of our arrangement including what is expected from me as your Coach and what is expected from you as the Client.
1. The Nature of Our Relationship
As your Coach, I intend to create a useful and necessary container for us to work together in — one full of support, collective wisdom, healing vibes, curiosity, laughter, and experimentation. You understand that the nature of this work can bring about a range of emotions, feelings, realizations, and insights that may inspire you to make new choices in your life. These new choices and ways of moving through the world may have profound implications that you take sole responsibility for, as the strong and resourced adult that you are, knowing this is all in the spirit of you finding your path to your balanced and whole authentic self.
You also understand that you are the only one that can ultimately do this work for yourself.
2. Logistics
Sessions are conducted over Zoom (unless the phone is preferred).
Sessions are recorded and transcribed by Otter.ai (unless requested not to). After each session, you will be sent the Otter link where you can listen and/or read the session. You are responsible for saving sessions, as I cannot guarantee long term storage. I do not review or modify the transcription and it will be imperfect, though still useful. You are welcome to record the zoom call during the session.
I offer email and text/voice messaging in between sessions. Asking a clarifying question or celebrating a shift you’ve experienced are great ways to use this access. I will respond as quickly as I can. If you’re unsure if your share is best suited for a session instead please share anyway and trust that I will help us determine what space feels best to hold it.
I do not offer emergency or crisis support at this time, though you are welcome to let me know what is happening for you so I can stay informed. I am always rooting for you!
Please be prepared to write during our sessions. In addition to any notes you may want to take, I may also introduce activities to help connect you to more clarity and insights.
3. Creating a Container for Change
The journey of exploring how to redesign our relationship to ourselves, to others, to emotions and to patterns we participate in requires that we examine our beliefs, stories, and expectations. We want to understand what scripts are running in the background so we can make new choices to get new outcomes. Less disappointment and more enjoyment. Together, we’ll create a container for change that feels supportive to you.
Foundationally, I want to offer these:
Working with me will be a combo of coaching (powerful questions to help you discover more around your superpowers and their patterns in a supportive space) and skills building (information, tools, tips, and considerations for you to experiment with). The combination of these is what has worked the most effectively for me in my own journey healing and recalibrating.
You get to show up exactly how you are in the moment during our session, and I will meet you there. I am not here to diagnose, judge, try to change your mood, or force you to talk about anything you don’t want to. I will also show up as my authentic self. Expressing our collective humanity is part of the work.
You may have certain expectations about what this work will look or feel like, what it will resolve, how change will start to take shape for you. I invite you to stay open to unknown and unforeseen possibilities in the process. I find being curious is where the biggest gems are.
For many folks that have experienced trauma, our brains can equate being uncomfortable with being unsafe. We can also experience a lack of closure as very unsettling. It’s okay to feel unresolved at the end of our sessions, to leave with unanswered questions. These will be for you to hold and explore..
It is my highest priority and commitment that coaching be as supportive and inclusive a container as possible that honors all identities and life experiences. I am here to hold a space of allyship that welcomes anyone, regardless of race, gender, sexuality, class, and identity.
I never intend to cause harm to you, or anyone else, and I believe the same is true for you. I recognize that intent and impact are different things. Should I unknowingly cause harm to you, I invite you to share your experience with me so I may have the opportunity to learn, take responsibility, and repair the tear. I will extend the same gift of growth to you. You are not responsible for my education, and I will also honor your decision to not share your experience with me.
On occasion, I will come across resources (books, articles, podcasts, songs, social media posts, other healing modalities and more) that seem relevant to what you’re interested in, and I will share them with you. I see these as bonuses from the universe.
Using my experience and intuition, I will guide you towards your own truths so you can make empowered decisions with your new insights and support by your side.
With this work, there is a big emphasis on critical thinking and personal responsibility. I invite you to use your discernment as you move through our time together. Take what works for you and leave what doesn’t. Check what I offer against your truth and go with what you sense is right for you, just like you would with any space holder, guide, or teacher.
Sometimes this work can bring up feelings that are big in our bodies, and cause discomfort. The intention of our work together is to provide tools that allow you to respond rather than react over time. This is a space in which you are encouraged to reflect on what is coming up for you in any given moment. I invite you to come to this work with a willingness to learn and experiment with new patterns of behavior that support you. This container gets to be a place where you try new techniques for communication and it doesn’t have to be “perfect” or “right.” I invite you to center your own needs and experience, not mine. Trust I can and will advocate for myself as needed.
