The short answer
Give notice early, tell clients as soon as you can, and help each one transition to another clinician or say goodbye well. Ethics codes forbid abandoning clients, so plan transitions around their needs. Check your contract for notice periods and non-solicitation terms, and settle who keeps the records.
How do you leave a therapy job the right way?
Plan the client side first, then the paperwork:
- Read your contract. Find the notice period, any non-solicitation or non-compete clause, and who owns the records.
- Tell your employer with as much notice as the contract and your caseload need.
- Agree on a client plan: who tells clients, when, and what options they'll get.
- Tell clients early, ideally several sessions before you go.
- Help each client transition: a warm handoff to a new clinician, a referral, or a planned ending.
- Finish documentation, including transfer or closing summaries.
- Confirm records custody so clients can get their records later.
What counts as client abandonment?
Ending treatment without appropriate notice, discussion, or help finding continued care, especially when a client is at risk. Every major ethics code for mental health professionals addresses termination and avoiding abandonment. The fix is planning: time to process the ending, and a real path to continued care. Psychology Today's piece on therapist-initiated termination covers the client side well.
Clients at higher risk need extra care: more notice, a direct handoff, and a safety plan for the transition.
Can clients follow you?
It depends on your contract, state law, and the client's choice. Many contracts include non-solicitation clauses that limit you from reaching out to clients. Clients generally have the right to choose their therapist, though. If a client asks to follow you, check your agreement and get advice if it's unclear. See Are Non-Compete Clauses in Therapist Contracts Enforceable?
How much notice should you give?
At least what your contract requires, and enough to transition clients well. For an active caseload, that often means weeks, not days.
How ValorWell handles this
ValorWell therapists are independent contractors who can leave at any time. ValorWell's only expectation is enough notice to be clinically appropriate, so it can find a new clinician for each client. There's no fixed notice period beyond that; the needs of your clients set the timeline.
The arrangement is nonexclusive, so leaving ValorWell doesn't affect any other work you do.
Important limits
- Ethics apply everywhere. Even with no contract notice period, abandonment rules still apply.
- Records rules vary by state and by contract. Confirm who keeps them and for how long.
- This isn't legal advice. For disputes over non-solicitation or records, talk to an attorney.