New and Returning Client Consent Form
Financial Coaching Cats
Welcome to the Financial Coaching Cats!
We’re excited to support your financial wellness journey through financial coaching. Before we begin, please take a moment to review and acknowledge the following information. Your consent is necessary for us to proceed with providing our services.
Program Overview
Financial Coaching Cats is a financial coaching program offered through the Take Charge America Institute at the University of Arizona. Our trained financial coaches are students currently enrolled as either declared majors or minors in the University’s Personal and Family Financial Planning (PFFP) degree program who are here to support you in building your financial confidence and reaching your personal financial goals.
Coaching topics may include, but are not limited to the following financial wellness areas:
- Creating a personalized budget that fits your lifestyle
- Tracking your income and managing everyday expenses
- Building savings for emergencies, big purchases, or future plans
- Understanding your credit report and learning how to build healthy credit
- Exploring ways to pay for college, including tuition planning and financial aid options
- Devising a plan to pay off student loans or other debt
- Setting short- and long-term financial goals
- Talking through financial decisions you’re facing
Coaching Relationship
Financial coaching is a collaborative and supportive process focused on helping you move toward your personal financial goals. Your financial coach is here to listen, ask questions, and guide you in identifying steps to take that align with your values and priorities. They’re not here to tell you what to do with your money, but to help you build confidence in making your own informed decisions.
It’s important to understand that financial coaching is not the same as financial advising, counseling, therapy, or legal/tax consulting. Your coach is not a licensed professional and cannot offer financial advice or direct recommendations. Your peer financial coach is not authorized to:
- Provide specific investment advice or make investment recommendations
- Recommend or evaluate specific insurance policies
- Negotiate with creditors on your behalf
- Offer services related to retirement planning, legal advice, or estate planning
Instead, their role is to support you in exploring your financial goals, building awareness, and identifying action steps aligned with your values.
Voluntary Participation
Your participation in coaching is entirely voluntary. You may decline to answer any questions or choose to end coaching at any time without penalty.
What You Can Expect as a Client
As a participant in the Financial Coaching Cats program, we want you to know what to expect as part of your coaching experience. The following outlines key expectations to help you prepare for and engage in the coaching process:
- First Appointment: Your first financial coaching session will last approximately 45 to 60 minutes. Before attending this appointment, you must complete and sign this consent form and fill out the required client intake form. You may choose to meet with your coach in person or online based on your preference and availability. Please be sure to select your preferred format when scheduling your appointment.
- Follow-Up Appointments: After your first session, you are expected to schedule at least one (1) follow-up coaching appointment. You are welcome to schedule additional sessions based on your needs and goals, up to a soft limit of four (4) follow-up sessions.
- Feedback and Evaluation: We are committed to continuously improving our services. As a client, you agree to participate in brief follow-up surveys, which may occur during your coaching experience and after your time in the program has ended. Your feedback is a valuable part of our program's success.
- Rescheduling and Cancellations: We understand that schedules can change. If you are unable to attend a scheduled coaching session, we kindly ask that you let us know at least 24 hours in advance so we can offer your time slot to another client and make necessary adjustments. You can reschedule your appointment using the same scheduling tool or by contacting our program coordinator directly. Coaching appointments begin promptly at the scheduled time. If you have not arrived within 15 minutes of your appointment start time, your session will be marked as a missed appointment and may need to be rescheduled.
Our goal is to create a supportive, empowering, and respectful coaching relationship where you feel encouraged to take action toward your financial goals.
Confidentiality & Data Reporting
Confidentiality is a key part of the financial coaching relationship, and your privacy is of utmost importance to us. All information shared in your coaching sessions will be treated as private and confidential to the extent allowed by state law and University of Arizona policy. Financial coaches will not disclose your personal information without your permission, except in specific circumstances where disclosure is necessary for your safety, the safety of others, or is required by law.
Student financial coaches and program staff may be required to report specific disclosed items to the University of Arizona. This means that if we become aware of a situation involving potential harm to yourself or others, suspected abuse or neglect, or other situations covered by both federal and university reporting policies, we may have to report very specific pieces of information to appropriate campus authorities. We will interrupt and inform you during the session if it looks like the conversation is heading into a direction where you might disclose something that our coaches or professional staff may need to report. Likewise, we will explain to you: (1) what information we would need to report at that time, and (2) to which campus authority we are reporting that information.
Other examples of when confidentiality may be limited include:
- If your coach is unsure how to best support you and seeks guidance from the program coordinator or other coaches. In this case, your coach will ask your permission before sharing specifics from your coaching session.
- If you provide permission for us to refer you to other campus or community resources. If we believe that outside support may be helpful to you, we will talk with you about your options and request your permission before any outreach is made.
We are committed to protecting your information in all aspects of service delivery. This includes how we create, store, access, and dispose of records, in accordance with University of Arizona policies and the ethical standards outlined by the Association for Financial Counseling & Planning Education® (AFCPE®). We may collect general information (such as goals, topics discussed, or session dates) to help track progress and evaluate the program’s impact. When using data for program evaluation or reporting, we will anonymize your information to protect your identity. Personally identifiable information will not be shared without your consent.
Observations and Training Purposes
The Financial Coaching Cats program is both a service and a learning opportunity for our student financial coaches. As part of their development, financial coaches may occasionally observe or be observed by other coaches or program staff during coaching sessions. These observations are an important part of our training and quality improvement process.
In addition, anonymized examples or de-identified case details from your coaching experience may be utilized for coach training or educational purposes. Any information used in this way will be stripped of identifying details to protect your privacy.
Referrals (Applies to University of Arizona Students ONLY)
To ensure you receive the most appropriate and comprehensive support, your financial coach may recommend connecting you with other campus departments or student services at the University of Arizona. These referrals are designed to help address your needs holistically, especially if a concern falls outside the scope of financial coaching.
Referrals may include services such as academic support, mental health resources, student employment, financial aid, or other areas. These referrals will only be made when relevant and with your best interests in mind.
You have the right to decline any referrals and may choose not to have your information shared with other departments. Should you choose to opt out, your peer financial coach will continue to support you to the best of their ability within the scope of this program.
Financial Coaching Cats Program Contact Information:
Take Charge America Institute
Norton School of Human Ecology, University of Arizona
McClelland Park 650 North Park Ave. Suite 308
Tucson, AZ 85721
Phone: (520) 266-4209
Email: Financialcoachingcats@arizona.edu