This work and any materials provided may not be claimed as yours without credit to where you learned and received them. Please share what you learn in your personal life (that’s the point!) but I ask that you do not take this material and teach it as your own.
I will use humor and profanity at times. Healing doesn’t have to be hard and stuffy all the time.
I will use examples from my own life, or others I know (with their permission) when it seems desired and relevant. This is to help illustrate what else may be possible. So often we are operating in the ways we are because we aren’t sure what other options are available to us (among other reasons).
4. Trust the Process
Sometimes change is relatively easy because it feels natural and you’re ready, like a loose tooth about to fall out. And sometimes change, while necessary, is more effort, like a tooth extraction. I use this (potentially cringy) example to illustrate this point: it can feel tempting to stop this work when we have the high of an easy win and start to feel relief. It can also feel tempting to stop when it gets hard. Feeling uncomfortable is often a sign that you are shifting stories, beliefs, behaviors, perspectives, wants, needs, desires, energetics and more. You may feel frustrated or disappointed because this “isn’t working” in the ways you envision. While I will always respect your decision to stop collaborating, I will also invite you to trust the process and stay with it.
5. Cancellations and Rescheduling
It’s tempting to fall into a pattern of putting this type of work last on your list, especially if the work we are doing starts to feel hard. These policies are designed to help keep the momentum of the work we are doing together.
Sessions rescheduled or canceled outside of 48 hours have no implications or fees.
Sessions canceled within 48 hours notice will be forfeited unless there’s something unavoidable and sudden like an illness, death, loss, or other severe emergency. Please contact me directly via text.
If I cancel a session with you within 48 hours you’ll receive an additional free session to be used within 30 days. As a consumer myself, I’ve always been unsettled by the one-way cancellation policies businesses have. I respect the time and sacrifices you may be making to be here.
If you don’t fully utilize our session time (ex. need to leave the call 10 minutes early or are 10 minutes late to a call), unused time shall not carry over into later sessions and shall be forfeited.
6. Refunds
I will do everything within my ability (and within reason) to ensure your satisfaction with our coaching relationship. Refunds will not be issued for coaching services already rendered, issues due to technical difficulties, or products already purchased.
7. Confidentiality
I shall treat all personal information shared in our sessions, emails, texts, or otherwise as confidential. I will not disclose this confidential information unless required by law or court of order. In the course of administrative duties, my team might come into contact with information from your sessions as well, and any communications will be kept strictly confidential. I may, however, anonymously and anecdotally reference material from our work together for the purpose of helping others. You will also be the beneficiary of this wisdom well. I will never use your name or other identifying information. An example of this may include saying, “I have another client that had a similar experience and they found doing XYZ really helpful incase this also feels useful to you.”
8. Release of Liability
Now, for the less-than-fun, but definitely necessary liability spiel. This is standard wording for any coaching practice.
I am not a therapist or medical professional, and these offerings are not a substitute for therapy, professional mental care, and do not claim or intend to fix, treat, diagnose or heal mental illness. Though our work together may feel therapeutic at times.
You understand and acknowledge that I, Calvin West, operating as IHWT LLC, and my team will not be liable legally or otherwise, for the actions you may or may not undertake as a result of our sessions, advice, or any information provided inside and out of the coaching relationship.
Occasionally, I may provide links to other web sites or written print material which may be of value, interest and convenience to you. This does not constitute endorsement of material at those sites or any associated organization, product, or service. It is your responsibility to make your own informed decision about the accuracy of the information, including their privacy policies. In no event shall I be liable for any incident or consequential damages resulting from use of the material.
9. Governing Law
This Agreement and the rights and obligations of the Parties, including all non-contractual obligations arising under or in connection with this Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Oregon and the Parties expressly agree that any dispute requiring resolution by a court shall be subject to the exclusive venue and jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Multnomah County, Oregon.
10. Modifications to Contract
This contract is subject to modification as requested by either Party. A new version of this contract must be drafted and signed by both Parties before adjustments to services, compensation, or other terms are activated.
Your digital signature below indicates that you understand and agree to the terms outlined above, and is binding unless otherwise stated or amended.