Policies & Boundaries

A Gentle Framework for Guided Coaching

Heart Puzzle Ministry is committed to creating a Guided Coaching relationship that is clear, respectful, and caring. These policies help provide healthy expectations and boundaries so our time together can remain focused on you and your story.

The Nature of Guided Coaching

Guided Coaching is a Christ-centered space for reflection, thoughtful conversation, Scripture, prayer, and noticing what may matter in your story.

Guided Coaching is not counseling, psychotherapy, medical or nursing care, crisis care, pastoral counseling, or a substitute for professional mental-health or medical treatment.

Scheduling & Rescheduling

Life happens. If you need to cancel or reschedule a session, please give as much notice as reasonably possible.

I will make reasonable efforts to find another time that works for both of us. There is no automatic penalty for a late cancellation or missed session.

If missed sessions or last-minute cancellations become a repeated pattern, we may pause and talk together about whether the current coaching schedule is workable.

Heart Puzzle Discovery is ordinarily completed within six weeks of the first session, and Heart Puzzle Journey is ordinarily completed within twelve weeks. Exceptions may be made by mutual agreement when life circumstances require additional flexibility.

Arriving Late

If you arrive late for a scheduled session, we will generally use the remaining scheduled time.

If a delay is caused by me, I will make reasonable efforts to provide the full coaching time.

Communication Between Sessions

Email and text may be used for scheduling, administrative matters, and brief follow-up communication.

I generally try to respond within two business days. Email, text, and voicemail are not continuously monitored and should not be used for urgent or emergency needs.

Please use discretion when sending detailed, sensitive, or highly personal information through ordinary email or text.

Privacy

What you share during Guided Coaching will be treated as private and will not ordinarily be disclosed without your written permission.

There are circumstances, however, when privacy cannot be guaranteed, including when disclosure is required by law, required through valid legal process, necessary under applicable reporting obligations, or reasonably necessary in an imminent safety emergency.

Guided Coaching is not psychotherapy or licensed mental-health treatment, and communications may not have the same legal privilege that can apply in a therapist-client or clergy relationship.

Emergencies & Crisis Support

Heart Puzzle Ministry does not provide emergency or crisis services, and Guided Coaching should not be relied upon for immediate or continuous crisis support.

If you or another person is experiencing a life-threatening emergency or is in immediate danger, please call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room.

Payment

There is no payment required for the Getting to Know You form or the free Let’s Connect Conversation.

If you choose to begin paid Guided Coaching, payment information will be provided to you directly.

Payment is generally due before the first paid session or before the first session of a Discovery or Journey program unless another arrangement has been agreed upon in advance.

Cancellations, Refunds & Ending Coaching

You are always free to pause or end Guided Coaching.

If you have paid for Heart Puzzle Discovery or Heart Puzzle Journey and decide not to continue, refund requests are considered on a case-by-case basis and are not guaranteed. Any approved refund may take into account sessions already completed and services or materials already provided.

There may also be times when I recommend pausing or ending Guided Coaching—for example, if another kind of support appears more appropriate, the coaching relationship is no longer serving its intended purpose, boundaries are repeatedly disregarded, or continuing would otherwise be inappropriate.

Whenever reasonably possible, these situations will be approached through open and respectful conversation.

Records

Information and records related to Guided Coaching are retained only as reasonably appropriate for ministry, administrative, and legal purposes and may be securely destroyed when they are no longer needed.

Before Guided Coaching Begins

Before beginning paid Guided Coaching, you will receive additional participant information, including a Participant Intake Form, Participant Coaching Agreement & Consent, and the fuller Participant Policies & Boundaries.

These materials are intended to help you understand what Guided Coaching is, what you can expect, and the boundaries that help support our work together.

Questions are always welcome.

If you're unsure about any of these policies or whether Guided Coaching might be a good fit for where you are, we can talk about it during your free Let’s Connect Conversation.