7 Key Essentials for the Ultimate Coaching Disclaimer

Entrepreneurs

Nov 25

Need a coaching disclaimer to protect your coaching business? I’m sharing the essential disclaimers for all types of coaching, including life, health, accountability, fitness, finance, money mindset, business, career, real estate coaches and more!

Changing lives as a coach is a dream come true, but if you’re anything like me, you don’t want any bad apples to ruin your business because they did not get the results they wanted. As a lawyer myself who drafts contracts for coaches like you, I’m sharing all the essentials you need for your coaching disclaimer to manage expectations, make clients understand their responsibilities, and protect you from any liabilities in your coaching business.

You will learn all about the key elements you need in your coaching disclaimer, which you can include in your coaching disclaimer template; plus, I’ll share coaching disclaimer examples for your specific niche.

After learning all about the essentials for your coaching disclaimer, your coaching business will be untouchable, and you can focus on changing lives!

This post is all about the essentials to create the best coaching disclaimer to safeguard your coaching business.

Ultimate Coaching Disclaimer

All the key disclaimers for your coaching disclaimer template

1. Professional advice disclaimer

The first coaching disclaimer you must include is a professional-client relationship disclaimer.

When you are coaching your clients, you will be sharing information that will touch upon or come close to matters of certified or licensed professionals in your area of expertise. Here are some examples:

If you’re a life coach, you will be providing your clients with information on matters in relation to their mindset and mental well-being.
If you’re a health or fitness coach, you will be sharing information on matters in relation to their physical health and nutrition.
If you’re a money mindset or finance coach, you will be sharing information with your clients on matters in relation to their finances.

Clients could confuse your coaching for actually being professional advice for which you are not certified or licensed. Advising your clients on matters for which you should be licensed could constitute a violation of the law in your state or country. You don’t want to get in that kind of trouble just because the client misconstrued the information you provide them as being actual professional advice.

Therefore, you should include a coaching disclaimer stating that:

Any information you provide is for informational and educational purposes only.
Any information you provide does not constitute professional advice.
It does not replace or substitute any professional services.

2. Professional-client relationship disclaimer

Not only are you providing your client with any kind of professional advice, but you are also not a professional.

Based on some of the coaching you do or certain information you give the client, the client could misconstrue your coaching services into actually having a professional-client relationship with you.

Thus, you must include a crucial coaching disclaimer that explicitly states the following:

Your coaching services and any information, materials or guidance you provide do not establish any kind of professional relationship with the Coach.
Participating in your coaching also does not create any kind of ongoing legal or professional obligation or responsibility between you and the client beyond the scope of your coaching services.

You may actually be a licensed professional in the area in which you coach. For example, you may be a therapist, but you also provide life coaching services. Perhaps you are an accountant, but you also help people with finance coaching.

Then, you’ll want to add a specific statement in your coaching disclaimer that makes it explicitly clear that you are not acting in the capacity of that profession. Something like, “Although I am a [insert profession or title] by profession, I am not acting in the capacity of your [insert profession or title].]

3. Service description disclaimer

On your website, sales page, or social media, you’ll have a description of your coaching services or what’s included in your coaching packages. You’ll also share client reviews and the outcomes of your coaching services.

Of course, you try to be as accurate as possible, but there are three main reasons why the way your coaching services are described does not match reality:

Your coaching services will evolve as you refine them and have a better understanding of what gives your clients better results.
Every client is different, and if you’re a great coach, you’ll adjust your coaching services to the needs of each client.
The outcomes of your coaching services depend on multiple different factors, including the capabilities and efforts of your clients.

Thus, the description of your coaching services and outcomes may differ from what each specific client gets. But if your client does not understand that or does not get the services or outcomes your client expected, that client may ask you for a refund or hold you liable for misleading the client.

Therefore, you must include the following three statements in your coaching disclaimer:

The descriptions of your coaching services and outcomes on any platform are intended to convey the general nature of your services and the potential outcomes.
You do not guarantee the outcomes or content of your coaching services.
You have the right to change or modify the content and structure of your coaching services.

4. Methods & techniques disclaimer

As I already mentioned, one size does not fit all, and you may have to adjust your coaching services based on each client’s needs. Also, as your client progresses, the coaching services may need to be adjusted to accommodate the phase the client is in.

