Clinical Continuity & Clinical Will Services for Therapists
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A clinical will is not simply an administrative document. It is a structured plan for what happens when a therapist is no longer able to continue working due to illness, incapacity, or death.
Most therapists recognise they should have one. Far fewer have a clear, workable plan for how it would actually be carried out in practice. The Clinical Continuity Toolkit is a self-paced specialist product that helps therapists map, document, and organise their practice so that continuity arrangements can be enacted clearly if ever needed. It enables the creation of a clear, concise and considered clinical will. |
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Why This Work Matters
Therapists spend their professional lives supporting others through uncertainty, loss, and change. Yet many have not fully considered what happens when they are the source of that disruption. When a practitioner becomes suddenly unavailable, the therapeutic relationship is interrupted without warning.
Without clear continuity arrangements in place, this can leave clients without explanation, records without clear handling instructions, and colleagues or family members facing responsibility without guidance.
A clear and structured clinical will helps ensure that:
Without clear continuity arrangements in place, this can leave clients without explanation, records without clear handling instructions, and colleagues or family members facing responsibility without guidance.
A clear and structured clinical will helps ensure that:
- Clients are informed sensitively and appropriately, consistent with therapeutic work and the nature of endings in therapy
- Client records, systems, and communication channels are managed in line with professional, ethical, and data protection requirements
- Responsibility for managing or closing a practice does not fall to others without clear instructions, access arrangements, or defined support.
Products, Services & Fees
Most practitioners will either create their own arrangements or develop them with support. This is a task well within the abilities of the practitioner, but it can seem overwhelming at first. Through Clinical Continuity, I offer a simple, self-paced solution to resolve any anxiety around the task:
1. The Clinical Continuity Toolkit
Many practitioners prefer to work independently, while others choose structured support. Create a complete Clinical Will and continuity framework for your practice using a structured, therapist-specific system.
£125 / 125€
A self-directed resource for therapists who want to create their own clinical continuity arrangements. The toolkit includes a comprehensive Clinical Will template, along with a self-paced workbook which offers practical guidance, worksheets, and supporting documents to help you document your practice, complete your will and prepare for any unexpected absence, incapacity, or death.
Includes:
Many practitioners prefer to work independently, while others choose structured support. Create a complete Clinical Will and continuity framework for your practice using a structured, therapist-specific system.
£125 / 125€
A self-directed resource for therapists who want to create their own clinical continuity arrangements. The toolkit includes a comprehensive Clinical Will template, along with a self-paced workbook which offers practical guidance, worksheets, and supporting documents to help you document your practice, complete your will and prepare for any unexpected absence, incapacity, or death.
Includes:
- Clinical Will Template, professionally structured and ready to adapt to your own practice
- Practice Mapping Workbook to document how your practice functions in practical terms
- GDPR and data protection guidance for continuity planning
- Communication templates for client contact and practice closure situations
- Guidance on secure storage and access to continuity information
- Clinical continuity checklist to identify gaps, risks, and assumptions
- Delivered as PDF documents together with an editable template file
2. Clinical Will Consultation
Suitable if you want structured support to build your complete and tailored plan.
£185 / 185€
A structured, collaborative service for therapists who want 1-2-1 support in developing a complete clinical will. This service is designed for practitioners who want clarity and containment around a process that is often postponed or left unfinished.
Includes:
Suitable if you want structured support to build your complete and tailored plan.
£185 / 185€
A structured, collaborative service for therapists who want 1-2-1 support in developing a complete clinical will. This service is designed for practitioners who want clarity and containment around a process that is often postponed or left unfinished.
Includes:
- One 60-minute continuity consultation focused on your practice structure and risks
- Collaborative use of the Clinical Continuity workbook throughout the process
- Review of current systems, including communication, record keeping, supervision, and access arrangements
- Supported creation of a complete clinical will tailored to your work
- A final document ready for use within your professional arrangements
About This Service
Clinical Continuity has been developed by me, Laura Harley, an experienced BACP-accredited therapist and author of Confidential Grief, working at the intersection of therapist grief, client death, and the impact of loss within therapeutic practice.
My work has repeatedly returned to a central question:
My work has repeatedly returned to a central question:
What happens when the therapeutic relationship is interrupted by the sudden absence of the therapist?
This service is designed to help practitioners translate that question into clear, workable arrangements for their own practice.
My Approach to This Work
This work is also informed by the lived experience of practice interruption.
Alongside my clinical work with client loss and therapeutic endings, I have experienced extended periods away from practice due to pregnancy, childcare, illness, and recovery following severe sepsis. These periods required me to think very concretely about how responsibility for clients, communications, and professional obligations is managed when a practitioner is suddenly unable to work.
This included navigating continuity decisions while unwell and managing professional communications from a hospital bed during periods of significant physical limitation.
These experiences have shaped a clear understanding of the practical realities of practice interruption and the importance of having structured, usable continuity arrangements in place rather than relying on informal or assumed plans. They have also culminated in my next book, which focuses on rupture in therapy.
You can read more about my books here
Alongside my clinical work with client loss and therapeutic endings, I have experienced extended periods away from practice due to pregnancy, childcare, illness, and recovery following severe sepsis. These periods required me to think very concretely about how responsibility for clients, communications, and professional obligations is managed when a practitioner is suddenly unable to work.
This included navigating continuity decisions while unwell and managing professional communications from a hospital bed during periods of significant physical limitation.
These experiences have shaped a clear understanding of the practical realities of practice interruption and the importance of having structured, usable continuity arrangements in place rather than relying on informal or assumed plans. They have also culminated in my next book, which focuses on rupture in therapy.
You can read more about my books here
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a clinical will?
Requirements vary between professional bodies, insurers, and jurisdictions. Most guidance emphasises the importance of arrangements for client welfare, record-keeping, and continuity planning.
Can I nominate my own Clinical Executor?
Yes. Many practitioners nominate a trusted colleague, supervisor, or professional contact. It is important that responsibilities and access arrangements are agreed in advance.
Can my supervisor act as my Clinical Executor?
Supervisors may be willing to discuss continuity planning, but are not automatically responsible for implementing a clinical will. If a supervisor is nominated, their role should be clearly agreed and documented.
Do you provide legal advice?
No. This service supports ethical and practical continuity planning and should be considered alongside relevant legal, regulatory, and insurance requirements.
Requirements vary between professional bodies, insurers, and jurisdictions. Most guidance emphasises the importance of arrangements for client welfare, record-keeping, and continuity planning.
Can I nominate my own Clinical Executor?
Yes. Many practitioners nominate a trusted colleague, supervisor, or professional contact. It is important that responsibilities and access arrangements are agreed in advance.
Can my supervisor act as my Clinical Executor?
Supervisors may be willing to discuss continuity planning, but are not automatically responsible for implementing a clinical will. If a supervisor is nominated, their role should be clearly agreed and documented.
Do you provide legal advice?
No. This service supports ethical and practical continuity planning and should be considered alongside relevant legal, regulatory, and insurance requirements.
