Choosing insurance that actually fits your therapy or wellbeing practice

You’ve invested time, money and energy into building your practice. A single complaint, allegation or claim can put all of that under pressure – even if you’ve done nothing wrong.

That’s where having insurance that properly reflects how you work makes a real difference.

Rather than starting with policy jargon, it helps to begin with a simple question:

“What does my business really look like in day‑to‑day life?”

Once you’re clear on that, it becomes much easier to see what type of cover is likely to be appropriate.

How do you actually practise?

Think about your set‑up today (and what you’re planning in the next year or so):

• Do you work entirely on your own, under your own name or a trading name?
• Are you based in one location, such as a clinic in Cork, or do you work from several venues across the city or region?
• Do you allow other self‑employed practitioners to work “under your umbrella” – for example, listed on your website or social media, or taking bookings and payments through you?
• Are you employing anyone – therapists, teachers, reception staff or administrators?
• Do clients see your practice as a single clinic or centre, rather than just you as an individual?

How you answer these questions point towards three broad ways of working, and potentially three different types of insurance solution.

Matching your set up to the type of cover

*Always subject to insurer terms, your specific circumstances and professional advice.

The rest of this article looks at each of these in more detail.

Solo practitioners: Cover for you and your work

If you work entirely for yourself, an individual policy is often the simplest way to protect your practice.

Example scenario: a sole practitioner in Galway

Aoife is a reflexologist in Galway who practises under the name “Aoife Wellness”. She offers in person sessions from a rented room in a local wellbeing centre and occasional home visits around the county. She doesn’t employ anyone and doesn’t arrange bookings, payments or advertising for any other therapists.

Aoife takes out an Individual Professional Liability & Malpractice policy designed to protect her for the professional services and treatments she personally provides.

An individual policy is typically suitable where:

• You’re the only person providing professional services in the business.
• You don’t employ any staff.
• You don’t ‘host’ other therapists under your trading name (for example, on your website or booking system).

This type of policy is designed to follow you around the different places you work (within the territorial limits and terms of the cover), rather than being tied to a single premises.

Hosting other self‑employed practitioners: protecting your ‘umbrella’

Sometimes your practice grows to a point where you invite other self‑employed professionals to work under your brand. In the eyes of clients, they are part of “your” business – even if you don’t employ them.

Example scenario: A counselling practise in Cork

Patrick is an experienced psychotherapist who runs ‘Harbour Counselling’ in Cork. For several years he has worked alone with an individual policy.

< style="text-align: left;">Demand grows and he invites another self‑employed psychotherapist to see clients from the same premises, listed on his website and booked through the practice’s online system. The additional practitioner is responsible for their own clinical decisions and supervision.

Patrick arranges contingent cover to protect his practice if a claim is made against him in relation to work carried out by that self‑employed practitioner. A key condition of the cover is that the other therapist is appropriately qualified and maintains their own professional liability insurance.

Contingent cover is often relevant where:

• Self‑employed practitioners work under your practice or clinic name.
• You promote them on your website or marketing materials.
• You (or your admin team) handle bookings or payments on their behalf.
• Clients reasonably see them as being ‘part of’ your business.

It’s designed to protect your vicarious liability, aka, the risk that a client pursues a claim against you or your business because of something that happened in a session you didn’t personally deliver.

Clinics, studios and multi‑practitioner businesses: protecting the whole operation

Once you bring together several practitioners, support staff and possibly multiple rooms or locations, it can be more appropriate to insure the clinic or business entity itself.

Example scenario: A wellbeing centre in Dublin

Niamh is a yoga teacher who opens ‘Oak Tree Wellbeing Centre’ in Dublin, offering classes and 1‑to‑1 sessions. She:

• Employs two yoga teachers and a receptionist, and
• Rents treatment rooms to self‑employed practitioners offering massage, acupuncture and other therapies.

The centre has its own website; the receptionist takes bookings and payments for everyone who practises there. From a client’s perspective, it feels like one integrated clinic.

Niamh arranges a Clinic Policy that can:

• Insure the business or clinic as a whole.
• Extend to cover the work of employed therapists and support staff (subject to policy terms).
• Include protection for her vicarious liability for self‑employed practitioners who work under the clinic’s banner, on the basis that they are appropriately qualified and carry their own individual insurance.

Depending on the set‑up, additional covers that may be relevant include:

• Insurance for employees (for example, in respect of injury or illness connected with their work).
• Property‑related cover, such as buildings, contents, or equipment.
• Other business insurances, depending on how the clinic operates.

Your insurance provider will usually ask for details about your business structure, who works there, and how they are engaged (employed vs self‑employed) in order to discuss suitable options.

What is ‘combined liability’ insurance in practice?

Whichever structure you use, many therapy and wellbeing professionals choose a combined liability policy. Typically, this brings several key protections together in one place, for example:

• Professional liability / malpractice – responds to claims or allegations that something in your professional work caused injury, illness or financial loss (for instance, a client alleging poor advice, an error or an omission in treatment).
• Public liability – addresses claims arising from accidental injury or property damage suffered by a member of the public in connection with your business activities, other than the treatment itself (for example, a slip or trip on your premises).
• Products liability – relates to injury, illness or damage said to be caused by a product you supply, sell or use in your work, such as oils, creams, equipment or supplements.

The exact scope of cover, limits, excesses and exclusions will depend on the policy and insurer you choose, so it is important to review the documentation and ask questions if anything is unclear.

A quick check‑list for your own situation

Use this as a starting point for a conversation with your broker or insurer:

• Who delivers professional services? Only you, or others under your banner?
• How are people engaged? Self‑employed, employed, or a mix of both?
• How do clients see you? As a single therapist, or as a clinic / centre?
• What else do you do? Retail sales, workshops, online programmes, home visits, room rental?
• Do all practitioners have their own cover? If they are self‑employed, check they hold suitable insurance.

Having clear answers to these questions will help you discuss:

• Whether an individual, contingent or clinic arrangement (or a combination) is most suitable for your particular circumstances.
• Any additional policies you might need to consider alongside combined liability insurance.

Any questions?

Get in touch with the Balens Ireland team.

Disclaimer: This article is intended to provide general information for health and wellbeing professionals practising in the Republic of Ireland and does not constitute insurance, legal, financial or other professional advice. The right insurance solution will depend on your individual circumstances, the nature of your work, and the specific terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions of any policy you choose.

Nothing in this article alters or replaces the wording of any policy document. You should read your own documentation carefully and seek appropriate professional or independent advice if you are unsure what cover you need or how any Irish legal or regulatory requirements may apply.