That’s why you’ll also need to include a coaching disclaimer stating the following:

The client acknowledges that you may determine the methods, tools, techniques, and approaches.
Your coaching services may evolve or change over time.

5. Errors disclaimer

We all make mistakes and overlook certain errors and omissions in our work. Disruption of coaching sessions caused by your children or pet is also inevitable.

That does not mean your client is entitled to be compensated for little mistakes or interruptions.

That’s why you need to include a coaching disclaimer in your contract stating that you do not guarantee that your coaching services or the materials you provide to your client will be without errors, omissions, or disruptions.

This is called a cover-your-A disclaimer.

6. Technology disclaimer

Because your coaching services and materials will be made available online (or over the phone), your client will need to have the appropriate hardware and software for the technology tools you choose.

You can’t download 15 different types of meeting tools because some clients don’t have or want to download your communication tool of choice.

You also don’t want to have to reschedule coaching sessions because your client’s WiFi is wonky or their phone dies on them.

It should be your client’s responsibility to ensure they have the proper tools to participate in coaching sessions and to download and use any of the coaching materials you provide.

Therefore, you need to include a coaching disclaimer in your contract stating the following:

The coaching services and material will be provided through the platforms and tools you choose at your sole discretion.
It is the client’s responsibility to ensure they have the appropriate technology, equipment, hardware and software, along with access to a reliable internet connection, to fully participate in and use (any part of) the coaching services or any other information or materials provided by you.

7. Results & outcomes disclaimer

The most crucial coaching disclaimer may be the disclaimer on results and outcomes for obvious reasons.

Ensure you have a comprehensive coaching disclaimer that states the following you are not responsible for the following:

The effectiveness of your coaching services
Any results in relation to or outcomes from your coaching services
Any decisions made by the client or any other third party based on the coaching services provided and any results in relation to or outcomes from the services

You must also explicitly state you do not represent, warrant, or guarantee the effectiveness of your coaching services or the results in relation to or outcomes from your services.

Lastly, you should also make clear that your comments and feedback about the effectiveness of your services and result(s) and outcome(s) are expressions of opinion only.

Now, you have completely covered your butt!

IMPORTANT: Client’s representations & warranties

First of all, your coaching disclaimer must include representations and warranties you need from your client. That way, (1) it is clear what your requirements for your client are, (2) you have the right to terminate your contract if the client breaches any of them (if you include that these are grounds for termination in your contract). The client must represent and warrant that the client:

is at least 18 years of age and has the legal capacity to enter into a coaching relationship with you (and sign the contract);
is in good mental health and is not undergoing and is not advised to undergo treatment by a mental health professional (which is especially important if you are a life coach);
will behave respectfully and will not show any aggressive behaviour towards you;
will only provide information and data that is true and accurate;
etc.

I have a full list of all the reps and warranties your client should give in my coaching contract template. But this list gives a pretty good idea of what you should require from your clients.

Now, you know about every general coaching disclaimer you must use, plus the reps and warranties you need from your clients.

Coaching disclaimer examples for specific coaching niches

Now, you know about every coaching disclaimer that every type of coach needs to use.

But every coaching niche is different and comes with its own risks, for which you need a specific disclaimer to protect yourself.

Want to learn about the coaching disclaimer you need for your specific coaching niche?

I will share all my coaching disclaimer examples, including a life coaching disclaimer, a financial coach disclaimer, and more, in my next blog post!

The ultimate coaching contract template with every coaching disclaimer sample you need

Want to make sure you have a coaching contract template that includes each and every coaching disclaimer you need for your coaching business in your niche?

I have created both a 1-on-1 coaching contract template and a group coaching contract template for coaching in every niche, including the following:

Life, accountability, goal, or relationship coaches
Health and fitness coaches
Business coaches
Career coaches
Budget, financial and money mindset coaches
Real estate coaches

Learn more about my 1-on-1 coaching contract template on this page of my contract shop.

Learn more about my group coaching contract template on this page of my contract shop.

This post was all about the essentials to create the best coaching disclaimer for every coach.

Want to learn more about the must-haves for your coaching contract? Read these blog posts next:

Do you need a coaching contract template with every coaching disclaimer sample you need? Get the perfect contract template customisable to your coaching niche on this page of my contract shop!

Are you a group coach? Then, get the ultimate contract template for group coaching on this page of my contract shop!

Selene Snippe